488 
THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
are far from a clear solution. Let us take, for example, the 
still vexed question of the action of yew upon the horse and 
cow ; how contradictory are the conclusions concerning it! 
One person has known animals to eat ravenously of fresh 
yew without any mischief, while another points to great 
losses from access to yew plants. All agree that the dried 
leaves are poisonous, and that in this state it is most viru¬ 
lent. How much, then, there is in this matter for observa¬ 
tion and experiment conducted upon scientific principles. 
Taking the matter of plants as pasturage, how curious it 
is that one field should produce diarrhoea in stock depas¬ 
turing it, while the attack is immediately arrested by change 
to another field. Farmers soon learn by experience that one 
field will scour while another has the opposite effect; but 
while their botany is doubtless the main cause of this, the 
wherefore is but ill understood, as but few people care to 
know anything of the nature of the plants of which a meadow 
may be composed. 
Take, again, that extraordinary disease known as splenic 
apoplexy. People are, for the most part, agreed that either 
the kind or the condition of the vegetation is mainly con¬ 
cerned in the matter, but as yet no systematic inquiry has 
been instituted to solve the difficult questions involved. 
Now, in bringing this first series of papers to a close, we 
would point out that, in reviewing one family of plants after 
another, we have endeavoured to explain the medicinal and 
dietetic use of different plants; and, indeed, we have been 
told that so much useful matter has been brought together 
upon the subject, that we should confer a benefit upon the 
profession by collecting the papers in a separate volume. 
This, however, is too great a sacrifice of time, to say nothing 
of the pecuniary risk, that at present we feel inclined to 
occupy a little more time in looking further into some ot the 
questions involved in an examination of our native plants, 
and therefore we contemplate, as it were, the making of an 
analysis of the composition of our natural herbage, with an 
especial view of pointing out the nature of pasture, thus 
directing critical attention to plants in connection with 
animals. 
We cannot help thinking that such a review, more 
especially of our indigenous species, will, more than any¬ 
thing, lead to thought and inquiry into a most important 
branch of science. 
For the present, then, we bid our readers farewell, thank¬ 
ing them for the patience with which many of them have 
pursued the subject of botany as we have presented it to 
