To the Editor of the Nelson Examiner.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume IV, 25 October 1845, Page 135

To the Editor of the Nelson Examiner.

Sir —As there appears considerable ignorance amongst the agriculturists of the settlement respecting the origin and qualities of the noxious weed called drake, which unfortunately got such general introduction into our crops of all kinds last season, and in some instances has been largely ground up with the wheat, to the great risk of injury to the unwitting consumers, you will, perhaps, in the absence of any more fitting medium, now that our Agricultural Association, is defunct, permit me a small nook in your columns, to lay before the reader some information as to this pest of our crops, which I happened to meet with the other day, and which may tend to put the farmer upon his guard how he allows the intruder possession either of his fields or his stomach for the future.

A good deal of speculation has taken place amongst us with respect to the derivation of drake, in consequence of its very general diffusion, and its rather mysterious appearance in corn the seed of which was apparently quite pure. Some have maintained for it a sort of spontaneous generation ; others a previous dormant existence in the soil ; whilst others again, in coincidence I believe with many Canadian farmers of newly broken land, contended for its being a mere degeneration of the wheat itself (or other corn), in consequence of a swampy or otherwise unfavourable state of the land. But few that I ever conversed with on the subject have had any precise knowledge of its true character and qualities ; and though most of our husbandmen must have seen the weed in Eng-

land, none that I am aware of have had sufficient practical acquaintance with it to identify and name it. Considering it however as a species of rye-grass, I happened the other day to turn to the article Lolium, in the " Penny Cyclopaedia," and there I found an account of

lolium temuientum, which has satisfied me that drake is nothing but the English darnel. As all persons to whom this information may be useful have not the Cyclopaedia by them to refer to, you will perhaps allow me to furnish so much of the article as relates to the species.

" 2, Lolium temuientum, or darnel, with elliptical awned spikelets, straight awns longer than the palese, glumes the length of the spikelet, and an annual root. Of this species mention is made not only in all parts of Europe, but in Japan, New Holland, China, and Monte Video ; it is remarkable as being the only well authenticated instance of a plant belonging to the order of Grasses, in which narcotic or even deleterious properties have been found. The grains are said to produce intoxication in man, beasts, and birds, and to bring on fatal convulsions. According to Christison, darnel, when mixed with flour and made into bread, has been known to produce headache, giddiness, somnolency, delirium, convulsions, para-

lysis, and even death. A few years ago, the same author tells us, almost the whole of the inmates of the Sheffield workhouse were attacked with symptoms supposed to be produced by their oatmeal having been accidentally adulterated with

lolium ; and a case is on record of a small farmer near Poitiers in France having killed himself by persevering in the use of darnel flour for making bread ; his wife and servant, who discontinued to eat it, escaped, but were violently affected with vomiting and purging." As most persons had darnel in their last year's wheat crop, in one degree or another, it may be worth while, with a view to preventing any unnecessary alarm or destruction of remaining stock, just to mention the proportions in which it may be safe or otherwise to consume flour so drugged. If the grain to be ground contain as much of darnel as one-fifth or onesixth of the whole bulk, which was the case with my own, then you may be pretty sure the result will be in the space of a few hours, and according to the quantity taken, headache, giddiness, somnolency, intoxication, if not also the incipient degree of delirium. Where the proportion is greater, I suppose the other symptoms will ensue, as mentioned above. Where it is less, for instance, only a twelfth or a twentieth, the effect will not be very perceptible, except perhaps in a feeling of drowsiness and an increased action of the bowels. When the proportion is considerably less than the last, the flour may be considered to all intents and purposes harmless and wholesome. I am, &c, Oct. 23. Anti-Da bn el.