24 
Colorado Experiment Station 
which caused the heavy losses of sheep in the Montezuma Valley 
near Cortez, and was also responsible for some of the losses on 
the driveway between Paonia and Hotchkiss in the North Fork 
Valley. 
2. In pastures where dairy or farm stock have grazed off 
the desirable forage, leaving onlv milkweed in anv quantities. 
This is the condition that existed when the Bar K Cattle Com- 
pany lost 44 head of steers in one night. 
3. In orchards which are not being cultivated and which 
mav be used as corrals in which to hold a number of stock either 
for a short time, or which may be used as pastures. In many of 
the orchard sections, particularly around Grand Junction and in 
the North Fork Valiev, the owners have abandoned clean culti- 
vation methods with the result that orchards are being taken by 
weeds. The weed which is most abundant in many cases is 
whorled milkweed. The use of these orchards for pasturing has 
resulted in some verv heavy losses, the most conspicuous being 
that of the loss of 350 head of sheep by Bennett Bros, near 
Hotchkiss, details of which have been previously given. 
4. When the milkweed is present in sufficient quantities 
in the hav so that an animal can get a toxic dose in one feed. This 
condition is very common in the section around Grand Junction, 
and both cattle and horses are being lost in that neighborhood 
from this source. In one instance six head of horses were pois- 
oned from one stack of hav containing* milkweed. Near White- 
water, Colorado, Mr. Fred Burford poisoned 350 head of sheep 
from one load of hay containing the weed and about 75 or 80 head 
of these died. 
5. In the winter when snow may cover up desirable forage, 
and milkweed stems are sticking above the snow. During the sum- 
mer stock will eat down everything but milkweed with the result 
the stalks of the latter wll grow up and will not be covered ex- 
cept by a heavy ^now. Under conditions where other forage is 
covered up, cattle will get hungry and eat the milkweed. Figure 
18 shows a small bunch of milkweed under these conditions and 
shows that the cattle ate the tops. Figure 19 shows the re- 
sult. Three dead steers are shown in the picture. Seven others 
died nearby. Triis was in the early winter of 1919-1920. 
Any condition which brings a hungry animal in contact 
with whorled milkweed is almost sure to result in poisoning. 
PKEVENTION OF POISONING 
From the preceding paragraph the methods of the preven- 
tion of poisoning are of course obvious: 
