The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-27

dCter was not suspected w " Ae'"'
when Professor II. II. Babcock of Chi
cago made the discovery. Subsequent
investigation disclosed the fact that the
stem and leaves of the plant are COW
cred with little glands which contain
poisonous oil. The action of this Oil Is
very similar to that of toxicodendrol,
the dangerous principle of poison ivy.
The corn cookie Is a noXious weed In
Europe, whence 1t has been widely IN
troduced in grain fields in this country
1t contains poisonous principle called
'saponin," which is non-crystalllne
powder freely soluble in water. This
powder possesses sharp, burning
taste, and, when inhaled in the smallest
quantity it produces violent sneezing.
The poison is found in nearly all parts
of the plant, but mainly in The kernel
of the seed. Poor grades of flour some
times contain a large percentage Of &C.
kle seed, and bread made from such
flour has been eaten with fatal results
If a small quantity of such flour is eat
en- regularly a peculiar chronic Disease
is induced. The presence of corn COO
kle in flour is easily detected by the ap-
pearance of black specks, which are
scales of the seed-coat of the cookie.
Symptoms are irritation of the whole
digestive tract, pains in the spine, diff
cult locomotion and vertigo.
The "monkshood," Is a smooth, sim
gle-stemmed plant, two to six feet high,
with a cluster of snowy blue flowers.
This is the famous aconite plant, which
contains one of the most deadly OF veg
etal poisons. There are several species,
all of which are very dangerous. One
tenth of a grain of the poisonous prin-
ciple, called "aconitine," will cause
death. The root has been mistaken for
horseradish and the leaves for parsley
Horses and cattle have been poisoned
by eating small portions of the flower
ing tops. The first effect of the poison
is a burning of the tongue, rapidly fol-
lowed by sense of construction in the
throat, with difficulty in breathing.
Death ensues from a stoppage of respi-
ration in one to eight hours.
The false jessamine grows in woods
and low ground, from eastern Virginia
to the Gulf. 1t belongs to family
from which, in other parts of the world,
strychnine and the dreaded arrow poi
| son, "curari" are obtained. 1t is a
woody vine, often climbing over shrub
berry and trees to the height of thirty
| feet it's leaves are small and evergreen,
| and its flowers large and yellow. The
plant is otherwise known as the "yel-
| low jessamine," Carolina woodbine,"
| and trumpet flower" A related spe-
cies is said to be used by the Chinese
| for putting criminals to death. In it's
bark and roots, and probably also in
| the leaves and flowers, is found pois-
| onous alkaloid. In 1885 three persons
/ died at Branchville, S. c., supposedly
from the effects of honey derived from
| the flowers of the jessamine. Symp-
| toms are pains in the eyeballs, double
vision, muscular weakness, staggering,
suffocation and death from paralysis Of
] the lungs.
To the plum family belongs valua-
| BILE forest tree, sixty to eighty feet high,
which has saw-edged leaves and bears
a shining black fruit about quarter of
4 an inch in diameter. 1t grows album
dainty in forests in the middle Atlantic
states, and is cultivated extensively a
an ornamental and shade tree. The
fruit is edible and is sometimes used to
HdNOI llQuOTS. tIHlS lFte is NdTlOuSly
known as the wild black cherry"
rum cherry and "whiskey cherry"
/ Its leaves appear to contain two non
/ poisonous substances which together
! form prussic acid when the leaves are
! whiting. Cattle that eat them are like
" to die. The kernels Of the seeds of
| the fruit contain large percentage of
/ prussic acid, and children are some
| times killed by them. The symptoms
| are labored respiration, numbness
fright, protruding eyeballs, frothing at
the mouth and paralysis of the lings.
The celebrated loco weed, or crazy
| weed is a silvery white, silky-leaved
| perennial plant about foot high, with
| purple flowers. 1t grows in the pasture
lands of the dry prairie and on rocky
| hillsides in the great plains region
The principal harm it does is to horses
The equine victim is troubled with ma
MIA or hallucinations and performs all
sorts of antics. After acquiring taste
for, the plant 1t refuses every other sort
of food, and a lingering period of ema-
citation follows, the beast dying nally
as If from starvation. The damage
| done to live stock by this disease is
enormous An acid called loco acid
has been isolated from it, and to this is
attributed it's poisonous properties. Nc
antidote has been found, and the only
thing to be done Is to remove horses
from the vicinity of the plants.
The spurge family, Of which the eu-
phorbias constitute the typical genus, is
| represented in the United States by
/ over two hundred species. All contain
a milky juice that is more or less acrid
/ and irritating to the skin. Several exc
tic representatives of the order are vi
olently poisonous, as, for example, the
deadly manchineel of the West Indies
and the East Indian plant which is the
source of croton oil. Other species are
utilized as fish and. arrow poisons
| Gardeners are sometimes poisoned
while trimming the cultivated plants
The caper spurge is common garden
plant, with greenish yellow flowers
Goats will eat this plant IL nothing bet
/ ter is at hand, and it is said that Their
/ milk then is poisonous. When applied
to the skin the juice causes itching
pimples and sometimes gangrene.
Sneezeweed, or sneezewort, otherwise
known as "staggerweed," os smooth
branching perennial plant, one to thre,
feet high, with thick, lance-shapet
leaves and snowy yellow flowers. Il
grows commonly in moist ground, The
whole plant, especially the flower, /.