VARIOUS FARM PRODUCTS 581 



flower, false sunflower. A smooth, angular, branching perennial, 1 

 to 3 feet high, with rather thick lance-shaped leaves, and a large 

 number of snowy yellow flowers which do not appear until 

 autumn. It grows commonly in moist ground from Connecticut to 

 Michigan and Illinois, and southward to the Gulf; less commonly 

 northwestward from Louisiana to Oregon and Washington; also in 

 Arizona. It has been found at an altitude of 6,000 feet in Nevada. 

 The whole plant, especially the flower, is bitter and more or less 

 acrid and pungent. The powdered plant causes violent sneezing 

 when inhaled, and it is therefore used in medicine to produce that 

 effect. Sheep, cattle, and horses that are unfamiliar with the plant 

 are often poisoned by it when driven to localities where it abounds. 

 As a rule, these animals avoid it, but it is claimed that they some- 

 times develop a taste for it and are killed by eating it in large quan- 

 tity. The poison exists principally in the flowers. The young 

 plants appear to be only very slightly dangerous ; in the mature ones 

 the amount of poison varies greatly even in the same field. The symp- 

 toms, as determined by experiments made in Mississippi upon 

 calves, are an accelerated pulse, difficult breathing, staggering, and 

 extreme sensitiveness to the touch. In fatal cases, death is preceded 

 by spasms and convulsions. (F. B. 86.) 



Death Camas (Zygadenus Venenosus). Wild lobelia, poison 

 camas, poison grass, wild onion, poison sego, mystery grass, wild 

 leek, crowfoot. 



This is, in appearance, an onion-like plant, arising from a bulb 

 and having narrow leaves and a single stem a foot or so high, with 

 a narrow spike of yellowish white flowers blooming about June 1. 



No part of the plant has the smell or taste of the onion and the 

 plants appear singly scattered over the upland swales or valley 

 slopes, where it is often found in the greatest profusion over exten- 

 sive areas, which are white with its flowers during the period of 

 blooming. It matures its fruit soon after blooming and early in 

 July dies down to the ground again. 



This plant is native from Assiniboia and Nebraska westward to 

 the Pacific Coast and is found throughout the entire state of Mon- 

 tana (Mont. Bui. 45) and in every county of Colorado (Colo. Bui. 

 113) . Apparently sheep alone are apt to be poisoned by this species.' 

 They first become stiff in the legs and have trouble in walking, later 

 exhibit difficulty in breathing, stagger, foam at the mouth and nos- 

 trils with a jerking of the head and limbs in intermittent spasms, re- 

 sulting finally in complete muscular paralysis and death. (Mont. 

 Bui. 45). See "weeds used in medicine," some of which are poison- 

 ous. 



PROMISING ROOT CROPS FOR THE SOUTH. 



Taro. The taro (known botanically as Caladium colocasia^ or 

 Colocasia anti quorum}, which is so commonly grown for it? edible 

 roots in the Tropics, is more familiar to most persons in the United 

 States in one of its garden forms, namely the large-loafed ornamen- 

 tal plant sometimes called "elephant's ears." There are many varie- 

 ties of this plant, and it constitutes one of the most important starch- 



