142 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Bromus vireus (Nutt.) 



Ceratochloa grandijlora (Hook.) 



Sunny hills, Oakland, Clovcrdale; in fact througliout the State. When 

 growin<^ near the bay, or in rich, moist soil, this grass attains an enor- 

 mous size, and becomes quite coarse and useless; but on dry, sunny hill- 

 sides it remains small and tender, and as such is eaten b}- cattle. April, 

 May; perennial. (?) 



Lolium perenne (Lin.) — Eay, or rye grass. 



Quite sparingly; always near dwellings. Introduced. April, May; 

 perennial. 



Lolium, tremulentiim (L.) — Bearded darnel. 



Yery common among grain; Oakland, and other parts of the State. 

 As grains of this grass are considered to be noxious, and even poisonous, 

 it may be proper to cite the opinions of various authors. 



"Ilaller affirms that this species of loUum not only produces intoxica- 

 tion, as its trivial name implies, but that if baked into bread, or fer- 

 mented in ale, its administration is attended by verj- disagreeable and 

 even fatal etfects. It produces headache, vertigo, vomiting, lethargy, 

 drunkenness, and difficulty of speech, and the tongue exhibits a very 

 strong trembling. Seager further remarks, that a trembling of the body 

 is one of the most certain signs of poisoning by this plant. It also 

 affects with blindness for several hours. By the Chinese laws — for this 

 plant is found both in China and Japan — it is forbidden to be used in fer- 

 mented liquors. Some of the intoxicating qualities of factitious beer 

 are said to be owing to the admixture of darnel with the malted 

 barley. According to "Withering, horses, geese, etc., are killed hj darnel, 

 and dogs are particularly subject to its influences, mixed in small quan- 

 tities with their food. It is, however, said to fatten chickens and hogs. 

 In the Medical and Physical Journcd., there are placed on record several 

 cases of poisoning, by darnel, in the human subject. In these, giddiness 

 in the head, pain, and sAvelling of the limbs, succeeded by abscess and 

 gangrene, were the most prominent symptoms. One of the sufferers 

 lost both his legs." — Burnett's Outline of Botavij, p. 365, published 1865. 



Geiger gives in his Pharmac. Botany, 1839, an analysis of the grains 

 made b}' Bley. According to this analysis its eftects are only slightly 

 narcotic. 



Notwithstanding these conflicting statements, it would be nevertheless 

 desirable to guard our farmers against this suspicious intruder, that 

 spreads with fearful rapidity over the cultivated flelds. In the vicinity 

 of Oakland, I saw for several years meadowy and grain fields which con- 

 tained a great amount of it. In some places it seemed to outnumber the 

 grain or other grasses greatl3^ This very fact induces me to believe that 

 the noxious or poisonous properties cannot be of a serious character. I 

 know of but one instance, that a farmer had observed some deleterious 

 efi'ects on cattle having been fed on this veiy grass. Experiments would 

 be very desirable. 



