Dec. 24,1917 Eupatorium urticaefolium as a Poisonous Plant 
709 
mated toxic dose of the fresh plant. It seems that without doubt the 
plant loses a large part of its toxicity in drying. 
ARE THE MILK AND FLESH OF POISONED ANIMALS POISONOUS? 
Milk from cow 122, during the period in which she was eating E. urti- 
caefolium , was fed to cat 3 and dog 15. It should be noted in this con¬ 
nection that cow 122 received dry material and showed no symptoms of 
poisoning. While it is generally stated that “milk-sick 5 * cows show no 
symptoms while giving milk, it is evident not only from the experiments 
of the Department of Agriculture but from the testimony of others that 
cows even when giving milk can show symptoms of Eupatorium poisoning. 
Cat 3 was an old animal. He drank the milk for about a week and 
then refused it, and some time later died. There was no evidence that 
the milk injured it, and its death was due to old age. 
Dog 15 was fed milk from the same cow from December 20 to Decem¬ 
ber 31 with no deleterious effect. 
Meat from cattle 668 and sheep 309, both animals having died from 
Eupatorium poisoning, was fed to dog 11 from October 23 to November 
16. During this time the dog ate over 60 pounds of meat, or an average 
of about 2.4 pounds a day. As he weighed only 15 pounds, he ate 4 
times his weight of meat. He was in poor condition at the conclusion 
of the experiment, and died some days later. There were no definite 
symptoms, and probably the death was not due to E. urticaefolium. It 
must be recognized, however, that it is possible that the plant had some 
injurious effect. 
Dog 12, weighing about 10 pounds, was fed like dog 11 from October 23 
to November 16 on the meat from cattle 668 and sheep 309, eating 18.9 
pounds, without any effect. 
Dog 21, an old shepherd dog, was put in a pen with the meat from cattle 
699, which had died of Eupatorium poisoning. He ate very little, and 
later the meat was cooked and fed to him from October 5 to 9, 1915, dur¬ 
ing which time he ate 6)4 pounds. He refused to eat more, and was killed 
and autopsied on October 10. His lack of appetite was doubtless due to 
his age. The result of the feeding and of the autopsy was entirely 
negative. 
During the time of the experiment with dog 21 two or three hounds 
from a neighboring farm broke into the pen where the meat was kept 
and practically cleaned up the skeleton. None of the dogs were known 
to be poisoned. 
While the experiments with the flesh of poisoned animals can not be 
considered conclusive, everything points to the probability of the harm¬ 
lessness of the meat. 
In this connection it may be noted that Mr. George Walker, of Andrews, 
North Carolina, a region where trembles in cattle is common, has called 
attention to the fact that during the Civil War both armies, when in 
