———— 
22 BULLETIN 69, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Rafinesque, 1828, page 109, says that ‘‘even cattle do not appear 
injured by them [the stems and leaves] when mixed with hay.” 
Schiinemann, 1891, says “die ganze Pflanze ist sehr giftig.”’ 
Krause, 1837, gives the details of the supposed poisoning of horses 
by Cicuta in hay. He fed the stems and leaves experimentally to 
three horses. All became sick and two died. 
Hedrick, 1897, says ‘‘it is probable that the poisonous constituent 
is found only in the underground stem and the roots.” 
Ladd, 1899, states that the roots and seeds are especially poisonous 
and that the tops are poisonous in hay. 
Brodie, 1901, experimenting with Cicuta vagans, fed all parts of 
the plant in May, July, and August without results, but killed an 
animal in November after the stems and leaves were dead. 
Chesnut and Wilcox, 1901, page 82, speaking of Cicuta occidentalis , 
say: 
Field observations indicate that leaves and stems, including the basal portion of 
this plant, at least during the early stages of growth, contained sufficient poison to 
produce death. The roots contain a virulent poison. 
Blankinship, 1903, page 89, states that the roots and foliage are 
more poisonous in early spring and that cases are reported of poison- 
ing from eating ‘“‘slough hay.” It is to be presumed that these latter 
cases were poisoned by the tops. 
It appears, therefore, that the preponderance of opinion, we can 
hardly say evidence, is in favor of the whole plant being poisonous. 
This subject is discussed in the experimental part of this paper 
(pp. 15-17). 
The feeding experiments at Mount Carbon show that there is little 
danger, if any, from the aerial parts of the plant. In 1911, Cicuta. 
tops, from the time they were 8 inches to a foot in height until matur- 
ity, were fed to sheep with no ill effects. The quantity fed was many 
times that which would be taken in grazing. It is possible that just 
as the plants are starting to grow the shoots may be harmful, but it 
seems more probable that at times the animals poisoned get some of 
the rootstock. Inthe experimental work with seeds the animals were 
drenched with 1.6 to 3.8 pounds of seed to 100 pounds of their weight 
and only one animal showed symptoms of poisoning. This quantity 
of seed is evidently vastly more than a sheep could obtain in hay. 
It seems clear, then, that hay containing Cicuta tops and seeds is 
. harmless, and that practically the only danger from the plant is from 
ingestion of the roots. 
SEASON WHEN CICUTA IS MOST POISONOUS. 
It is generally stated that the plant is most poisonous in the spring. 
Some authors say that as the stored material of the rootstock is 
used up in the growth of the plant, it ceases to be poisonous. Cer- 
tainly most cases of poisoning occur in the spring. 
