Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-22

Titles. Readers OF the cIassics w,u e..
member that Zenophon's army suffered
WY seriously from eating this hone,
,san en passing through the region men
ruiiy half Of the laurels and rhododen-
irons are poisonous. "LambkilI." 20 IA
ia. 10 sheep. Is one OF tho laurels. Trail
s nfputus belongs to the same famIJv
Dut IS harmless. Deer feed with iminififv;
~ thc leaves Of poisonous Iaurels' b,,t
mals t d,a e eat the intestines of the ami
The n nie, mere IL no antidote known.
| ~ poison paralyZes the breathing mr.
cams and Kills by suffocation. The root
" ~ .he common kidney bean Is a powerful
a d. nrero',s om rlo,, well known as
"u9Ich Is often seen by the roadsjde con
| opie d9 ,s by reason of its big white flow
| tnSyn 't HE IS corruption of James,
| tl, tne name coming from the cfrc,Im-
| stance mat several soldiers were poisonad
| sa,aeni'' pace from eating the weed In a
sbana ~ Is related to the deadly night
| shade, and Its poison acts upon tho ner.
| ,hOus system, producing delirium and hal
iiuGIinatlons. During the Middle Ages the
J5u rice was used by persons who lived by
| TICKS OF so-cailed sorcery.
one OF the wickedest of plants 10 tho
water hemiock, which grows rank in
| m nii places. Its fieshy roots are agree
sonous. They are rendered VET mnrs dan
eerous by their resemblance to p,rsnins
a amu 70 me roots Of the esculent ''cicely''
.Ntiih III -iiIidT localities. The
fnemiock Is believed to be the plant that
furnished the poison of which Socrates
parlook when condemned to death. II
grows in fields by the sea and on roo,,n
,alh-tops also, bearing large clusters of
uny white flowers The poison causes
headache and imperfect vision. with loss
OF power TO swallow; in large doses It
pardlyzes the nerves and breathing mue
cies. The bulbs of daffodils have been
boiled in soup by mistake for leeks. with
d9'dl results. 70 chew even "A small bit
bark and seeds of the laburnum are both
poisonous.
One is surprised to learn that many
common garden plants are dangerous.
ne leaves and stems of the potato have
narcotic properties. The berries Of the
potato are extremely poisonous. The skin
ol oid ana sprouted potatoes contains a
speclilc poison known as ''solanine" The
young and unripe potatoes which are es-
tecned such a delicacy in spring by peo-
PIE VINO can afford to buy Them are poi
harmless. The flowers Of the ionnIIiJ
amowdrop and white hyacinth are ali bad
! ne harclssuS Is particularly deadly To
is apt to be fatal while the Juice Of rho
leaves is an emetic. The berries Of The
yew have killed many people. Sorrel is
sometimes eaten in salads with distress
ing results. 1t Is pretty well known now
adays that it is not safe to eat many
peach pits or cherry kernels at once.
The lobeiias are all dangerous; the
and giddiness with pains in the head
Wild parsnips have Killed scores of per-
sons. Ladys slipper poisons in the same
manner as does poison ivy; the bulbs
seem to be most at fault The horse
chestnut has long been suspected. In the
South one species is crushed and thrown
into the water to stupefy fishes Lilies
Of 1.-THE valley are fearfully poisonous.
The juice of the Indian turnip. or Jack
in-the- pulpit is an irritant poison. The
common pokeroot is to be carefully avoid
a tod
and eaten raw by mistake for horserad-
ish. Muscular spasms and paralysis of
the breathing muscles follow. The water
dropwort, which when not in flower re-
sembles celery. is virulent. The roots
look somewhat like parsnips. There is
enough opium in the red peoples to do
mischief. The autumn crocus, if the
blossoms are chewed. causes vomiting
and purging. The leaves and flowers of
the oleander are deadly. and the bark of
the catalpa tree is very mischievous.
known to produce death in an hour.
Every part of the monkshood is dan
gerous. 1t is the plant that produces the
deadly aconite. which kills by strangling
the victim. as if the throat was grasped
by an invisible hand. The juice of one
species is used in India TO poison arrows
that are set in traps to shoot tigers.
One-half of one of the purple berries of
the deadly night-shade has been known
to destroy life; its root and leaves are
extremely poisonous. The foxglove.
handsome garden plant. contains fear
full alkaloid. Small doses of the latter
for quite a while produce no apparent eff
feet; then suddenly it kills. The most
rapid and powerful of vegetable poisons
is prussic acid. Peach and cherry kerr
nels contain a good deal of it. The upas
tree, celebrated in story. is supposed to
kill everybody who comes within range of
its infected atmosphere. The truth is
merely that its sap is an irritant poison.
strychnine The tree is re-
lated to the nux vomica plant, which
Yields the strychnine of commerce.
The most poisonous of all mushrooms
is the fly agaric. which has a warty
and reddish or orange-colored top. Flies
are very fond of it, and Il single spec-
men has been known to kill pint of
those insects in a day. 1t grows in or on
the borders of woods. and piece the
size of pea will kill human being.
Some of the most dangerous fungi are
parasites other plants Among these
are the ergots which infest the heads of
cereals, causing an enlargement of some
Of the grains. These enlarged grains
contain a very deadly principle. and peo-
pie sometimes die from eating bread
made from them. Ergotized grasses now
and then destroy whole herds of cattle.