VARIOUS FARM PRODUCTS 563 



Canada Fleabane (Erigcron canadensis). Horseweed, colt's 

 tail, scabious, prideweed, bitter weed, fireweed, blood-stanch, cow's 

 tail. This weed is common in damp, sandy soils in fields and 

 waste places and along roadsides in many parts of the United States, 

 especially throughout the northern Mississippi Valley. The entire 

 herb is medicinal, and should be gathered during the flowering 

 period and carefully dried. It has a faint, agreeable odor and a 

 somewhat astringent and bitter taste. The fresh herb on distillation 

 yields a volatile oil which is sold as oil of fleabane. The common 

 name "blood stanch" indicates the use of this plant for arresting 

 hemorrhages from various sources and the bleeding of wounds. It 

 is useful also in diarrhea and dropsy. The price paid for erigeron, 

 or fleabane, ranges from 6 to 8 cents per pound. 



Jimspn Weed (Datura stramonium). Jamestown weed (from 

 which "jimson" weed is derived), thornapple, stinkweed, stink- 

 wort, devil's apple, mad-apple, devil's trumpet, fireweed, Jamestown 

 lily, dewtry, apple of Peru. Both the leaves and seeds are medicinal. 

 The leaves are collected at the time of flowering, the entire plant 

 being cut or pulled up and the leaves stripped and dried in the 

 shade. The unpleasant narcotic odor diminishes upon drying. 

 The leaves are poisonous, cause dilation of the pupil of the eye, and 

 are used principally in asthma. For the collection of the seeds the 

 capsules should be taken from the plants when they are quite ripe, 

 but still of a green color. The capsules should then be dried for a 

 few days, when they will burst open and the seeds can be readily 

 shaken out. These should now be carefully dried. The seeds like 

 the leaves are poisonous and possess the same properties. Occa- 

 sional cases of poisoning of children occur from eating the seeds of 

 jimson weed and taking the flowers in their mouths. From 100,000 

 to 150,000 pounds of stramonium leaves (the name by which they 

 are designated in the drug trade) are imported into this country 

 annually, and about 10,000 pounds of seeds are imported. The 

 leaves will bring from 2^2 to 8 cents per pound, and stramonium 

 seeds from 3 to 7 cents per pound. 



Purple Thorn-apple. The purple thorn-apple, technically 

 known as Datura tatula, is very similar to the jimson weed, pos- 

 eesses the same properties, and is distinguished from it merely by 

 its reddish stems and purplish flowers. The leaves and seeds may 

 be gathered with those of the jimson weed. 



Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum). Spotted parsley, St. 

 Bennet's herb, bad-man's oatmeal, heck-how, wode whistle, cashes, 

 bunk, poison parsley, spotted cowbane. The fruit and leaves are the 

 parts used. The fruit should be collected while still green but 

 full grown, which in most localities is some time in August. It 

 should be dried in dark but well ventilated places, and then stored 

 in tight cans or boxes where it will not be exposed to the action 

 of light and air. The poison hemlock leaves should be collected 

 when the plant is in flower, which will be in the second year of its 

 growth. The stems should be rejected. Contrary to the usual 

 method of drying leaves and herbs, the poison hemlock leaves may 



