382 March 1749. 



out of the ground ; in fummer the cattle do riot 

 touch it. Dr. Golden told me, that he had cm- 

 ployed the root in all cafes where the root of the 

 arum is made ufe of, efpecially againft the 

 fcurvy, &c. The Swedijh name it got, becaufe 

 the bears, when they leave their winter habita- 

 tions, are fond of it in fpring. It is a common 

 plant in all North America. 



THE Draba verna was abundant here, and 

 now appeared in flower. 



THE Veratrum album was very common in the 

 marfhes, and in low places over all North Ame- 

 rica. The Swedes here call it Dack, Dackor, or 

 Dackretter, that is puppet-root, becaufe the 

 children make puppets of its flalks and leaves. 

 The Englifb call it Itch-reed or Elkbore. It 

 is a poifonous plant, and therefore the cat- 

 tle never touch it ; however it fometimes hap- 

 pens that the cattle are deceived in the begin- 

 ning of fpring, when the paftures are bare, and 

 eat of the fine broad green leaves of this plant, 

 which come up very early ; but fuch a meal 

 frequently proves fatal to them. Sheep and geefe 

 have likewife often been killed with it. By 

 means of its root, the maize is preferved from 

 the greedinefs of voracious birds, in the follow- 

 ing manner : The roots are boiled in water, into 

 which the maize is put as foon as the water is 

 quite cool ; the maize muft lie all night in it, 

 and is then planted as ufual. When the maize- 

 thieves, crows, or other birds, pick up or pluck 

 out the grains of maize, their heads grow de- 

 lirious, and they fall, which fo frightens the reft, 



that 



