The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-03-26
Cattle Poison.

The latest press bulletin issued
by the Oregon Experiment Sta
tion contains an article by Prof.
French, giving the results of an
experiment in feeding poisonous
roots to cattle.
The detailed account of the
experiment is highly interesting
and it will doubtless be OF great
value TO the Oregon farmers to
know that cattle will die with
spasms alter eating these poison;
Gus herbs, the name and nature of
which is left in doubt by the sta
tion botanist. The bulbs in ques-
ton were sent to the station from
Lincoln county and it appears
that the sender was aware of the
fatal consequences resulting from
feeding them to cattle. and was
anxious to know if there was an
aniidote for the poison. From the
station information was given out
that the bulbs were wild parsnip
roots and that they were to be fed
to a couple of calves at the college
in order to determine their effect.
The experiment was tried. the
calves died and the public was in
formed that it was wild parsnips
that had killed them. In his bull
letin, gwen below, Prof. French
admits that Prof. Hedrich, the
Station botanist, was unable to
state whether or not the roots
used in the experiment were from
the plant known as wild parsnip,
but that he has since learned from
other botanists that the bulbs are
not wild parsnip roots. 1t is most
likely that the bulbs are wild
hemlock roots, large, poisonous
herb of the parsley family that is
sometimes mistaken for cow-pars-
ley. If this be the case, there
ought to have been no. trouble i'll
determining that the bulbs used
in the experiment were not wild
parsnip roots, for wild parsnlp and
hemlock are not even of The same
family. Professor French's article
is given belyw in full:
ga communication was received
at the Station from Waldport, Lin
coin county, regarding cattle pois-
oning. A sample of the root
which caused the difficulty was
sent to the botanist for examina-
ton. On consultation with the
professor, we determined to test
the effect of the root ON animals
at the Station. A bushel of roots
were forwarded to us from the in
jury first occurred.
s.We determined to feed an an
imal on the material first to de-
termine whether the bulbs would
actually kill. Experiments had
been carried on at the Station
some eight years ago, in the iced
ing of wild parsnip, without any
injurious effects, hence we wished
to determine whether this mater
ial, which was said to be wild pars
nip, would actually kill. 1t may
be stated that we were i'll doubt
as to whether the roots were from
the plant known as wild parsnip.
GA bulb was cut into small
pieces, mixed with a carrot cut
up in the same way,land fed to a
two year old grade sfheifer. The
material was fed ali s O'Clock a.
M, and at $50 tile animal was
dead. The poison performed its
work so qulcklyg after the first
symptoms, that we wenc unable
to be present at the moment
death occurred, but reached the
place soon after.} The animal ev-
identity died in a spasm. 1t was
in a stall and, falling on the left
side, never regained its feet.
Froth and foam escaped from the
mouth in considerable quantities.
"On post mortum examination,
pieces of the root were found in
the rumen, and in the reticulum,
or second stomach. None was