PLANTS POISONOUS TO STOCK. 
437 
condition and also on account of the lack of other herbage. 
* 
After the plants have blossomed, which with the species grow¬ 
ing on the feeding ranges occurs about the ist of June, the 
leaves dry up, and as they are not very inviting in appearance 
are probably never eaten by stock. Whether or not all or any of 
the species are non-poisonous at that stage of growth is a mat¬ 
ter which has not been determined. It is very doubtful if such 
is the case. There is a popular belief to this effect, but it ap¬ 
pears to be certain that the seeds of at least one species—the 
great Basin plant—kill stock when eaten with hay. It is very 
doubtful if the plants are eaten on the range in a nearly mature 
stage of growth. The absence of heavy rains on the ranges in 
summer precludes the possibility of stock being poisoned by 
eating the bulbs during that period. There are some general 
grounds for belief that the bulb is the most poisonous part of 
death camas, but no experiments have been made to show that 
such is the case. 
Reports of the poisoning of stock from one or another spe¬ 
cies of poison camas while grazing have been sent in to the 
Department of Agriculture from nearly all parts of the North¬ 
west. The only cases of poisoning from hay have been reported 
from Nevada. These were due to the seeds of poison sego. 
Most cases were, however, caused by death camas, which is far 
the most widely known species. 
Damage Caused .—Poisoning from this plant is so common 
in Oregon and Nevada that the term “ lobeliaed ” has been in¬ 
vented to indicate the resulting death or symptoms of poisoning. 
In Montana as many as 3030 one-year old and two-year old sheep 
were reported to have been poisoned by death camas during the 
spring of 1900. Two thousand of these were poisoned in a sin¬ 
gle band. Over 21 per cent, of the total number died. The 
money value of the total loss from poison camas in the North, 
west has not been estimated, but must be considerable. The 
losses noted by Dr. Wilcox and writer in Montana during the 
spring of 1900 were due to but one species and amounted to 
nearly $2000. 
