73 



Animals Affected: No animals appear to be immune to the poisonous 

 effect of this plant. Cattle and sheep, however, suffer most, as in grazing 

 they pull the roots up and eat them as well. Hedrick says that a piece of 

 root the size of a walnut was found by experiment to be sufficient to 

 kill a cow. Death may occur in fifteen minutes, or the intense suffering 

 may continue from two to several hours before death. One of our 

 correspondents from Alberta writes: ''These are the plants (C. vagans) 

 that killed the cattle in that neighbourhood, and the cattle would eat them 

 and gnaw a hole in the ground like a bowl to get the roots, and then die 

 right there. There were the bones of some of the cattle poisoned last year 

 within ten feet of where these plants that I am sending you were growing." 



Human Poisoning: Cases of human poisoning are too numerous 

 and too widespread to mention in detail. Different parts of the water 

 hemlock have been eaten by mistake for edible plants, the roots especially 

 being often mistaken for artichokes or sweet potatoes. The tubers are 

 especially tempting to children on account of their sweetish taste. 



Symptoms: The first symptoms usually occur within two hours after 

 eating the plant. There is nervousness, twitching of the muscles of the 

 mouth and ears, salivation, sometimes nausea and vomiting, bloating, 

 intense pain, frenzied movements, dilated pupils, spasms and convulsions, 

 frothing at the mouth and nose, twisting the head and neck backwards, 

 rolling of the eyeballs. The victim usually dies in the most violent 

 spasms. 



BULBOUS WATER HEMLOCK {Cicuta hulhifera L.) Carrot Family. 



Plate XXVIII. 



Description: — -The bulbous water hemlock is a slender perennial 

 plant, much branched, growing from one to three feet high. The leaves 

 are divided two or three times into. narrow, saw-toothed leaflets. The 

 upper leaves are less divided and bear small clustered bulblets in the angles 

 formed by the leaf and stem. The white flower clusters are arranged in 

 umbels similar to those of the other water hemlocks. The roots also 

 are similar but seldom as large. It is in bloom from July to September. 



Distribution: — It is found in swamps and wet places from Nova 

 Scotia to British Columbia. 



Poisonous Properties: — This species and also the Western Water 

 Hemlock {Cicuta vagans Greene) of British Columbia, contain the same 

 poisonous principles as the preceding species and are equally dangerous 

 to all stock. Plate XXIX. 



Remedy and Means of Control: — The poisonous substance of the 

 water hemlocks is so rapid in its action that little or nothing can be done 



(xl Ci'<''i2^<^^'i'<»^ -ina^c^n- 



