no WEEDS OF FARM LAND 



weed is not often recognised in England, probably because 

 the first symptoms of poisoning are so insidious, but the 

 Board of Agriculture has called attention to the fact as the 

 danger of loss is considerable. 1 In Australia, 2 New Zealand, 

 and Canada, 3 however, ragwort is considered a very bad weed 

 as it induces a fatal disease, cirrhosis of the liver. The symp- 

 toms only appear after one to three months continuous grazing 

 on the plant, and even if the cattle are removed while they 

 still appear healthy, after-symptoms may manifest themselves, 

 leading to fatal results. Horses and cattle suffer badly, but it 

 is uncertain whether sheep are affected. Probably the plant is 

 most actively poisonous in June, July, and August, and as there 

 is no known cure it is essential that ragwort should be eradicated 

 from pasture land and not allowed to enter into hay. This 

 can be done (i) by grazing with sheep in winter or early spring 

 before much growth has been made, (2) by cutting the plants 

 in the flowering stage, the cut portions being gathered up and 

 burned, (3) by handpulling early in July. The plant being 

 biennial eradication must be carried on for two years, and 

 watch must also be kept against fresh infestation by seeds 

 carried by the wind. 



Shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris}. This is rarely 

 considered to be poisonous, but a case is on record in which 

 two children were poisoned by eating the tops of the plants, 4 

 their lives being saved with difficulty. This does not neces- 

 sarily imply that shepherd's purse is poisonous in the ordinary 

 way, as certain individuals are often adversely affected or 

 poisoned by foods that are harmless to most people, e.g. some 

 people are unable to eat strawberries without suffering from a 

 type of poisoning. 



Water hemlock or cowbane (Cicuta virosa). This is not in 

 reality an arable or grass-land weed, but as it is exceedingly 

 poisonous and may be found in damp areas or water courses 

 to which stock can gain access, it must not be left out of con- 

 sideration. Happily it is not very common or abundant in 

 this country, but in other parts of the world it flourishes and 

 special precautions have to be taken against it. The greater 

 part of the poisonous principle is present in the rhizomes or 



1 " Poisoning of Cattle by Ragwort" (1917), Jour. Bd. Agric., XXIV, pp. 

 433-436. 



2 Ewart, A. J. (1909), loc. cit., p. 42. 

 3 Howitt, J. E. (1916), loc. cit., p. 95. 



4 Kellerman, W. A. (1895), " Poisoning by Shepherd's Purse," Bot. Gaz., 

 XX, pp. 325-326. 



