432 
W. J. MARTIN. 
extent the leaves and steins of such plants, have caused a very 
considerable loss of stock in the Dakotas and Montana. Such 
hay is very much more apt to be fatal if fed in boxes, for the 
seeds, which are easily detachable, are not then lost when the 
plants are tossed about by the animals in eating, but accumu¬ 
late in the bottom of the box, and are, therefore, more apt to 
be eaten. 
Damage Caused .—No systematic attempt has ever been made 
to obtain statistics showing the extent of the damage caused by 
the water hemlock in the Northwest. That it is considerable 
may be judged from the fact that so much attention has been 
paid to the plants by various experiment stations. One man on 
the Sprague River, in Oregon, has recently spent much time 
and money in an attempt to eradicate the plants from his range, 
and Prof. Hedrick has stated that an estimated death rate of one 
hundred cattle per annum was low for that State. During an 
investigation of the poisonous plants of Montana in the months 
of May and June, 1900, Dr. E. V. Wilcox and the writer noted 
thirty-six cases of water hemlock poisoning among cattle, thirty 
of which were fatal, and one hundred and five cases among 
sheep, fifty of which were fatal. It will thus be seen that the 
death rate was very high. The above deaths represent a loss of 
over $4000, but this is only a fraction of the entire loss in Oregon 
and Montana for that year. 
Symptoms of Poisoning .—The symptoms of poisoning result¬ 
ing from the accidental eating of any of the poisonous paits of 
any of the water hemlocks agree well with each other, and also 
with those obtained in experimental ways. The effects of the 
Oregon plant has been noted by Prof. H. T. French and U. P. 
Hedrick in the case of a yearling calf that ate two of the roots 
one morning at about 9.15 o’clock. At 10.25 o’clock the 
muscles of the flanks began to twitch, the eyes watered, and 
the animal became excitable. Its temperature had risen to 
104 deg. F. There was also a marked increase in the amount 
of urine voided, a symptom which was prominent until death. 
The first spasm took place at 10.45. There was then a marked 
