74 BULLETIN 365, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
the kidneys, and distinct congestion of the walls of the heart, asso- 
ciated with a general congestion of the peripheral circulation. 
TOXICITY OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE PLANT. 
In the course of the experiments careful notes were made with 
regard to the part of the plant fed to the animals. Some animals 
were fed leaves and stems; others leaves, stems, and flowers; others 
the tops with the seed; and, in the case of Delphinium menziesii 
and Delphinium' andersonii, some were fed the roots alone. 
There is a widespread belief among the stockmen of Colorado 
that the roots of Delphinium menziesii are much more poisonous 
than other parts of the plant. It is said that cattle are much more 
likely to be poisoned after a rain, when they can pull up the plants 
by the roots and devour a large quantity of the latter. In the 
summer of 1909 special attention was paid to the feeding of roots 
to the cattle. Two animals — Nos. 92 and 117 — were fed roots alone 
of Delphinium menziesii. No. 92, in 2 days, ate an equivalent of 
2.47 pounds per 1,000 pounds of weight, and No. 117, in 1 day, ate 
2.1 pounds of roots without any symptoms of poisoning. These 
quantities, to be sure, were not very large ; but it is highly improb- 
able that an animal upon the range would ever be able to consume 
as much. The stem of Delphinium menziesii is quite brittle and, 
while it is entirely possible to pull up the roots by the stems while 
the soil is moist, the larger part of them, as was proved by experi- 
ment, will break, and it is improbable that cattle in their grazing 
will get any considerable number of roots. These experiments 
would seem to prove that the roots of Delphinium menziesii are not 
violently toxic. The roots of Delphinium harbeyi are long and 
tough and are never pulled up by stock, so that for grazing they need 
not be considered. The feeding experiments with Delphinium men- 
ziesii throughout the season of 1910 were of the whole plant, and 
there was no reason to think that the roots were especially toxic. 
In the experimental feeding of the roots of Delphinium andersonii, 
given in detail on page 58, only sheep were used, so no results were 
reached as to the comparative toxicity of different parts of the plant, 
as there is no evidence that sheep are poisoned by any part of the 
plant. The experiment was significant as indicating that in all 
probability sheep are not injured by the roots of this plant. 
The charts (figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) for the feeding of both Del- 
phinium barheyi and Delphinium menziesii show quite clearly the 
greater toxicity of the seeds. It will be noticed from the charts that 
in the feeding of plants at the time when seeds were present a smaller 
quantity was necessary in order to produce symptoms of poisoning. 
In this connection, the case of heifer No. 633 is especially interesting. 
This animal was found dead in the pasture September 2, 1911. 
