The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1874-10-22
For the Kansas Farmer.
Poisonous PIants.-POISOn Ivy.

Poisonous Plants.-POIsOn Ivy.
The Farmer of August 9Th, contains an
article entitled "Poisonous Plants,
which we read with much interest. Ii
is not q common thing to see in the nu
merous journals Of this country an arti
Gle on Botany, and the journalists as wei
as many people have great dislike fol
the Latin and the Greek, and disdain tc
name the plants by their true and scien.
tiic names, notwithstanding their signifi
cancy and laconism, they prefer TO des
| ignate them by circumlocutions, epithets
or well rounded words Of an endless
synonymy, Witch produce veritablc
Babel.
They say IN the Farmer, that a boy
was poisoned. Here, in the neigh Dor.
hood of Salina, along the Smoky river
such cases often happen, and grea,
many persons do not dare to 90 near the
river, Notwithstanding their desire to
eat grapes and pums; they prefer to
leave those fruits for others rather than
expose themselves to the effects Of teri l.
ble poisons.
But which are those redoubtable plants!
five inquire about them Of the farmers,
who-accordmg TO the author of the said
article-know nearl Y all plants, or if you
wish the poison ivy, they show us differ
ent kinds, such as the smilaT rotundtolid,
(greenbner, sarsaparIla) the uitis jadiri-
ga, Wild, the ritts qu,nqnefolia, Lam,
Virginia crecper), and to finish, the rhuS
t0rlcodendT0n, L., poison oak, poison
IVY, or the rh us rddtcans, L., climbing
IVY.
These last two, we think, arc but two
varieties Of the same species. Whether
it climbs on the trees 10y the help of
numbers of tendrils (rhus rddicdnS),
whether ii grows as bush or shrub,
erect or decumbent, (rhus toTicondendron)
in one case, as well as in the other, il
has its leaves ternate, composed of three
leaflets, entire, serrate or lobate.
The erect or shrubby variety is rhus
reRdtd,-said the author of the article
above mentioned; but here be is mis-
taken, or | cannot understand him. The
rhus venenata, ID. c., mot renata), (pois-
on sumac, dog-wood,) which is not a
variety, but distinct and well character
lied species, does not exist, probably in
Kansas. The species with leaves com
posed of 1l-3l leaflets, and abundant in
this locality, is the rhuS giabra, L., not
indicated as poisonous, at least in Woods
class book.
We saw they gave to the rhus renend-
ia, ID. c., the name of dog wood, but
also they called lockwood the divers
species of the genus cornus they give
the name of pig weeds to halt dozen
different species. The most of tho far
mers call purlaces, species of plant they
confound with the pO5talaca olerdccd, L.,
purslain, which has nothing common
with it, only that 1T creeps. In Europe
there are ST. Johns herb, ST. Collin $
evil plants here we have pie plant,
morning glory, bachelors button, etc,
but with all these names and the sup
preston OF scientific ones, how is an
TO find out ? just about as much as from
an answer in the catechism or a diplo-
matte correspondence.
The poison ivy is eaten by cattle and
horses, and many persons that VIC know
have handled II many times, always with
impunity. The grasshoppers, in their
recent and memorable iHcursion in Kan.
sas, have respected it, but neither did
they touch the sage, (solria hortensis),
though they devoured beside it the hys-
sop, (hyssoPps ofieiHalis).
The jimson weed, of which mention is
made, is probably the 6afgra strdmonium,
L., Ohorn apple), plant very little at
4 90 fnr thu k.Nr-e
There are also in the vicinity Of Salina
n number oi poisonous or dangerous
plants:
CieDldtis UiorHa, Leather flower:
Argem5Hs Msrscdna, Il. prickly poppy;
CHcartitd frftdissirsa, Aim. and LIN
coin;
Egplsrbid coroHIrd, l.;
Giealtsehia tri1cantAa-honey locust
OpuAtid rrIgaris-indian fig;
SoiasHn rostrGtEm, Wood;
CeRchTES fribEI0iieS-bur grass
The most of the farmers, and other
persons, give enormously 10 great
number OF plants an iEhnity of good,
bad or miraculous properties which We
DO not need TO speak about.
As 10 farmers, we think they do not
know plants a. well a. the author Of the
article seems 10 suppose, and they are
not as well posted as one would Ike TO
see them.
Don't they say that the drouth and
grasshoppers, (locusts), have been cent
by the Almighty 10 punish men who are
getting too wicked and are not reIigioa.
enough Organize granges If they viii