I908.J Insect, Fungus and other Pests. 45 



in the spring" [English Botany, Vol. ix, p. 225]. Percival 

 writes, " Experiment has shown that from 3 to 5 lb. of green 

 eaves and seed vessels are necessary to act fatally upon a cow ; 

 the poison, however, appears to be cumulative and a small 

 quantity eaten each day with other food for a few days may 

 lead to fatal results" [Agricultural Botany, p. 593]. The 

 poisonous principle, known as Colchicine, is not volatile, 

 and is not removed by drying the plants. In an account of 

 the plant published in The Journal of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society [Vol. 66, 1905, p. 164] it is remarked that, "It is an 

 irritant poison, causing violent purging. This plant was the 

 probable cause of the cows dropping their calves, the farmer 

 having lost between eighty and ninety calves." 



Where meadows are infested with C. autumnale in very 

 small numbers they may be dug out by hand, and the whole 

 plant burnt. Where, however, they occur in extensive patches 

 the best method is to pull off all leaves by hand as fast as they 

 appear in spring and burn them. Percival remarks that if this 

 practice is repeated for one or two seasons there is no necessity 

 to dig up the corms, the plant being readily exterminated. 



The effects of heavy dressings of such soluble manures as 

 superphosphate, sulphate of ammonia, and kainit might be 

 tried, both alone and in combination. 



Description of Coloured Plate. — i. and 2. Anthers; 3. Pistil; 4. Corm ; 

 5. Seed Vessel. A plant in bloom is figured as it characteristically appears in 

 the held. 



Cockroaches. — The so-called black 

 Notes on Insect, beetles, or cockroaches, are not true 

 Fungus, and Other beetles, but belong to the order Orthoptera, 

 Pests.* the technical name being Periplaneta, 



Eggs are laid, and the young forms which 

 hatch out resemble the parent, except that they are smaller, 

 wingless and immature. These young grow and moult until 

 they become winged adults. Cockroaches may do much damage 



* Notes on insect, fungus and other pests, dealing with the specimens 

 submitted to the Board for identification, and their apparent prevalence, will 

 appear in this Journal month by monthi The notes commenced with the 

 issue for June, 1907, 



