396 
POISONOUS EFEECTS OE HEMLOCK ON PIGS. 
Dr. Prickells, of Cork, writing on vegetable poisons, in 
the c Sanitary Review 5 for March last, says, “ Waepfer, in his 
treatise on the cicuta virosa (water cow-bane) states that it is 
poisonous to swine. Mr. Murphy, Professor of Agriculture 
to Queen’s College, in that city, has informed me that the 
proprietor of a farm on the river side some time since lost a 
number of pigs in consequence of their having eaten of the 
JEnantlie crocatd (hemlock-dropwort) which had been cast 
ashore in considerable quantities after a flood. The poisonous 
effects of these species of hemlock on swine are the more 
remarkable, as in America, swine, it is said, eat the rattle- 
snakes with impunity, farmers keeping pigs on their lands 
for the purpose of clearing them of these reptiles.” 
EDIBLE SEA-WEEDS. 
It has been proposed that many of the, so-designated, 
worthless sea- weeds that grow in such rich luxuriance on our 
coasts, should be used as food ; and Dr. John Davy is 
engaged, in conjunction with Dr. Apjohn, in investigating 
their properties. The latter has demonstrated the existence 
of a large per centage of nitrogen in some of them, far 
greater than many edible substances contain, such as 
potatoes, beetroot, mangolds and turnips ; thus proving their 
nutritive properties, and justifying their use as food. He 
says “the proportion of nitrogen contained in these Algae 
exceeds not only that of the ordinary articles of vegetable 
food, but even that of wh eaten flour, being as 2’407 to 
1-817.” 
Prizes are offered for Essays showing the capability of 
their being also resorted to as food for animals as well, such 
as cattle, sheep, &c. 
