The Ottawa free trader., 1874-07-18
FARM AND GARDEN.


they lave some very iisagreeablc accompani
ments tnakes, toads, wasps, hornets, ants
ticks, beetles and such like inhabitants OF tho
"leafy woods" are to most persons great draw
backs to the enjOyments Of ruraizing, lhese
annoyances, however, are only mOmeh'ary
and are us nothing when compared win 1Dt
disa grccabc and dangerous effects produced
by some poisonous plants and shrubs
We should like to give descrptl )ns OF some
of the more common plants Of this class, but
as the botanical descriptions, which are the
only correct and precise ones, Wou!d not be
generally understood by u large majority OF
our readers and any attempt to give common
or popular descriptions might mislead, and
PERHAPS lead to bad or injurious consequences,
we refrain as much as possible from attempt
ing either simply noting the common names
of most of .hem as they are known in various
parts of the country, and advising our friends
never to taste or eat any root leaves or ber-
i ries of any wild plants that are not well and
definitely known TO them to be inAOxious.
For want of caution in this respect we every
,summer see accounts in TIE newspapers re-
! sultug in death to the imprudent.
OF OuI native poisonous plants one OF the
most annoying and unpleasant in its effect Is
| the RhuS t0rjc0deH6r0H, variouSly known as
poson-vine, poison-ivy and poisonoak al
though It is not related to either the ivy or
oak families. There are two varieties of this
plant, one growing erect as small shrub,
from two 10 i've feet high, and the other grow
ing as Il vine from eight to thirty feet high,
clinging by small rootets to trees, fences, and
such like objects. When growing as vine
it is the IL. ludicpHS Of some bOtanlsts. In
both varieties the leaves are compound, being
| divided int small leaflets, as IN the pea or
wistaria; in this species there are three leaf
lets, toOthCd or l,oed N various ways on the
edges, and somewhat downy on the under
side. Those of the erect variety are tr ON SIX
to eight inches long; those OF the climbing
variety are from one halt to two.thiTds that
length.
TAs plant should not be cOnfounded as it
sometimes is with the ampelopSis, or Virginia
creeper, or American Ivy, which has large
digitate leaves, that is five leaflets growing
finger like from the apex Of the tO0tStalk.
Another species Of poisonous rhus is IL.
geneRata, or poisonsumac, also known as
poison.cdcr and swamp dogwoOd, although
it in no respect resembles either Il dOgwoOd
or an elder. 1t grows as a shrub or small
tree from ten to eighteen feet high, and gen
orally inhabtS swampy or moist places. The
foliage is light green; the leaves have from
seven TO thirteen leaflets and resemble those
of the ailanhus only on smaller scale.
To most persons the handling of the poison
vine causes swelling of the face and vesicu-
lar Inflammation of the skin, especially a. the
Joints and between the fingers, accompanied
by a very irritating and painful itching, which
continues for two or three weeks. The poi
sonine power Of the plant appears to be very
much intensified by moisture, as when the
leaves are wet with rain. Persons who, when
the leaves are dry, can handle the plant with
comparative impunity are quite susceptible to
the poison when the leaves are moist. We
1Ir rbrn ,,yt,
having the smoke OF the burning stems at
tached to tirewood come in contact with the
face. Sometimes though rarely, the poison
Gus effects are shown by an irrnation of the
stomach and bowels, accompanied with ap-
thOus sore mouth and general arrangement
OF the system. At one time it was supposed
that it would produce salvation, and was used
for that purpose by the so-called botanic phys
lcians; hence a former name for the plant
was mercury-vine. That it has direct ac-
ton on the liver the writer knows from expo
rlence, having telt the internal euectS OF the
poison.
The best remedy to relieve the swelling is
a solution 0: sugar of lead in water, applied
as a lotion to the parts affected; permanga-
nate Of potash is also used tor the same pur-
pose. 10 relieve the itching and vascular
inflammation rye flour toasted over the fire
in pan clean of grease until of the color of
roasted coffee, and busted on the affected
parts i, very useful remedy. In no case
should any greasy or oily ointment or app!l'
cation be made, as it only aggravates the
symptoms. A cooling aperient drink taken
OCCASIONALLY is OF great assistance. HOmD
patLic physicians prescribe "rhus" and in in
ternai poisoning we have found relief from it.
The poiSOnsumaC is even more poisonous
than the poisOn-vine, Us we have known per
sons poisoned by the cXholatonS from its
leaves blowing upon them, without their com
ing in contact with the plant at all. The
same remedies or pa!llatyes are to be used for
it as for the other species
What is known among bOtaDiStS as the fam
lily OF UmbeiitsrG, or the parsley family, con-
tains a large number OF dangerously poison
Gus plants In this order or family are in
cludcd the carrot, parsnip, parsley, celery,
and few others OF our cultivated vegetables
and herbs. These in their cultivated state
have no noXiOuS qualities, but IN their Wild
state are, to say the least, suspicious. The
whole family have strongly-marked resem-
blanCe, making the order one of the most
natural and distinct OF any of the orders or
families instituted by botansts. A reference
to the plants named will give a more distinct
idea OF the general appearance of the plants
composing the order than any popular tie
Scription would do.
Among luc III NOouo
nd fields which arc especially 10 be avoided
as articles of diet, and not even to be placed
in the mouth, are the wild carrot, wild par.
snip, COW. parshlp, COW -bsne, hemlock parsley,
fools parsley, water hemlock (the roots Of
which are deadly poison, water r-parsnip,
and poison hemlock (also virulent poison
Every season the newspapers contain ac-
counts of person being poisoned and dying
from eating one or other of these plants,
either Intentionally as vegetables, mistaking
them for the cultivated representatives of the
family, or from lgnorantly eating the leaves
or roots Some are used AS medicines by the
regular faculty and in domestic prescriptions,
but they should never be employed unless
prescribed by regular physician. We would
advise our readers to let any plant they may
find in wild state that resembles any of
the vegetables above mentioned severely
alone.