506 



The eftecfc claimed is delirium succeeded in a few hours by death. The hog invari- 

 ably socks water, and if he reaches it remains in it until he dies. Vomiting and pnrg- 

 injj oil en occur, and are considered favorable syniproma. The dischari^es »aro green. 

 Milk and lard are the most effective remedies, and always give relief when the animal 

 is discovered in time. A uumber of cases were uamed to. me where tlie hogs had 

 passed into an extreme state of dolirinm, Itut were relieved in a few ii»ur8 by pouring 

 a pint of milk and lard mixed dowu the throat, and restored to complete health with- 

 out any other treatment. This plant is very plenty along the creeks in this county, 

 au4 is among the earliest in the snring to sen<l forth its leaves^ which are eagerly eaten 

 by hogs when turned out. It is also the latest green tiling that grows in the fall of the 

 year, and is then eaten by the hogs. During the summer months they do not eat it, 

 probably for two reasons : the plants are then tall and not so tender, and there are many 

 other things then for them to eat. The plant is used by some people very early in the 

 spring for "greens," but all seem careful to avoid using it except when very teiuler, as it 

 seems to be the general belief that it is poisonous ; indeed, cases have been cited to me 

 wherein the same results followed the use of it by persons as has been observed iu the 

 hog, except that none have been fatal. 



We publish these statements to call attention to the circumstance 

 and stimulate further inquiry. When used for greens, the boiling will 

 probably dissipate tlie poisonous y)roperty. The leaves of many com- 

 posite i»lants have an acrid, irritating property, and a few are known 

 to be virulent poisons. 



POTENTILLA FRUTICOSA, OB SHRUBBY CINQUE-FOTL. — In the last 



Monthly Eeport, in an arti(;le on garden-shrubbery for frontier settlers, 

 this shrub was mentioned as one which might readily be obtained in 

 many northern localities, and j>laced in the gardens as an ornamental 

 shrub. We have received from Mr. T. S. Gold, of West Cornwall, Con- 

 necticut, a i)rotest against its use for this purpose, for the following 

 reasons. He says: 



It is known here by the name of " hardback," and it is the worst plant we have. It 

 is vastly more injnrious than the Canada thistle or the daisy. Scarcely known fifty 

 years ago, it now covers, to the exclusion of everything else, thousands of acres in 

 iSTorth western Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. It delights in strong, damp 

 pasture-land, and it is rapidly taking possession of such fields. Plowing destroys it; 

 mowing keeps it under, and it only spreads in nmist, rough pasture-land. It spreads 

 alone by the seeds, which are blown on the surface of our winter ice and snow to great 

 distances, and, seeding in a settler's yard, it would come up in any damp fence-corners 

 where the seed would lodge. It is a new-comer here, and is twice as abundant as it 

 was twenty-five years ago. Our old men well remember when it first attracted their 

 attention. Though still unknown in some towns, it is decidedly tlie worst plant we 

 have in Berkshire and Lit«htield Counties. 



Trees for cultivation, — Mr. Samuel Preston, of Mount Carroll, 

 Illinois, in a letter to this Department, writes that, in the list of forest- 

 trees adapted to growing on the western prairies, published in the 

 Monthly Report for August and September, the best and most import- 

 ant of all is omitted, vi&, the American chestnut. He says : 



It h:is generally been supposed that the chestnnt could not bo successfully raised 

 upon our prairies. But my experience, and that of others, proves it to be a mistake. 

 I have them seventeen j'ears old, and bearing nuts, and some of the trees are 12 inches 

 in diameter. They grow faster than the butternut, which I also have of about the 

 same age. I have never succeeded in transplanting the chestnut, while I have trans- 

 planted the butternut with a loss not to exceed 2 per cent. 



For a wind-break I wowld substitute Lombardy poplar for cotton wood, as being more 

 easily raised from the cuttings, bears closer setting, has a more sightly appearance. 

 Las no cottony down to fill the air, holds its foliage much longer, and, therefore, is a 

 much better wind-break to an orchard. I have both, and at this writing (October 14) 

 the cotton woods are bare of leaves, while the Lombardies are full of foliage, and look 

 as fresh and green as in midsummer. 



Experiments with forest-trees in Kansas. — In the Kansas 

 Farmer we find an account of the condition and growth of various 

 kinds of forest-trees on the grounds of the State Agricultural College 

 at Manhattan. We notice that on tiplancl, seedlings of the present year, 

 of green ash, have made a growth of 1 to 2 feet; ailantus, 20 to 30 

 inches ; catalpa, 1 to 2 feet; silver-maples, 24 to 50 inches ; black walnut. 



