STOCK-POISONING PLANTS OF THE BANGE. 3 
in the eastern continents, very little information can be drawn from 
European sources to aid the American stockman. 
For several years the United States Department of Agriculture has 
been carrying on a series of experiments with poisonous plants, and 
has accumulated a considerable body of information, which, al- 
though necessarily incomplete, will be, it is hoped, of service to men 
handling livestock upon the open range. 
It appears from these researches that, while the total number of 
poisonous plants growing in the West may be very large, the number 
to be dreaded by the stockmen is comparatively small, and in most 
cases it is not at all difficult to identify the plants which are to be 
avoided. Of course, most stockmen are not botanists and are not 
interested in the botanical distinctions of plants. Most of them, 
however, are good observers and can readily recognize these plants 
if the salient characteristics are brought before them in a manner 
which they can understand. 
With the continued reduction of the area of stock ranges and the 
increasing value of livestock, the owners are of necessity handling 
the animals with greater care. The time has passed when a man 
will buy a few cows, turn them loose, and pay no more attention to 
them except to brand the calves and occasionally round up a few of 
them for market. It is becoming necessary for stock owners to be 
in constant touch with their animals upon the range, and it is no 
longer probable that a large number will die and the fact become 
known to the owner only after the lapse of weeks or months. Most 
of the mountain stock ranges at the present time are under the gen- 
eral direction of the Forest Service, and its officers are constantly 
patrolling the territory under their direction, so that between this 
supervision and the riding by the employees of the stock owners, 
cattle and horses upon the range are kept under almost constant ob- 
servation. Sheep, of course, have always been under the immediate 
care of a herder, and probably will continue to be attended to in the 
same general way. 
Extensive acquaintance by the author with the conditions on the 
western ranges has shown that while harmful plants are known and 
avoided by some men, there are large regions in which these plants 
have never been recognized, in spite of the fact that losses have 
occurred year after year. 
The object of this publication is to present in abrief and intelligible 
form such a description of the common or more important plants as 
can be understood by a person not in the habit of using technical 
terms. With this description is given a brief statement of the symp- 
toms produced by the plant, the time at which the losses may be 
expected to occur, and the means, so far as they are known, of 
avoiding them. It is not intended to give any complete description 
of the plants or their effects. For this, reference must be made to 
the more detailed reports upon specific plants. 2 In regard to most of 
these our knowledge is at present on a firm basis of experimental 
proof. It has seemed best, however, to add to the list some plants 
which undoubtedly produce poisonous effects, but which have never 
been subjected to detailed experimental study. 
2 A list of such publications appears at the end of this bulletin. 
