15 



Woid all fungi which have stalks with a swollen base sur- 

 rounded by a Bac-like or Bcaly envelope, especially if the gills are 



whit< . 



•ill fungi having a milky juice, unless the juice i- reddish. 



Vvoid fungi in which the cap or pileUS is thin in proportion 

 to the dlls, and in which the gills arc marly all of equal length, 

 9] dally if the pileus is bright colored. 



A voi<l all tube-bearing fungi in which the flesh changes color 

 when cut or broken, or where the months of the tubes are reddish, 

 am), in case of other tube-bearing fungi, experiment with caution. 



Fungi which have a >ort of spitler-weh or llocculent ring 

 arounol the upper part of the stalk should, in general, be avoided. 



Ergot. 



- very poisonous to the human subject, and in the Old 

 World, in regions where rye is abundantly used for food, whole 

 08 have been smitten with ergotism following a rye crop that was 

 particularly infected with the fungus. In this country, where rye is 

 less used as food, and with the modern, careful milling processes in 

 gue, there is usually no damage to man from the cr^ot of cereals. 

 A tincture of ergot is one of the most powerful of the standard medi- 

 cines and of great value. 



PLANTS POISONOUS TO LIVE STOCK. 



se hellebore Veratnm inside Ait.) is a member of the lily 

 family of plants, with large, plaited leaves clasping the tall stem. 

 two to six feet high, bearing a terminal cluster of blossoms in early 

 summer. Figure s Plate III. | gives the appearance of this spe 

 which resembles the other members of its family in all particular-. 

 the roots being quite like those of a leek or onion, and is the portion 

 containing the lareest percentage of the toxic principle. It is often 

 found in wet places, as lowland pastures, where it may be eaten by 

 cattle. All parts of the plant contain the poisonous alkaloids, but 

 they abound most largely in the root. In general effect the Vera- 

 trum is similar to aconite, and may paralyze the heart and spinal 

 i. Its cathartic nature is an advantage in that it tend- to rid th<- 

 victim of the poi- 



Probabl •;.- of the injury done by this plant is to live 



k, that feed upon the herbage and the root- somewhat, and thi 

 fore all plants of this ( - should be removed from pastures, espe- 



cially where the ordinary harmless herb t abundant and tin- 



cattle are somewhat pressed for food. 



