Dec. 1894.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 311 



due to an albumose or globulin. If this were so as 

 suggested, by heat destroying the poisonous principle we 

 could suggest an analogous case where in Ahrus precatorius, 

 another leguminous plant with poisonous seeds, the 

 poisonous action of which is destroyed by boiling. The 

 seeds of this plant cause weakness and rapid breathing, but 

 no paralysis. Their poisonous effect is gradually lessened 

 as the temperature is raised from 50° C. to 70° C, until 

 at 80° C. the activity is almost entirely reduced. 3rd. 

 Poisoning by organisms. One observer made some cultiva- 

 tions from L. sativKs seeds similar to those fed to a sufter- 

 ing horse at Liverpool. These cultivations showed a 

 bacillus resembling that of the mouse septiccemia, but as 

 the seeds M^ere very dirty, covered with rodent excrement, 

 the bacillus of the cultivations proves nothing. As the 

 washed seeds showed no such organisms on being experi- 

 mented with, the bacillus theory is no longer upheld. 



Whatever the poisonous principle may be, we hope that 

 Mr. Irvine will succeed in demonstrating it and pointing 

 out how the seeds, otherwise nutritious and cheap, may be 

 used with safety. While the large light coloured seeds (Z. 

 sativus, weisse) come to this country from the Baltic ports, 

 large quantities of the small dark coloured seeds (one 

 Liverpool merchant in the Bristol Tramway Company case 

 stated he had sold 33,950 quarters since July 1890) come 

 to us from India in the shape of ballast. Analysis shows 

 them to be nutritious, while as regards cheapness Mr. 

 Challenger calculated that by being able to use, without 

 fear of evil effects, the Z. sativus seeds he would save, as 

 regards feed in his stud of 800 horses, a sum of £300 per 

 annum. 



Before passing on to review some of the better known 

 home leguminous plants, I would like to make a few 

 remarks on some Indian leguminous crops allied to and 

 sometimes confused in their nomenclature with Z. sativus. 

 Through the kindness of ]\Ir. Pdchardson I am able to show 

 you at the same time a series of " slides " illustrating the 

 Leguminosfe mentioned in Church's " Food Grains of 

 India." (a) Ciccr aridinum, the chick pea or common 

 gram, a plant which is erroneously mentioned as having on 

 being fed to horses caused symptoms of poisoning similar 



