The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-08-29
LOOK ouT-a THESE PLANTS
Y'oison Comes from the Touch and Often
from the All That Has Swept Them.

handle unfortunately wild plants
and flowers which he may find in his
woodland wanderings. For the bot
anist, and to the average countryman,
certain plants hang out their own dam
ger signals, but the average city man
on his vacation doesn't recognize
these signals until he has learned by
bitter experience that soft and fuzzy
tufts of vegetation may be as uncom-
Portable to handle as red-hot stove
lids, and that the most velvety of green
things is the one which biteth like
serpent and sringeth like an adder.
This year has been remarlla bly, pro-
life of cases of plant poisoning in this
neighborhood, and every country drug
store has done a big business in
cooling lotions. Perhaps it is because
wild vegetation has grown more freely
this year than in most summers, fos-
tered by the early summer warmth
and sunshine, or perhaps the condition
of the soil has been such as to infuse
in the plants a peculiarly poisonous
quality. That is one of the things
that scientific men are unable to
say, just as they fail to tell why one
man can handle poison ivy with inn
punity, while another, of his own fami-
ly, Brought under similar conditions,
viii snffera bitter penalty for merely
passing near it. This is true of
all poison plants in this region. One
of these plants, which show great lux
uriance this year, is the poison sumach,
whose scientific name is Rims venenata.
Country boys know it as swamp dog
wood, poison dog, poison elder and
swamp sumach, while in one locality
in Pennsylvania it is known as Jones
cuss," probably from some local legend.
1t is found in swampy regions all over
the United States and in this state it
is thick where the valley streams
spread into streams and marshes. In
appearance it is much like the ordinary
red sumach, the ''shoe- make" of the
farmer, except that its tufts are pale
yellow instead of red. Its berries, too,
are greenish yellow, but the tawny
tufts form the most conspicuous warn
ing. They mean more than simple
Hands off, Danger; keep away
is the safest Interpretation that can be
given to them, for contact is not essen
tial to being poisoned by this plant. A
curious instance of the varying sus-
capabilities of different persons to the
poison sumach was afforded recently
by a party of fishermen who went
after black bass in one of the streams
that flow down from the Shawangunll
mountains. On the way to the stream
they passed through low cornfeld
| fringed with thickets of small shrub
and trees. One of the party, who was
versed in woodcraft, was about to eau.
ton his companions against noxious
plants when his attention was called
by young New Yorker, well ahead
who called:
Look at the yellow, plumy stuff
growing on this tree"
Look out! Don't touch that" cried
the other. ITS poisonous.
But the young man had already
picked a tuft and was holding it tC
his nose, shifting for its odor. From the
broken end there ''bled" a few drops o,
sap which fell upon his light coat. Upor
the advice of the woodsman the New
Yorker hurried over to the stream anC
washed his face and hands thoroughly
The others followed him, carefully
avoiding the sumach. That night before
the party got home the woodsman' S face
had blistered and swollen terribly, a!
had the faces of two others of the
party, although none of the three has
come in contact with the plant. The
young man who had experimental 81
rashly had one small blister on the
end of his nose, and that was all ht
suffered. The juice from the broker
end had burned black where it fell OF
his clothing, however, and all effort
to wash out the spots proved futile
The poisoned men were laid up TO-
several days il great pain. The,
thought they had been poisoned be
cause a lively breeze was blowing
from the sumachs to the spot at tn,
creek where they stood while thu
young New Yorker was washing his
face and hands.
Bandages soaked in lead water ar
the regular remedy of the farmer
wife for swamp sumach. or poison ivy
poisoning. In very severe cases sal
purgatives are given to clear out tn
system. Poison ivy is by no means S
virulent as the sumach, nor is it S
likely to be handled, as it grows lowe
than the sumach, clambering alon,
the ground or climbing on fences o
walls. Some persons are so susceptible
to it that walking near a bed of it will
affect them severely. Its blisters ito
much as do mosquito bites, while tn
swamp sumach burns like fire. Their
are many varieties of poison ivy, bu
in this region it is safe rule to avoi
light-green three-leaved ivies, and
safer one to shun three-leaved ivy c
any color. The effects of the iv
usually pass away in two or three day:
except in cases of great susceptibility
Some persons can handle the ivy wit
impunity, and it is said that Indian
suffer no consequences from contao
with it. This ivy, which is also forl
of sumach, is called in some region
poison oak. A number of children in
charitable institution near Tarrytow
ate quantity of poison oak root las
summer, thinking it was sweet hal
and before medical aid could be secure
five of them were dead.
I aoet - Tho ,1oienp Il =,