306 A FARMER'S YEAR 



animal is proved to have died from the effects of an irritant 

 vegetable poison. The stomach, which I saw, is perfectly 

 scarlet in colour, and spotted here and there with bright purple 

 patches. That the working of this poison must have been very 

 violent and sudden is proved by the fact that the inflammation 

 does not descend into the passages beyond the stomach, and by 

 the absence of all swelling. The suggestion of the veterinary is 

 that the animal must have eaten the poisonous weed known as 

 water hemlock, which it seems that foals will devour, although 

 older animals reject it. As he informs us that the fee will 

 only be ten shillings, we have agreed that the inflamed organ 

 shall be sent to an expert to be scientifically examined. If there is 

 any venomous herb growing in this marsh, it is desirable that we 

 should know its nature. 



August 10. The wet weather continues, but we are able to 

 plough and drill headlands with turnip seed. Hood and the 

 veterinary have been searching the railway marsh, and have found 

 a poisonous weed growing upon it which is known as fool's parsley, 

 some plants of which seem to have been recently bitten. As no 

 water-hemlock has been discovered the administration of any 

 drug being out of the question it is supposed that this fool's 

 parsley did the mischief. The odd thing is that all last year, and 

 I think during previous seasons, foals were running on this marsh 

 without taking the slightest injury from its herbage. This spring, 

 however, the weather was wet, and it occurs to me as possible 

 that damp favours the production of deadly weeds. At the 

 same time it must be remembered that we have had wet springs 

 before that of 1898. 



August 12. To-day arrived two Southdown rams and thirty- 

 one black-faced ewes, which Mr. Robert Simpson had bought for 

 me at the sale at Bury. The rams are aged, and one of them is 

 rather shaky on his feet, from foot-rot in past seasons I suppose ; 

 but I understand that their pedigree is distinguished, and as they 



