The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-19
OUR POISONOUS PLANTS.
a sPEoIAL Work ON THEN ISSUED
MI THE GOVERNMENT

OTIS Ones Cultivated In Ordinary Flower
Gardens-Whht Some OF tho Plants Are.
WASHINGTON, June 'l1.-Govornment ex.
psrts declare that the number of deaths caused
N poisonous plants In this country Is increns-
0ng steadily. To scatter information respect
nnR the character and appearance Of these do
ooructive members Of the vegetable kingdom,
the Department Of Agriculture established
oSOut three years ago a new section of the d.
vision Of botany. and this section, at the head
q which Is DIR. V. X. Chestnut, is on the point
- issuing It's first publication. During tho
last three years Mr.. Chestnut and his assist
Ohts have been engaged in gathering all OBJ
oainable facts regarding the poisonous plants
- the United States. To get as many facts as
Oossible subscription was made to various
nowspaper clipping bureaus, and in this way
0otices were received Of nearly all cases OF
Giant poisoning recorded in various parts Of the
United States. Tho clippings, OF course, men,
Ooned the names OF tho persons poisoned. and
6Aots were secured by writing to them, or to tho
tocal Postmasters, or to tho physicians who
were called in to treat the patients. In this
way. In nearly every case. DR.. Chestnut Sc
Gured n specimen of the plant responsible for
the poisoning, with a record of tho symptoms,
Treatment, and results.
Children are the greatest sufferers from these
VOgetable foes.
The number of children killed by such plants
IN this country Is large. though definite statis-
tics on the subject are lacking. Boys and girls
have q way o~feating anything they come across
that looks as II 1t might be edible. Water hem
lock kills many thoughtless persons each year.
There were two quadruple cases in New Jersey
On the spring of 1896. Children occasionally die
from eating the seed kernels or fruit of the
Swhiske y.cherry" tree. and now and then they
ouffer serious consequences from handling tho
Scaper spurRe." They mistake tho deadly water
hemlook for parsnips and radishes, and cat the
sheets Of the poisonous laurels for wintergreen.
Their Ruffnrings from contact with poison oak
and poison ivy, though less serious in character.
are frequent.
It can hardly be expected that children shall
have much practical knowledge Of botany. I'm
fortunately, grown people generally are equally
ignorant. Up to date no comprehensive treatise
on the subject has been published. Hence the
value Of the new scientific enterprise. which has
for its object not only tho preservation of human
lives. but also the prevention of destruction Of
life among farm animals. The annual money
less due to tho killing of cattle, sheep. and
horses by poisonous plants is enormous. Tho
famous loco weed destroys immense numbers of
horses. and, to rid itself OF this pest, the State
of Colorado paid out nearly $780, 600 in bounties
from 1881 10 1885.
Many OF the most dangerous poison plants arc
cultivated commonly in gardens. The common
lily of the valley, so much admired by flower
lovers, Is one OF these. In this case the poison
Gus element. which has been successfully separ-
Ated, is called convallamRrin; 1t Is q very deadly
crystalline compound, possessing n bitter taste,
and is found in all parts of the plant, including
the flowers. Occasionally children eat the flow
ers or leaves. with fatal consequences. The
poison acts as an emctie and purgative. eventu-
ally causing death by paralysis of the heart.
No %antidote. properly 30 called, Is known. though
the treatment adopted is the Same as for digi-
tails poisoning.
The oleander, %foNglove, and narcissus arc all
poisonous, and commonly cultivated in gardens.
It is worth mentioning that the common law Of
England holds n person responsible for damage
Gccruing from the possession and cultivation of
poisonous plants. In one case a jury rendered
Judgment In favorof \ plaintiff whose horse was
poisoned by eating branches OF a VOW which
New York court against the directors Of a
cemetery, in a case of poisoning duo to poison
ivy, which had been allowed to grow within the
All poisonous plants are not equally Injurious
familiar illustration OF this is to DO found in the
action Of poison ivy. 1t has no apparent effect
horse, mule and goat, eat its leaves with Inn.
punity. It acts upon the skin Of different human
Seem to be who'll; immune to its effects; others
acquire immunity through repeated poisonlnRs
S88mSc ali belong to the ssumac family. and IT tho
same kind of poison seems to characterize all
intense in any of the three than In the others.
Poison ivy seeds, are distributed chiefly by
crows and woodpeckers. which eat tho berries
containing them. 1t is a climbing, or trailing
shrub. bearing leaves in groups OF three. and
Growing everywhere in open brush, In ravines.
and on the borders OF woods. II is found all over
West as eastern Texas, Kansas, and Minnesota.
The poison oak, which is spread throughout tho
the latter species mainly in the shape OF its
leaves. The poison sumac is a .tree-like shrub.
Its wood has a faint sulphurous odor, and it
grows IN swamps and damp woods al through
plant of the United States is moro widely recog-
nized as harmful to man. lnasmnch as its vic
plants combined, 1T has come. to be regarded
a. the chief poisonous plantof America.
effects were produced or to what active princi.
pie they we're due, Recent, discovery; however.
%lisGhieyous agent IS a pon:vo!%tiIs oil, Which,
has been named "toxicodendrol." This poison
SaS o. i Is 1Ssn1 WOOD t@ an rG RSf.' fruit RI hn' aR RS'' sesas.
Like all oils. it is i%nsolublc In water, and cannot
alone. It is readily removed by alcohol. how.
eyer: Asolutiop Of sugar Of lead in so per cent;
upon the affected skin several times in the
course OF a few days. 1t stops the itching right
eruption. Of course, the lead solution must moi
10 the carrot family belong several species OF
very dangerous plants, One of these is the
water hemlock. otherwise known as snake,
weed" beaver poison" and 'children's bane. -
II Is n shrub from three TO eight feet high. and
grows commonly in swamps and damp soil. It's
flowers are white. Tho poisonous property re
sides in an aromatic, oily fluid, found chiefly In
the root. but also in the stem. seeds and leaves
The chemical nature of the poison is not exactly
known. but the plant is one OF the most destruc
tive In existence, its human victims averaging
. large number n year. The symptoms are
vomiting, staggering, Inconsistencies and con
Vulsions. ending in death. No Antidoto il known
Equally bad is the poison hemlock. otherwise
known aS - wntpr nnrAleV' or - stink wRAU' n
IS a hollow. stemmed biennial, two to seven feet
high, with large parsley.like leaves and SNOWY
clusters of small white flowers which appear in
July and August. The fresh leaves nave a
nRuseating taste. and when bruised emit
mouse-likc odor. This species OF hemlock is 4
native of Europe and Asia, but has been i'm
ported into the United States, and Is rather con,
poison is a volatile alkGloid called "conine;' Il
is found in the seeds and leaves. as, we'll as II
the root. II Is almost certain that this was tn,
plant administered by tho Greeks to Socratei
and other state prisoners. Sometimes the seed