712 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XI, No. 13 
plant favors damp, shaded places, but it sometimes grows most luxuriantly 
on partially cleared land. It has been noticed in the mountains of North 
Carolina that the plant increases enormously on cleared land, and only 
disappears after the land has been seeded down. 
If the poisonous character of the plant is recognized, much can be 
accomplished by so handling the animals that they do not graze largely 
in areas where E . urticaefolium is abundant. 
PREVIOUS EXPERIMENTAL WORK ON EUPATORIUM URTICAEFOLIUM 
The results of the experimental work undertaken by the writers 
were so definite and convincing that it seemed best to reexamine the 
literature of milk sickness with reference to the results obtained by other 
authors. Although the literature is very extensive and E. urticaefolium 
has long been suspected as a possible cause of the disease, the published 
statements in regard to the plant are not very numerous. 
Apparently the first published statement in regard to the effect of 
E. urticaefolium was by Rowe (14) in the Ohio State Journal of September 
6, 1839. He made a public experiment of feeding ‘ The weed” on the 
farm of Francis Asbury, and published a statement by Mr. Asbury with 
affidavits by four other men. “The weed” was fed to a cow for seven 
days, together with common feed. A 3-months-old calf took the milk 
of the cow during that time, exhibited symptoms of trembles on the sixth 
day, and died on the ninth. A yearling steer at the same time was fed 
with * The weed” and other necessary feed, had the trembles, and died 
at the end of seven days. It is stated in the report of the Ohio State 
board of agriculture for 1858 (9) that the weed used was Eupatorium 
ageratoides. 
A statement that E. urticaefolium (ageratoides) may be the cause of 
milk sickness was made by Barbee (j) in 1840. He says that Dr. Owen 
told him that he had produced trembles in a calf by an extract of the 
plant. Barbee himself gave a decoction to a dog and produced “ shaking 
palsy,” vomiting, and death in three hours. 
Drake in 1841 (7, p . 215-216) tells of two specific cases in which 
cattle were turned into pastures covered with E. ageratoides without 
any bad results. 
Dewey in 1854 (6), thinks the cause of the disease is a 
succulent plant, which grows in damp and thickly shaded bottoms, and bears a 
white blossom until late in the autumn. 
Probably the plant thus described is E. urticaefolium . He states 
that he knows all the symptoms of the disease were produced in calves 
by experimental feeding of this plant. 
