* =Ricinus communis.=—The castor oil plant is quite commonly cultivated in the warmer portions of the United States, and grows wild in the South. The seeds have been accidentally eaten by horses with fatal effect, and they have been strewn on pasture lands in the North-West for the purpose of killing sheep that were trespassing thereon. A Frenchman has discovered a method of making cattle immune to the effects of the toxalbumin contained in the seeds, so that they may be fed to stock without causing any apparent ill effect. A note on poisoning by castor oil cake will be found hereafter. BUXACEÆ (BOX FAMILY). * =Buxus sempervirens.=—The leaves of the common box, cultivated for hedges, are poisonous to all kinds of stock. ÆSCULACÆ (HORSE-CHESTNUT FAMILY). [Illustration: $1] =Æsculus californica=, California buckeye: =Æ. glabra=, Ohio buckeye; fœtid buckeye: =Æ. hippocastanum=, horse-chestnut: =Æ. pavia=, red buckeye.—The leaves and fruit of these species are generally regarded as poisonous to stock. The fruit may be easily converted into food by washing and boiling. It is believed that a small quantity of the unprepared fruit of the California buckeye will cause cows to slip their young. HYPERICACEÆ (ST. JOHN’S WORT FAMILY). * =Hypericum perforatum.=—The common St. John’s wort is commonly believed to cause disagreeable eruptions on cows’ udders and on the feet of white haired animals. This species and the spotted St. John’s wort (_H. maculatum_) were brought into the United States Bureau of Agriculture by Dr. G. W. Bready, from Norwood, Maryland, who stated that five horses were poisoned in May, 1898, by eating meadow hay which contained nearly 50 per cent. of these plants. One horse died from the effects of the poison, and two were killed to prevent their further suffering. POISONING BY ST. JOHN’S WORT. The ingestion of St. John’s wort produces excitement followed by dulness, interference with vision and hearing, and by visual hallucinations with a tendency to lean backwards, the front limbs remaining fixed in position. The patient often sits down on the hind quarters like a dog. APIACEÆ (CARROT FAMILY). * =Cicuta maculata.= This is the water hemlock (spotted hemlock; beaver poison; cowbane), which grows most abundantly throughout the United States. It is one of the best known poisonous plants. Stock are not infrequently killed by eating the fleshy roots or hay with which the plants are mixed. [Illustration: $1] [Illustration: $1]