8 HAY AND FODDER. 



yellow early in the season. Skunk-tail resembles or- 

 dinary Foxtail or Millet, but when the mature plant is 

 once seen it will be always recognized by its longer 

 slender awns which stand out conspicuously from the 

 head giving a fancied resemblance to a skunk's tail. 

 The spike is jointed, each joint having three flowers, the 

 centre one, only, fertile and producing a seed. The fruits, 

 which it sheds by breaking at the joints, are each accom- 

 panied by seven long, barbed awns in addition to the two 

 small bristles to which the sterile flowers are reduced. 



The plant should never be allowed to seed, and great 

 care should be taken not to feed hay which contains 

 mature plants. When young it is harmless. 



The awns of Common Barley, Little Barley, Hordeum 

 secalinum Schreb., and Wild Barley, Hordeum murinum 

 L., produce the same effects to a lesser degree. 

 These plants are closely related to Skunk- 

 Species ^ a ^ Grass. The two latter are weeds trouble- 

 some in the West. 



LILY FAMILY Lilidceae. 



SWAMP CAMASZygadenus elegans, Pursh. 



Other Common Names: Smooth Camas, Cow-grass, 

 Green Lily. 



Owing to its coarseness, this species is not eaten by 



grazing animals to so great an extent as the Death Camas, 



described later among poisonous pasture 



Examples and plants (p 5Q) j t ig ^^ty poisonous, 



Conditions of 



Poisoning however, and western farmers have need 



to be cautious in cutting hay from wet 



meadows where it grows, for its seeds, which contain 



most of the poisonous substance, are usually mature at 



