6o 



Meadow Saffron. 



that bullocks were seriously injured by it, and recovered when 

 they were removed from the meadow where it was plentiful. 

 Meadow saifron grows from a " corm," or small bulb, of a 

 chestnut colour, from which lilac-coloured flowers come in 

 the autumn. At the base of the flowers, capsules, or seed 

 vessels, are developed upon a long stalk in the spring, 

 together with large dark green lanceolate leaves. This 

 plant has most poisonous qualities. It is called kill-dog 

 (Tue-chien) and kill-ox (Tue-boeut) in France, and 

 Cornevin in his valuable work, " Dcs planks veneneuses," 

 says that it is sometimes injurious to horses, cattle, sheep, 

 and pigs. The most dangerous period is from the end of 

 April to the end of May, when the seed capsules have been 

 sent up from the corms or bulbs, and the leaves are in full 

 vigour ; and at this season, when animals are first turned 

 out, grass is sometimes very short, and they are most eager 

 for green food, and are more likely to eat the meadow 

 saffron. From the middle of September to the end of 

 October, when the flowers are formed, there is also con- 

 siderable danger to grazing animals, as at this time the grass 

 is thick and the flowers might be taken up with the grass. 

 This weed, however, has an acrid taste, and it is not very 

 likely that animals would eat it except in eager haste to get 

 green food, or if keep were very scarce, or again if taken up 

 accidentally among thick grass. The bulbs have an unpleasant 

 odour as well as an acrid taste, and would probably be 

 rejected by animals, except, perhaps, hungry pigs. 

 The greatest danger from this weed seems to be from the 

 leaves and seed capsules getting into hay, as in this form its 

 acrid flavour would be modified by the heating process, and 

 if it were present in considerable quantities it might pro- 

 duce serious consequences. 



Steps should be taken to eradicate this plant as far as 

 possible. This can be done by digging up the bulbs, whose 

 situation is easily seen by the pretty flowers without leaves 

 in the autumn, or by the large green leaves and peculiar 

 seed capsules in the spring. Where there is a large quantity 

 of this Aveed, digging up the bulbs would be a tedious 

 operation, at least, by the ordinary method of digging with 



