582 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Aug.. 1911, 



7. (S.W.). — Hypericum ferjoratum, L. St. John's Wort. A native of 

 Europe now naturalized in this State. Being a perennial rooting deeply, it is 

 difficult to eradicate. On cultivated ground it can be suppressed by deep 

 ploughing, summer fallowing and root crops. Badly infested pasture land can 

 only be cleared by being brought under cultivation for a time. Conifers will 

 soon suppress St. John's Wort, but it will grow under trees casting only partial 

 shade, or trees planted too far apart. Poisons are too costly and, if effective, 

 render the ground useless for other vegetation for a long time. Land laid down 

 in pasture after cultivation has destroyed the adult p'ants, and can be sprayed 

 with a mi.\ture of i part of Phenyl to 20 or 40 parts of water if seedlings of 

 St. John's Wort reappear. This will keep them down until the pasture is re- 

 established, but it will not destroy old rooted plants. Furtiier information 

 regarding this plant is given on page 17 of Weeds, Poison Plants, and Naturalized 

 Aliens of Victoria. 



8. (C.E.B.) Lobelia fratioides. A native plant belonging to the Lobeliacese. 

 Al! species of this order contain a sharp burning or even narcotic milky 

 sap, which, taken internally in excess causes inflammation of the alimentary 

 canal, and even death. An allied plant, Isotoma longi flora, is deadly to horses in 

 South America, large doses producing death, small ones violent purging, and very 

 small doses merely acting as a tonic stimulant. Lobelia fratioides is less poisonous, 

 but is not a plant to encourage on pasture land. The plant should be hoed up 

 or pulled up after rain before seeding, and stock kept from land wliere it is abun- 

 dant, especially if otlier food is scarce. 



The best treatment for affected animals is as follows :— 



Horses — (i) Bleed a.'i jugular vein, taking out half a gallon of blood, combined 

 with (2) hypodermic injection of Suli^huric Ether, 2 drachm:.. (3) If the horse is 

 capable of swallowing, give i bottle of raw linseed oil followed by drench of warm 

 milk and treacle. 



Bullocks. — Same as in horses, but increase hypodermic injection to 3 drachms 

 The next best treatment to the injection of Sulphuric Ether, in the horse or bullock, 

 is — 3 wineglassfuls of whisky in a pint of milk, or aromatic Spirits of Ammonia, 

 Spirits of Nitrous Ether, each 2 ozs. ; water added, 20 ozs. 



Sheef. — (i) Bleed. (2) Inject 40 drops of Sulphuric Ether. In poisoning by 

 this plant, which is a narcotic poison, a considerable quantity of toxic material is 

 absorbed into the blood stream, which material affects the nerve centres. By 

 bleeding a considerable amount of the toxic substance is removed. 



0. (J-I-) Cynara cardiincidus , L. The true garden Artichoke. It was originally 

 a garden escajie, and has now become naturalized as a weed in several parts of Vic- 

 toria. It is not generally considered a serious weed, and appears to be easily kept 

 under by cutting on pasture land or by cultivation on arable land. Since the^ plant 

 has a well-defined and well-recognised economic value, its proclamation would not 

 be advisable, since the Thistle Act demands the complete eradication of any pro- 

 claimed plant wherever, or for what purpose, it may be grown. 



ro. (G.H.W.) Linaria elatine,\.. Hairy Toad-.flax. One of the Fox-glove family, 

 several of which are poisonous or injurious to stock. The plant in question is an 

 introduced weed, and has no poisonous properties, and we have no record of it as 

 a plant injurious to stock. It has a strong bitter taste, and was formerly employed 

 in medicine internally as a remedy for anaemia, externally for application tcf 

 scratches. It has recently been shown that the closely allied Linaria striata contains 

 a glucoside which yields prussic acid when acted on by the ferment emulsion, so 

 that this poison might be developed in the stomach of an animal eating this plant 

 and another containing emulsion. The plant is a cyclic weed, i.e,. more abundant 

 in one year than in another. In cultivated ground, clean cultivation and the preven- 

 tion of seeding by hoeing, itc, will keep it down. On pasture land, cutting before 

 seeding, scarifying and manuring will help to sujipress it. 



