THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 163 



hundred pounds of animal is sufficient to cause poisoning. 

 I'V'W animals succumb to the poison, however, being easily 

 cured by being fed millv, bacon-grease, lard or linseed oil. 



GovKRNMENT Pl.\nt I^itortatioxs. — In the early days 

 of this country, when seedsmen were less numerous than at 

 present and communication more difficult, tlie national gov- 

 ernment undertook to distribute seeds of useful plants in the 

 interests of a better agriculture. The progress of time has 

 made such distribution of little value, but it has been long 

 persisted in, possibly because our legislators assumed that the 

 receipt of a few packages of garden seeds each spring, would 

 serve as a gentle reminder to the voter that his Congressman 

 was on the job. In recent years another distribution of seeds 

 and {)lants has been instituted by 'the Government which ap- 

 pears to be of the highest usefulness. The plants that figure in 

 this distribution come from the ends of the earth, sent in by 

 botanical explorers, botanical gardens, experiment stations 

 and private individuals interested in advancing horticulture. 

 The number of different species thus distributed is now more 

 than fifty thousand! As may be inferred such specimens are 

 sent I >ut to those only who have adequate means of testing them 

 and a disposition to'make careful records of tlieir behavior un- 

 der cultivation. The only criticism of the distribution that can 

 be made is that the majority of the plants are such as thrive on- 

 ly in the warmer jiarts of the world. \\'hat is needed is a 

 special hunt for plants that will thrive in regions less favored 

 by nature such as cold or arid regions. 



Origins Indicated by Plant Names. — It is well 

 known that most of our tree fruits come to us from southern 

 Europe and the region surrounding the Mediterranean, and 

 accordingly we find their names derived from the Greek and 

 Latin languages. Such are the peach, the pear, the apricot, 



