THE STINGING NETTLES. tij 



Cattle eat the plant onh' when very young or when dried with 

 hay. In these conditions it is nearly, if not quite harmless, for in the 

 young plants the glandular hairs have not fully developed, and in the 

 dry ones the poison has become more or less dissipated or decomposed. 



The chemical nature of the poison being unknown, it is impos- 

 sible to give a rational method of counteracting its etfects. Experi- 

 ence has, however, shown that an application of ammonia water gives 

 much relief. The swelling may be abated by keeping the skin cool, 

 either with water or ice or by pouring alcohol upon it. 



Of the seven other species of stinging nettles found in the United 

 States, the two following are perhaps the most worthy of note: 



Slender Nettle {^Urtica gracilis Ait.) 

 A taller (2 to 7 feet), but more slender, and perhaps less stinging 

 species tlian the preceding, with smoother and narrower leaves and 

 smaller flower clusters. It has nearly the same range and is probably 

 more abundant, but since it abounds chiefly in places more remote 

 from human habitations, it is less important. Thousands of acres of 

 reclaimed swamp land in Michigan and Wisconsin are made nearly 

 worthless by its dense growth, horses refusing to pass through it to 

 cultivate the soil. 



Small Nettle. Dwarf Nettle [Ur/ica urens L.). 



This is an introduced annual, six to eighteen inches high, with 

 small, elliptic, coarsely-toothed leaves, and short clusters of green 

 flowers. The stem and leaves are sparingly provided with stings. 

 It is a common weed in cultivated soils in California and the Gulf 

 States, and is introduced to some extent throughout the Atlantic 

 States and in Kansas and Missouri. 



The Wood-Nettle {Urticastrutn divaricatuiii (L.), Kuntze; La- 

 port ea Canadensis Gaud.), is very closely allied to the true nettles, 

 and is likewise provided with stinging, glandular hairs. It is a low, 

 stout perennial, two to four feet high, with large, alternate, ovate, long- 

 stemmed leaves three to seven inches long. The inconspicuous 

 flowers are borne near the end of long, slender flower-stalks. The 

 plant grows in moist rich woods, from Maine to Minnesota, and south- 

 ward to Florida and Kansas. 



" Some. Troublesome Weeds of the Mustard Family" is the title 

 of a contribution by Prof. L. H. Pammel in the " Bulletin of the Iowa 

 Experiment Station" (No. 34, pp. 656-6S6). It contains descriptions 

 of the more noxious species, their distribution in this country and the 

 m.ost effective means for their eradication. The paper is illustrated 

 by fifteen full-page plates. 



