64 PASTURE AND RANGE. 



twigs from those of other trees, especially the birches. 

 The leaves are oblong, thickish, shining above and taper- 

 pointed, with incurved, short teeth. The small creamy- 

 white flowers are in elongated racemes and the fruit is 

 shiny, purplish black and has a pleasant taste. 



The Choke Cherry, Primus virginiana L., is also dang- 

 erous in the same way as the Black Cherry, and has much 

 the same distribution. It is a shrub or small tree with 

 grayish bark, the inner layers of which have a disagree- 

 able odour. The leaves are thin, abruptly pointed, sharply 

 serrate with slender teeth, and the fruit is red, turning 

 dark crimson, and very astringent. Willing, writing of 

 conditions in Alberta, where the plant is often abundant 

 and small, cautions against the use of hay containing re- 

 cently wilted young shoots. 



The Western Choke Cherry, Prunus demissa Walp., is 

 a shrub or small tree with leaves thick and oval or 

 obovate, more or less obtuse and with short teeth- The 

 fruit is black and less astringent than that of P. vir- 

 giniana. The toxic effects are similar. 



The Wild Red or Pin Cherry, Primus pennsylvanica L.. 

 is a small tree growing from Newfoundland to the Rocky 

 Mountains. It has light brown bark, leaves ovate or 

 lanceolate, sharply and finely serrate, and small, bright 

 red, sour fruit in corymbose clusters, like those of .the 

 cultivated cherry. Poisoning may take place as in other 

 species of Prunus. 



It is to be noted that the chief danger from all the 

 cherries is from the wilted leaves. Care should be exer- 

 cised to prevent stock from browsing on branches broken 

 from trees, for example, after cherry-picking, or when 

 haying, or droving cattle. 



