436 
W. J. MARTIN. 
Hillman lias published two brief accounts illustrating the wild 
sego ( Zygadenuspaniculatus) and suggesting that this plant is 
probably responsible for the death of a considerable number of 
cattle in certain alkaline districts of that State. So far as the 
writer is aware, however, no toxicological experiments were 
made prior to 1900 with any of the species which proved their 
poisonous qualities. The experiments made by Dr. S. B. Nel¬ 
son at Pullman, Wash., were wholly negative in result. A 
pound of the plant, in blossom and fruit, was fed to a sheep 
during the course of about twelve hours without causing any 
marked ill effect. In the spring of 1900, Dr. Wilcox and writer, 
independently of each other, made several tests on rabbits and 
sheep, both with extracts and fresh plants, and none of these 
failed to give some positive evidence of the physiological activity 
of the plants. In every case, even in the feeding experiments 
however, the animals received nearly all the material given them 
within a few minutes, and, moreover, most of the plants used were 
not yet in flower. This may account for the difference of our re¬ 
sults from those of Dr. Nelson, or it may possibly have been due 
to a difference in the species used. The latter can hardly be the 
case, however, for the same species has proved poisonous in a 
number of cases which occurred in Oregon and Washington un¬ 
der the usual conditions. The difference is mostly attributable, 
therefore, to the difference in the rate of feeding and to a possi¬ 
ble stage of growth at which they were used. It may, however, 
be possible that the Washington animal was older than ours and 
had previously accustomed itself to the plant. 
When Dangerous to Stock .—Stock are poisoned by eating 
the bulbs along with the leaves, or by the leaves alone while at 
pasture, or by the seeds when present in hay, as they sometimes 
are. As a rule, the bulbs cannot be pulled up by stock in the 
act of grazing, but after the ground has been thoroughly soaked 
with rain they may be, and sometimes are, so extracted. Stock, 
especially sheep, are usually killed by eating the plant before 
it has blossomed in the spring. The leaves appear early, and 
are then very tempting to stock on account of their succulent 
