MUSTARD FAMILY. 101 
Doubtless a trained observer would have detected other 
symptoms, but a comparison of those just stated with 
the typical symptoms of Wild Mustard pois- 
oning will leave no doubt as to the cause of 
the trouble. According to Mueller, as quoted by Long, 
these are: “Inflammation of the stomach and intestines 
(with loss of appetite, wind, colic and diarrhcea) ; inflam- 
mation of kidneys (difficult, excessive or bloody urina- 
tion) ; and nervous symptoms, with great exhaustion, un- 
certain gait, paralysis of limbs, and, in isolated cases, 
convulsions.” Horses and cattle are affected to some ex- 
tent, but pigs suffer most injury. 
The poisonous constituents are three in number: 
volatile oil of mustard, the alkaloid sinapin, 
and the alkaloidal glucoside sinalbin. 
The plant was introduced from Europe and has spread 
across the continent, in grain fields and waste places. 
The Plant Although an annual it is a very bad weed on 
and Seed account of its numerous seeds. When buried 
in the soil they can. live for many years. The plant is 
simple or branching, one to three feet high, with its upper 
leaves stemless, and the lower ones petioled and usually 
lobed. The stem is purple at its junction with the 
branches. The fragrant, bright yellow flowers, two- 
thirds of an inch in diameter, are in clusters at the tips 
of elongating racemes. The seed pods are slender and 
one to two inches long. They are knotted below and ter- 
minate in a two-edged beak. 
The round, black seeds are about one-sixteenth of an 
inch in diameter, and slightly roughened. They re- 
semble the seeds of some other Brassicas very closely, but 
can be distinguished from them by the microscopic and 
chemical characteristics of their coats. The epidermis 
Symptoms 
The Poison 
