\ 
January 1, 1909 
~ avoid it. 
The Cape Tulip. 
ITS POISONOUS PROPERTIES. 
Some interesting experiments have been 
made recently by Mr. J. F. McEachran, 
the Veterinary- Inspector of Cattle, into 
the alleged poisonous qualities of the Cape 
tulip, says the ‘Journal of Agriculture of 
S.A.’ 
The first two experiments were with 
calves, in whose food the weed was mixed, 
but they refused to eat it, and pushed it 
aside, In experiment No. 3 an aged cow 
in poor condition, was on July 4 fed ona 
‘ration of 10 lb, of chaff, 41b. of bran, and 
4lb. of chaffed Cape tulip. Next day she 
was dejected and listless, and received a 
further ration of 5 Ib. of chaff, 2 1b bran, 
and 4 lb. chaffed Cape tulip. On July 7 
she died with symptoms of paralysis. A 
post-mortem examination showed pieces 
of the weed in the rumen and the second 
stomach, and besides indications of actite 
poisoning were discovered in the fourth 
stomach and also in the intestines, Ex- 
periment No. 4 was conducted on a six- 
year-old dry cow, which from August 5 to © 
11 was fed on chaff, bran, and chaffed 
Cape tulip. Symptoms of diarrhoea and 
general uneasiness appeared on the 6th, 
but as no other symptoms were observed, 
and the cow ate the weed in large quan” 
tities, the experiment was abandoned. 
On September 8 Mr McHachran in- 
spected eight cows belonging to Mr. 
McLean, of Goodwood. They had 
escaped from their paddock, eaten Cape 
tulip at Keswick and Kichmoud, and two 
of them showed weakness, staggering, and 
trembling of the skeletal muscles. In the 
other cases there was a glairy discharg’ 
from the mouth and nostrils, or els” 
diarrhoea, with dark, bloodsstained feeces’ 
All the animals recovered. 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENE 
Mr. McKachran concludes, as the result 
of his experiments, that Cape tulip is 
poisonous to dairy cattle, and he suggest® 
that the toxic properties only exist at a 
certain age of the plant’s growth. He 
confirms an observation which Has been 
previously made, that animals running on 
land infested with Cape tulip carefully 
This accounts for the fact thai 
no deaths from this cause have been re 
ported among cattle or horses grazing on 
the Park lands, although the weed has 
existed there for the last nine years. It 
;8 strange cattle, which do not know the 
weed, and which perhaps arrive hungry, 
that fall victims to it. 
There are two species of Cape tulip in 
South Australia, both imported from 
South Africa 
Homeria miniata (the two leaved Cape 
tulip) is found growing on the East and 
North Park Lands, being very numerous 
opposite Prince Alfred College. It is 
also found in many places of the Adelaide 
plains, and has also been heard of in other 
parts of the State. Specimens obtained 
from the Park Lands and from Keswick 
show that this was the species with which 
Mr. McEachran made his experiments, 
The flowers are salmon-pink, with a 
yellow base blotched with green, and they 
are smaller and do not open so fully as 
those of the next species. HH. miniata 
may be distinguished at any time of the 
year by having two long, tough, grass-like 
leaves rising from the base of the stem, 
while H. collina has only one; also, by 
the numerous bulbils usually growing in 
the axils of the leaves and at the base of 
the corm or main bulb. 
Homeria Collina (the one-leaved Cape 
tulip) is a taller, handsomer, and mor® | 
erect plant, sometimes grown in gardens 
for the sake of its large spreading flowers, 
the segments of which are red or pink; 
with a greenish base, Its single leaf is 
very long and tough. Behind the flowe, 
are visible two of the long pods or cap- 
sules rising from the same spathe as the 
flower. A yellow-flowered variety of H- 
miniata does not appear to fruit, at leas® 
in our climate, but trusts to its numberles 
bulbils for propagation. 
Mr. P. MacOwan, 
Botanist at the Cape, writes:—‘Homeria 
collina is well known as poisonous to 
late _Governmen® 
27 
stock, especially to those from other dis- 
tricts where it is not known. I have 
found that these plants are generally 
killed by hand-pulling in the spring, i.e., 
that the bulb mostly dies if the culm is 
dragged out of its sheath.’ 
The Adelaide City Council proposes, 
with the assistance of the Department of 
Agriculture, to carry out some experiments. 
in order to find out whether the Cape 
tulip growing in the Park Lands* can be 
eradicated. 
Testing Dairy Cows. 
An important feature of the work ot 
the dairy section of the Agricultural Ex- 
periment Station of Wisconsin is the 
testing of dairy cows for farmers. During 
the year 1907 345 cows were tested by 
the Station officials. They were chiefly 
Holstein, and some exceptional records 
were made. Colantha 4th Johanna, an 
eight-year-old Holstein cow, produced, in 
a seven day test, 28:176 lb. of butter fat, 
ina thirty-day test, 110833 lb., and 
during the whole year her production 
reached 2,743 gallons of milk, containing 
998256 lb. of butterfat. The next best 
return was 626:145 lb. of butterfat. As 
showing the value of these tests, it is 
mentioned that the range in production 
of butterfat in the year was from 262'86 
lb. to 998-26., while the average was 
453-428 lb., equal to nearly 530 Ib. of 
commercial butter. Of Guernsey ‘cows, 
99 were tested for varying periods; of 27 
in the annual tests, the range was from 
276:50 lb. to 638-49 lb. Two young cows, 
Yeksarose and Lily of Helendale, pro- 
duced equal to 745 Ib. and 700 Ib. of 
commercial butter during the’ year.— 
The Journal of Agriculture of S.A. 
Flies in the Dairy. 
The ‘Journal d’Agriculture Pratique> 
says, it has been found that flies have a 
great objection to the colour blue, and if 
tenements infested with flies are washed 
with a blue instead of a white wash, flies 
will desert the place. In support of thiss 
an instance is reported by that journal: 
‘A farmer had 170 cows housed in different 
