2 BULLETIN 947, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
suffered from a disease commonly known as "spewing sickness." 
The symptoms, us described, seemed to correspond fairly well with 
those caused by Zygadenus (death camas), and the men were told 
that this plant was the probable cause. A picture of the plant was 
shown, and some of them recognized it as growing on the ranges 
where the trouble occurred. 
A botanical examination of the ranges in question was made by 
W. W. Egg] es ton in the following summer, and two visits were made 
by Dr. Hadleigh Marsh to see the sick animals. On the first visit, 
from July 25 to August 7, 1914, a number of spewing cases were seen 
and some autopsies made. The "sneezeweed," Helenium hoopesit, 
was seen where some of the sheep were grazing, and one of the herders 
expressed his belief that this plant was the cause of the trouble. 
It was found, however, that quite generally Zygadenus grew near 
where cases of poisoning occurred, and it was concluded that this 
plant was the probable cause of the trouble, although it was noted 
that the cases were not typical of Zygadenus poisoning, and that 
Zygadenus was not found in some of the localities. It was also found 
that man}' cases occurred in September, which was rather late for 
Zygadenus. The second visit was made by Dr. Hadleigh Marsh, from 
September 12 to 21. This was just after the sheep had left the 
summer range. The localities where sheep had been reported poi- 
soned were examined carefully. Dried leaves and seed of Zygadenus 
were found in many places. It was thought that the Zygadenus was 
abundant enough to account for some of the losses, but not for all. 
The fact, too, that most of the herders believed in the sneezeweed as 
the poisonous agent was not to be ignored, and it was felt that definite 
experimental work should be undertaken which would verify or elim- 
inate the sneezeweed theory. 
This experimental work was commenced when the Salina Experi- 
ment Station was established on the Fishlake National Forest in 1915, 
and has been continued for five years. The installation of a station 
on a range where the spewing sickness was common, with the oppor- 
tunity of observing the field cases, together with feeding experiments 
with the fresh plant, soon established proof that the spewing sickness 
was not caused by Zygadenus, but was the result of eating sneezeweed 
{Helenium hoopesii). A preliminary publication, Circular A-9, 
United States Department of Agriculture, was issued concerning 
this work in 1916. The effects of the plant were of such a character, 
however, as to make the detailed experimental work very slow and 
tedious, and in the 'course of the work many perplexing questions 
arose, so that it was only after several seasons' work that it was 
possible to make a fairly complete report on the subject. 
