THE MEADOW DEATH CAAIAS AS A POISONOUS PLANT. 3 
EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 
During the season of 1921, 3 experimental feedings of the plant were 
made on cattle, 37 on sheep, and 3 on swine. Of these feedings, those 
on sheep are considered the most important, both because most of the 
recorded cases of Zygadenus poisoning are of sheep arid because the 
extended experimental work on sheep with the other species of 
Zygadenus furnishes a fairly accurate standard for determining the 
comparative toxicity of the species. 
A quantity of the typical plant was collected when in full bloom at 
Doyle, Calif!, June 16 and 17, 1921, and the work here reported was 
done with that material at the experiment station near Salina, Utah. 
Table 1 gives a summarized statement of these experiments. 
Table 1. — Summary of feeding experiments with Zygadenus venenosus. 
Animal. 
Designation. jWeight. 
Date of 
feeding. 
Method 
of 
feeding. 
Part of plant 
fed. 
Remarks. 
Cattle: 
No. 903.. 
No. 900. 
No. 905. 
Sheep: 
No. 633. 
No. 634. 
No. 637. 
No. 642. 
No. 643. 
No. 6 15. 
No. 646. 
No. 649. 
No. 603. 
No. 615. 
No.611. 
No. 624. 
No.627. 
No. 637. 
No. 643. 
No. 645. 
No. 646.. 
No. 642.. 
No. 541.. 
No. 612.. 
No. 617.. 
No. 639- 
No. 641. 
No. 651. 
No. 652. 
No. 645.. 
No. 646 
No. 541.. 
Pounds. 
683 
46 6 
440 
82 
86.5 
102 
108.5 
103.5 
122.5 
127 
108.5 
113.5 
105 
146.5 
91 
112. 25 
111. 25 
114 
128 
132 
115.5 
137.25 
109.5 
121 
87 
112 
106.5 
114. 75 
127.5 
128.5 
137 
1921. 
Sept. 14-16. In hay. 
Sept. 19., 
do... 
Julyl... 
July2 
July 5 
July6 
July 7 
July 8 
Julv9 
July 11.... 
Juivll 
Julvl9 
July 22 
Aug.l 
Aug. 4 
Aug. 10.... 
Aug. 12.... 
Aug. 12-19. 
j...do.... 
j...do..... 
' Balling 
gun. 
I. .do...., 
...do..... 
...do.... 
...do.... 
:...do.... 
...do.... 
...do.... 
!...do.... 
...do.... 
...do.... 
...do.... 
...do.... 
i...do.... 
|...do.... 
i Inhav. 
Aug. 13-19-' do. 
Aug. 14 — 
Aug. 23-25. 
Aug. 29.... 
Sept. 5 
Sept. 10.... 
Sept.12.... 
Sept. 13.... 
Balling 
gun. 
In ha v. . 
Balling 
gun. 
..do. 
..do. 
..do. 
..do. 
do do.... 
Sept. 14.. ..;... do 
do ...do 
Sept. 15.. ..I. ..do 
Leaves, stems, 
and flowers. 
ao 
....do 
Leaves, stems, 
flowers, and 
some bulbs. 
....do 
....do 
....do 
....do 
do 
....do 
....do 
....do 
....do 
....do 
....do 
....do 
....do , 
....do 
....do 
...do. 
do 
Leaves, stems, 
and flowers.' 
Leaves, stems, 
flowers, and 
some bulbs. 
do 
.....do 
Bulbs 
Leaves, stems, 
flowers, and 
some bulbs. 
Bulbs 
Leaves, stems, 
flowers, and 
some bulbs. 
Bulbs 
Not sick. 
1 Estimated as green plant per 100 pounds 
...do... 
animal. 
. 838 j Sick. 
1.496 
1.72 
1.8 
1.7 
Not sick.. 
Not sick. 
Verv sick. 
Dry plant fed; esti- 
mated as green. 
Eaten rather slow- 
ly. 
Dry plant fed; esti- 
mated as green. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Dry plant fed; esti- 
mated as green. 
Sick four different 
times. 
Dry plant fed; esti- 
mated as green. 
Ate only a small 
part of it. 
Dry plant fed; esti- 
mated as green. 
Dry plant fed; esti- 
mated as green. 
Ate very little. 
Dry plant fed; esti- 
mated as green. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
do 
Symptoms. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
