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commenced feeding on the berries scattered around under the trees, with the result that twenty-seven 
.were dead next morning when the train arrived in Sydney. The dead pigs belonged to different owners, 
some to the man in charge, who was wanting in neither experience, forethought, nor intelligence, having 
shipped some thousands of pigs to Sydney at different times, and though reared almost within sight of 
these cedar trees was not aware of the poisonous nature of their berries, and I think very few are ; so to 
let the fact be well known would undoubtedly be a public service. As they form desirable shade trees, 
with pleasing foliage and flowers, and are quick growers, farmers and municipalities, unaware of the toxic 
properties of their berries, maybe induced to plant them, and injury result.”—( Agric . Gaz. N.S.W ., 
Sept., 189G, p. 564.) 
In connection with the “ Alleged Poisonous Nature of White Cedar Berries,” we have just received 
the following letter from Mr. Edward Gibson, of Figtree, near Wollongong :—“ I saw a question asked in the 
last Agricultural Gazette as to whether any of your readers had ever had any pigs poisoned with White 
Cedar berries. About twelve years ago, when I lived at Dapto, I had thirty or forty store pigs in the pig 
paddock. The gate into the pig paddock was by some means left open, and the pigs got into an adjoining 
paddock where there were a lot of White Cedar trees, the seeds of which were lying thick on the ground. 
When I went to fetch the pigs home, five or six died on the way, and six more died when they came to the 
house. We did not know at all what was the cause of the mortality at the time, so I opened one of them 
and found its stomach full of the berries. After that we ringbarked the trees and destroyed all the 
berries on the ground, with the result that although the pigs were running in the paddock afterwards we 
never had any more deaths from that cause.”— [Agric. Gaz. N.SAV., Oct., 1896, p. 662.) 
Following are two apparently well-authenticated instances of the death of pigs through eating 
White Cedar berries. As the tree is so extensively planted in this colony, it behoves owners to see that 
pigs at least are not allowed to gorge themselves with the terries. It is not expected that a few, eaten 
with other food, will occasion serious harm. 
Of the first case I received information from a valued correspondent at Walcha (Mr. A. R. Ciawford). 
He wrote:—■“ I enclose a note from Mr. Edward Fitzgerald, of East Cunderang, who has had trouble 
with his pigs: 1 We have had one fat biconer die. Last night a beautiful sow died, after three days’ 
sickness. I have just held a post-mortem examination, and find she died from inflammation of the stomach, 
which contained a lot of White Cedar berries. Another pig died this morning.’ At the season when the 
berries were plentiful, a splendid sow died the same last year, but only one. One sow was sick last week, 
and is now better. She ate nothing for two days; she is still weak, hut eats eagerly.” 
Mr. Crawford being about to visit Cunderang, he kindly obtained further details in regard to the 
poisoning of the pigs, at my request. Following is his further report:— 
“The most striking symptom they showed was that they could lie in no other position than on their 
bellies. If they lay on their sides, or attempted to do so, they screamed with pain and rose on to their 
bellies at once. The least movement gave them pain. They would not eat, or even drink milk, for days 
before death. 
“ The post-mortem examination disclosed a much-inflamed inner lining of the stomach, and very much 
thickened. One young breeding sow refused food for two days, but ultimately recovered, though she 
became very poor after it. 
“ As a remedy, I burnt a lot of timber and made fresh charcoal for them to eat, and I fancy it had 
a beneficial effect. They ate it eagerly. 
“ There was no chance for them to get a poisoned bait, unless a stranger laid one, which is not 
probable. The old sow lived five days after refusing food.” 
The second case was reported in the daily papers during the month of August, when Mr. James 
Durrant, of Druewalla, Jamberoo, lost eight pigs through eating White Cedar berries. A large quantity of 
these berries was found in the paunch of each animal. 
Perhaps the matter may be considered of sufficient importance to engage the attention of the Stock 
Department, if the evidence I have got together is not considered sufficiently conclusive. 
Mr. S. Pegum, of Camperdown Farm, Brownlow Hill, Camden, writing on this subject, says :— 
“ Three small pigs ate some White Cedar berries. They soon after became very ill, unable to stand 
or move, heart beating feebly, with occasional spasmodic shudderings, apparently in a forward direction ; 
limbs cold, eyes well open, but not fixed or staring. Being of opinion that they were p>oisoned by the 
prussic acid contained in the kernels of the berries, for experiment, I took one of the pigs who seemed 
at the time in extremis (couldn’t raise a squeak even), and trea'ed him accordingly, viz., put him at once 
