The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-05
LOOK OUT ron THESE PLANTS.
Poison Comes From the Touch and
often From the Air That Has swept
From the New York Sun.

Them.
From the New York sun.
One thing that the wise man does not
do when on his summer vacation is to
handle indiscriminately wild plants and
flowers which he may nnd in his wood
land wanderings. For the botanist and
to the average countryman, certain
plants hang out their own danger sig
mails, but the average city man on his va
cation does not recognize these signals
until he has learned by bitter expert
ence that soft and fuzzy tufts of vegeta-
ton may be as uncomfortable to handle
as red-hot stove lids, and that the most
velVety of green things is the one which
biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an
adder.
This year has been remarkably prolific
of cases of plant poisoning in this neigh
borhood and every country drug store has
done a big business in cooling lotions
Perhaps IL is because wild vegetation has
grown more freely this year than in most
summers, fostered by the early summer
warmth and sunshine, or perhaps the con-
dbion of the soil has been such as to in
fuse 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 impunity, while another
of his own family, brought up under
similar conditions will suffer bitter pen
atty for merely passing near It, This is
true of all poison plants in this reason.
One of these plants, which show great
luXuriance this year, is the poison SUI
maoh, whose scientific name Is Rius ven
enata. Country boys know IL as swamp
dogwood, 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 1t Is
thick where the valley streams spread into
swamps and marshes. In appearance it
is much like the ordinary red sumach
the "shoemake" of the farmer except
that its tufts are pale yellow instead of
red. Its berries, too, are greenish-yel-
low, but he tawny tufts form the most
conspicuous warning. They mean more
than a simple Hands Off" Danger;
keep awayi' is the safest Interpretation
that can be given TO them. for contact Is
not essential to be poisoned by this plant.
A curious instance of the various sus-
capabilities of different persons to the
poison sumach was afforded last week
by party Of fishermen who went after
black bass In one of the streams that
flow down from the Shawangunk Noun
tains. On the way to the stream thew
passed through low corndeld fringed
with thickets of small shrubs and trees.
one OF the party, who was Versed in
woodcraft, was about to caution his com
panions against noxious plants when his
attention was called by a young New
Yorker, well ahead who called:
Look at the yellow, plumy stuff grow
ing on this tree"
Look out! Don't touch thatn' cried the
other. Its poisonous"
But the young man had already picked
tuft and was holding Il to his nose. sniff
ing for It's odor From the broken end
there "bled' a few drops Of sap which
fell upon his light coat. Upon the advice
of the woodsman the New Yorker hur-
ried over to the stream and washed his
face and hands thoroughly. The others
followed him. carefully avoiding the su-
mach. That night before they got home
the swOodsman's face had blistered and
swollen terribly, as had the faces of two
others of the party, although none of the
three had come in contact with the plant.
The young man who had Experimental
so rashely had one small blister on the
end OF MS nose. and that was all he suf-
fered. The juice of the broken stem had
burned black before it fell on his clothing.
however. and all efforts to wash out me
spots proved futile. The poisoned men
were laid up for several days in great pain
They thought they had been poisoned be-
cause lively breeze was blowing from the
sumachs to the spot at the creek where
they stood while the young New Yorker
was washing bis face and hands
Bandages soaked in lead water are the
regular remedy Of the farmers wife for
swamp sumach. or poison ivy, poisoning
In every severe case salt pnrgatfves are
given to clear out the system. Poison ivy
is by no means 50 virulent as the suqnfach
nor is it so likely to be handled, as it
grows lower than me sumach, clam bering
along. the ground or climbing on fences and
walls. Some persons are 50 susceptible to
1t that walking near bed of 1t will affect
them severely It's blisters itch much as
do misquito bites while the swamp sumach
burns like fire. There are many varieties
Of poison ivy but in this region it Is a safe
rule to avoid Hght-green, three-leaved
ivies and safer one to shun three-leaved
ivy of any color. The effects Of the ivy US
ually pass away in. two or three days, ex-
cept in cases Of great susceptibility. Some
persons can handle the ivy with inpunity,
and 1t said that Indians suffer no conse-
quences from contact with ~. This ivy,
which is also a form OF sumach is called
in some regions poison oak A number
of children In a charitable institution near
Tarrytown ate a quantity of poison oak
root last summer. thinking IT was sweet
flag, and before medical add could be Sc
cured FIVE Of them We're dead.
Least poisonous of the poison plants
hereabouts Is the shining nettle. IL Is a
velvety green plant with broad leaves pro-
Jecting from a stalk about two feet in
hight. The leaf Is lined with sasaSl splneB.
which are the things 70 be avoided. Its
sting IS much Ike that OF the ordinary
humble bee and not as severe as hor-
nets sting. san, Il Is sufficient 70 cause |
a few moments unpleasantness.