no
known way of treating these animals, though doubtless purgatives would be
beneficial.

YEW (TAXUS BACCATA).

The European yew has long been known as a very poisonous plant. It is
cultivated in America, and while cases of poisoning have not been common,
it is well to recognize its dangerous character. A comparatively small dose
is poisonous and ordinarily acts with great rapidity. It causes respiratory
paralysis and the animal dies in convulsions.

LAUREL.

The laurels, including the broad-leafed laurel, _Kalmia latifolia_, the
narrow-leafed laurel, _Kalmia angustifolia_, the rhododendrons, and other
closely related plants are poisonous and cause considerable losses. It is
dangerous to let cattle graze where these plants are abundant at times when
other forage is scarce. The symptoms are salivation, nausea and vomiting,
spasms, dizziness, stupor, and death.

FERN.

The common brake or bracken fern, _Pteris aquilina_, has been considered
responsible for the poisoning of many horses and cattle. Many cases have
been reported in England and Germany, and some well-authenticated cases in
the United States. Very little has been learned experimentally of fern
poisoning, but there seems to be little question that it has been the cause
of many deaths. The symptoms are said to be temperature higher than normal,
loss of appetite, bloody discharges from mouth, nose, and bowels, and great
depression followed by coma and death. Some authors say that the urine is
colored by blood. It is thought by some that the disease known as "red
water" in the northwestern United States and Canada is caused by eating
ferns.

SORGHUM POISONING.

Under certain conditions sorghum contains enough hydrocyanic acid to make
it exceedingly dangerous to cattle. These cases of poisoning most commonly
occur when cattle are pastured upon the young plant or upon a field where
the crop has been cut and is making a second growth. Conditions of drought
make the sorghum especially dangerous. There is some reason to think that
the frosted second growth is particularly rich in hydrocyanic acid. The
cases of poisoning occur when animals are grazed upon the plant, but not
from the harvested crop or from silage. If cattle are grazed on sorghum or
sorghum stubble they should at first be under constant observation and
should be removed as soon as any signs of illness appear. Similar
precautions should be used in grazing kafir.

CORNSTALK DISEASE.