From the Publisher

POISONOUS plants are probably responsible for greater losses of live stock than is commonly believed. The number of wild plants that are seriously poisonous is perhaps small compared with the total species included in the British flora, but there are many species that are very common and that may occasionally cause serious losses of farm stock, while they may also cause illness and death to human beings, particularly children. When poisonous plants occur in quantity, they may be unavoidably harvested with hay or other crops and thus later be given to stock; or they may be eaten in the green state in the open fields and along hedgerows. Many cultivated plants and trees are also poisonous and are often responsible for trouble with live stock, on which they have an irritant or poisonous effect. The incidence of poisonous plants on the farm was regarded as sufficiently important for the Ministry to deal with the subject in one of its Bulletins, and Mr. H. C. Long was confidently anticipated that the book would be widely welcomed by farmers-for the reason that it is simply written, is well illustrated and fills a definite need. The result has confirmed this belief, for over a period of ten years sales have averaged 330 copies annually. A 2nd edition was overdue, and this has accordingly been prepared by the author. Considerable care has been taken to give references wherever this seemed desirable, but the author is greatly indebted to many authorities almost too numerous to mention individually. For any oversight in this direction he hopes he may be pardoned.

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