44 



Meadow Saffron. 



[APRIL, 



When any animal which has been insured falls sick or is 

 injured a veterinary officer must be called in. 



The policy provides for certain circumstances under which 

 compensation for insured animals is not paid, such as non- 

 compliance with the regulations, loss occasioned by fire or 

 lightning, which must be insured against separately ; or if the 

 animal is unserviceable for work or breeding through any other 

 cause than sickness or accident ; or if the animal has to be 

 killed or loses value by reason of tuberculosis. 



Premiums. — The directors fix the amount of the premium 

 as soon as the result of the year's work has been ascertained, 

 and it must be sufficient to cover : (i) Compensation paid ; (2) 

 cost of administration ; (3) interest on money raised to pay 

 compensation in advance of the payment of the premiums ; and 

 (4) the provision of a reserve fund. Insurance may be accepted 

 at normal rates or an additional premium demanded for special 

 risks, as in the case of horses insured for more than £44 and 

 cattle for more than fjzj 10s., and for horses in cities. 



MEADOW SAFFRON. 



Meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale, L.) is a plant belonging 

 to the order Liliaceae, with flowers closely resembling crocuses. 

 The leaves are lanceolate in shape, dark green in colour, 

 and several inches in length ; they are fully developed in 

 spring, dying down during the summer. The flowers are 

 whitish or pale purple in colour, and may be found locally 

 in meadows from the far north of England to the South 

 Coast. The plant is said especially to occur on limestone. 

 Meadow saffron grows from corms (or bulb-like fleshy under- 

 ground stems) about the size of small tulip bulbs. These lie 

 about 6 to 10 in. beneath the surface of the soil. Although 

 flowering takes place from August to October the blooms soon 

 die down, and the seed vessel remains beneath the surface of 

 the ground until the next spring, when it is sent above ground 

 and the seeds ripen. 



Meadow saffron — known also as autumn crocus, meadow 

 crocus, naked ladies, &c. — is poisonous in all its parts. " As 

 the plant is injurious to most animals and man, it should be 

 destroyed in fields, for cattle will sometimes crop the leaves 



