1871 ] 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



575 



seasons in raising wheat.on bis intervale land has 

 been such that I shall try a small piece on similar 

 land separated from his by the highway onl}', not- 

 withstanding the general opinion c f the meadow 

 farmers that they cannot raise wheat. 



Perhaps I should say that Mr. Steams obtained 

 his seed from Canada. He ordered a bald va- 

 riety, but it proves a mixture; part bald, part 

 l)earded. I enclose an ear of each ; also two ears 

 from mv field. Thomas S. Fletcher. 



FelchvUle, Ft., Aug. 13, 1871. 



Remarks. — Four well-filled heads of wheat were 

 received, measuring from 3J to 4.J inches. The 

 lienyis plump. 



CHERRY TREES IN A PASTtTRE. 



I have a piece of ground lately cleared, that has 

 grown up to red cherry, called bird cherry, that I 

 ■wish to pasture. Will it injure my stock r 



Or/ord, jS". H., Aug., 1811. J. e. c. 



Remarks. — Cattle often run in pastures in which 

 cheny trees are abundant and are not injured by 

 eating the leaves. But there are well authenticated 

 cases of death from eating cherry leaves. Possibly 

 where stock has the variety of food which wood- 

 land affords, they have no appetite for cherry 

 leaves, but when kept in a pasture of only grass, 

 there may be an unsatisfied craving which leads 

 them to eat so freely of cherry leaves when they 

 get at them and have nothing else of the kind, as to 

 cause a constipation which results in illness or 

 death. AVe do not feel safe in answering your 

 question in a more direct manner, but solicit the 

 opinion of others. 



GARGET rOKE AND INDIAN POKE. 



I wish to inquire if poke or white hellebore is 

 what we call Indian poke,ai)lant that grows in our 

 meadows, with a .•^tubbed stalk two or three feet 

 high, with large loaves and a thick cluster of small 

 light colored roots, which are poisonous. 



The hay crop is a very short one in this section. 

 It is like some she ep I have seen with an ear mark 

 that took both ears olf close to the head ! Haying 

 is not finished up entirely. There are some meadows 

 and a little upland to cut over yet. 



We are getting from one-quarter to one-half as 

 much on upland this year as we did last. Meadows 

 are some better than that, but not equal to last 

 year. Other crops are looking well, considering 

 the very dry time we had the first of the season. 



Apples are not so plenty as last year, but there 

 will be enough for family use and some cider ii 

 those now on the trees remain and ripen. 



William D. Colby. 



West Springfield, N. H., July 27, 1871. 



Remarks. — Common poke or garget, and Indian 

 poke are difterent plants. They are ranked by 

 botanists in diiferent orders. The garget poke in 

 Wood's Botany is in Order CV. — Phytolacca decan- 

 dra: the Indian Poke is in Order CXLVIII. — Vera- 

 trum virule. 



Our physicians make considerable use of the In- 

 dian poke in their practice, and from its roots the 

 American Helleliore is manufactured. The garget 

 poke is much the largest plant, and is perhaps most 

 readily distinguished by its clusters of purple ber- 

 ries. The Indian poke has only seeds. As similar 

 nquii-ies have heretofore been made in respect to 



these plants, we copy the /ull description of each 

 from Dr. Bigelow's Plants of Boston and Vicinitg, 

 which, with the aid of a dictionary, will be under- 

 stood by those not familiar with the botanical terms 

 used by the writer : — 



Garget Poke. — Phytolacca decandra. — Leaves 

 ovate, acute at both ends ; flowers with ten stamens 

 and ten styles. 



A common plant, known also by the names of 

 Garget, Cecum, Jalaj), &c. The root is of large 

 size, frequently exceeding a man's leg in thickness ; 

 and is usually divided into two or three principal 

 branches. Its substance is fleshy and fibrous, and 

 easily cut or broken. Intei'nallj' it is distinctly 

 marked with concentric rings of considerable thick- 

 ness, while its outer surface is covered with a very- 

 thin, brownish bark, which seems to be little more 

 than a cuticle. The stalks, which are annual, fre- 

 quently grow to the height of six, and even nine 

 feet. They are round, smooth, and very much 

 branched. When young their usual color is green, 

 but in most plants, after the berries have ripened, 

 they are of a fine purple. Leaves scattered, petioled, 

 ovate-oblong, smooth on both sides, ribbed under- 

 neath, entire, acute. Ihe flowers grow in long 

 pedunculated racemes opposite to leaves. Pedun- 

 cles nearly smooth, angular, ascending. Pedicels 

 divaricated, sometimes branched, gretn, white or 

 pui7)le, furnished with a small linear bracte at base, 

 and two others in the middle. Calyx none. Corolla 

 resembling a calyx, whitish, consi>tiiig of five 

 round-ovate, concave, in> urving petals. Stamens 

 ten, rather shorter than the petals, with white, 

 roundish, two-lobed anthers. Germ greenish, 

 round, depressed, ten furrowed. Styles ten, short, 

 recurved. The flowers are succeeded by long 

 clusters of dark purple berries, almost black, de- 

 pressed or flattened, and marked with ten furrows 

 on the sides. — Road-sides. — July, August. — Peren- 

 nial. ' The root is a violent emetic. 



Indian Poke. — Helllrore. — Veratrum viride. 

 — Panicle downy ; partial bractes longer than their 

 pedicels. Segments of the corolla thickened on the 

 inside at base. 



A large, green, leafy plant, not uncommon in 

 meadows and swamps. The root is thick and 

 fleshy, its upper portion tunicated, its lower half 

 solid and sending forth a multitude of large, whit- 

 ish radicles. The stem is from three to five feet 

 high, roundish, solid, striated and pubescent. 

 Ihroughout the gi'eater part of its length it is 

 closely invested with the sheathing ba>es of the 

 leaves. 1 he lower leaves ai'e large, from half a foot 

 to a foot long, oval, acuminate, pubescent, strongly 

 plaited and nerved ; the lower part of their edges 

 meeting round their stem. The upper leaves be- 

 come gradually narrower, and the uppermost, which 

 perform the office of bractes, are linear-lanceolate. 

 The flowers are numerous and distributed in com- 

 pound racemes, axillary from the upper leaves, and 

 terminal; the whole forming a sort of panicle. 

 Peduncles roundish, do^vny. Bractes boat-sliaped, 

 acuminate, downy. The pedicel of each flower is 

 many times shorter than its bracte. Calyx none. 

 Corolla divided into six green, oval, acute, nerved 

 segments, of which the alternate ones are longest. 

 AU the segments are contracted at base into asort 

 of claw with a thickened or cartilaginous edge. 

 Stamens six, with recurved filaments and roundish, 

 tv,-o-lobed anthers. Germs three, cohering, with 

 acute recurved styles as long as the stamens. A 

 part of the flowers are barren and have only the 

 rudiments of styles, so that the plant is strictly 

 polygamous. The seed vessel consists of three 

 capsules united together, separating at top and 

 opening on their inner side. Seeds flat, imbricated. 

 — June. — Perennial. 



The root of this plant, when taken internally. 



