Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-11-13
Common Poison Plants.
The Special Investigation of Them
which Is Being Made by the Depart-
ment of Agriculture.

The Speclal investigation OF Thom
which Is Being Made by the DEPART
ment OF Agriculture.
The department of agriculture has start
ed new investigation. II Is studying the
poisonous plants of the United States, and
before long 1t will publish big book, tell
ing the people everything they need to
know about such matters. The work will
be illustrated with pictures of the most
common and dangerous species, so that
people may be taught to avoid them. In
cidentally antidotes will be suggested. No
small importance attaches to this novel
plan of research, inasmuch as the number
of deaths which occur annually in this
country from the incautious eating of such
plants is very large. The victims are most
commonly children, who pluck attractive
berries and flowers in woods or by the way
side and are always ready to make trial
of whatever is casual and unfamiliar in the
vegetable line.
The methods adopted in the study Of
these plants are quite new. To begin with,
the department obtains from newspaper
clippings agencies everything that is print
ed about cases of poisoning In every
practicable instance communication Is
opened with the physician who attended
the patient. In this way exact facts are
ascertained, and the medical man is re-
quested to send sample Of the herb, shrub,
or what not, responsible for the mischief
or supposed to be so. Having received this,
the experts proceed to examine 1t carefully,
and fluid extract Is made from it, with
which tests for poison are made on Guinea
pigs.
The woods, the meadows and even the
gardens are full of poisonous plants which
people generally have no suspicion of. 1t
was never imagined that the common elder
was dangerous until two years ago, when
five boys near Tarrytown, n. Y, mistook
some of the rootlets for sassafras and
gnawed the bark. They were all dead with
in a few hours. An investigation of this
case made by the government botanical
sharps was the first step taken in the plan
of research which has since been organized.
1t is considered very desirable that infor-
nation should be communicated TO the
people about these matters, in order that
the death rate from such causes may be re-
duced. How many persons, for example,
are aware that buttercups are poisonous?
Yet it is fact that these blossoms are very
dangerous. No COW will eat them, and
hence the old notion that the color of but
ter was produced by buttercups must fall
to the ground. Cows do not hesitate 10
eat hay that contains dried buttercups be-
cause in that condition the flowers are
harmless; the poisonous principle, being
volatile, has disappeared. A species OF
buttercup is used by beggars in parts OF
Europe TO produce sores and ulcers on their
bodies.
Fully half of the laurels and rhododen-
drons are poisonous. "Lambkill," so fatal
to sheep, is one of the laurels. Trailing ar
butus belongs to the same family, but is
harmless. Deer feed with impunity on the
leaves of poisonous laurels, but dogs that
eat the intestines of the animals die. There
is no antidote known. The poison para
lyzes the breathing organs and kills by suf-
location. The root of the common kidney
bean is a powerful narcotic. Comparatively
well known as a dangerous plant is the
Crimson weed" which is often seen by the
roadside, conspicuous by reason of its big
white flowers. Jimson is a corruption Of
jamestown, the name coming from the
circumstance that several soldiers wert
, poisoned at that place from eating the weed
, in a salad. 1t is re ated 10 the deadly nigh
shade, and its poison acts upon the ner
vous system, producing delirium and hal
lucinations. During the middle ages thu
juice was used by persons who lived b!
tricks of SC, called sorcery.
One of the wickedest of plants is the
water hemlock, which grows rank IL
moist places. Its fleshy roots are agreea
BILE TO the taste, though fearfully poison
: Gus. They are rendered yet more danger
Gus by their resemblance to parsnips ant
to the roots of the esculent "cicely," fount
D in similar localities. The meadow hemlocl
: is believed to be the plant that Furnished
! the poison Of which Socrates partook whel
: condemned TO death. 1t grows in fields b,
the sea and on mountainous also, bearing
/ large clusters of tiny white flowers.
t One is surprised to learn that many com
! mon garden plants are dangerous. Tit
= leaves and stems of the potato have mar
/ cotic properties. The berries of the pota
: to are extremely poisonous. The skin o
old and sprouted potatoes contains a spe
e cifc poison known as "solanine" Tn
young and unripe potatoes which are es
teemed such delicacy in spring by pee
r Pile who can afford to buy them are poison
! Gus raw, but cooking makes them harm
\ less. The flowers of the jonquil, snow
drop and white hyacinth are all bad. Tn
narcissus is particularly deadly. To chez
a small scrap of one of the bulbs is apt L
prove fatal, while the juice of the leave
!. is an emetic. The berries of the yew hav
| hllCu many pCOplCs oOnCIluiC
b eaten in salads with distressing results.
5 is pretty well known nowadays that it
e not safe to eat many peach pits or cherr
n kernels at once.
The lobelias are all dangerous; tn
juice, If swallowed, produces vomiting an
: giddiness, with pains in the head. Viii
I parsnips have killed scores of persons
8 Lady's slipper poisons in the same man
: ner as does poison ivy; the bulbs seem +
: be most at fault. The horsechestnut ha
; long been suspected. In the South on
3 species is crushed and thrown into the wa
:, ter to stupefy fishes. Lilies of-the-valle
Q are very poisonous. The juice of the In
dian turnip, or jack-in-the pulpit, is an IL
E ritant poison. The common pokeroot
r to be carefully avoided. Sometimes tn
: roots are dug, grated and eaten raw b
= mistake for horseradish. Muscular spasm
r aud paralysis of the breathing muscles fol
e low. The water dropwort, which whe
r not in flower resembles celery, is virulenI
r The roots look somewhat like parsnips
There is enough opium in the red pOppie
to do mischief. The autumn crocus,
the blossoms are chewed, causes vomitn