700 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XI, No. 13 
as they relate to E. urticaefoUum as a poisonous plant, with the hope that 
some of the losses may be avoided; for it is evident that while in many 
localities this plant is suspected to be the cause of milk sickness, its 
importance as a stock-poisoning plant has received little recognition. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT 
Eupatorium urticaefoUum Reichard (PI. 52) quoted as E. ageratoides L. 
in the older botanies, is a slender, erect, perennial herb, belonging to 
the family Compositae. Its leaves, which are 3 to 5 inches long, are 
opposite, broadly ovate, pointed, sharply toothed and thin, and have 
rather long petioles. The stems are viscid-villous. The small white 
flowers are in compound corymbs of 8 to 30 flowers, appearing in the late 
summer and fall. The plants are from 1 to 4 feet in height. 
It is found widely distributed in the eastern United States and as far 
west as Minnesota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Louisiana. Its favorite 
habitat is in rich, damp woods. It is abundant in the groves along the 
watercourses of the Middle States, and grows with special profusion in 
the so-called coves, or damp, shaded ravines, of the north slopes of 
the southern Appalachians. It is by no means, however, confined to 
shaded situations, for it sometimes grows in masses on cleared hillsides 
in the open. 
It is commonly known as white snakeroot. Other names which 
have been applied to it are white sanicle, Indian sanicle, deerwort, bone 
set, poolwort, poolroot, richweed, squawweed, whitetop, and steria. 
The root has been used in medicine as a diuretic and antispa$modic. 
The common thoroughwort, Eupatorium perfoliatum L., which grows 
in similar localities, but usually on soils with more moisture, is readily 
distinguished from E . urticaefoUum , as it is a coarser plant and the leaves 
are long, narrow, rugose, and, as the name indicates, are without petioles 
and are united around the stem. 
EXPERIMENTAL WORK 
In the experimental work of 1914 three head of cattle and two head of 
sheep were used. Following is the detail of the experiments. 
Calf 668.—This animal was a bull calf, born in March, 1914, and kept 
during the summer in a pasture on the department farm at Arlington, 
Va. It was brought into the barn for experimental feeding October 7. 
It was in good condition and weighed 340 pounds. 
The planfs fed to this animal were shipped from Beecher City, Ill., and 
consisted of stems, leaves, and flowers, which were fed in as fresh a con¬ 
dition as possible, but had lost some moisture, so that the weights of 
material fed probably represented a somewhat larger quantity of the 
strictly fresh plant. 
The animal received and ate the plants as follows: October 8, 4.5 
pounds; October 10, 9.5 pounds; October 12, 7 pounds; and October 14, 
