Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-05
An Ever Present Danger in Field and
Garden Flowers.
Wild ANIMALS CAREFULLY AVOID
Many Herbs and Seeds Cause III.
ness or Death.
HOW TO TELL GOOD FROM BAD


plants possessing qualities injurious and IA
| tai to animal life. Most of these are we'll
known to botanists. and have had a recog-
nized place in the materia medica Of civil
| lied as well as savage peoples from the
earliest ages up to the present day. Their
use and abuse have furnished many page
of history and romance Hate, love and
ambition have sought their aid, and JUS
tice has not scrupled to make use of their
deadly elements a means of putting to
| death criminals and persons dangerous to
the state.
In this prosaic age people obtain their
poisons at the drug store, neatly bottled or
boxed and carefully labeled with the ira
ditional deaths head and crossbones' it.
self curious instance Of the survival of
ancient usages. How many ever give a
thought to the fact that the plants which
furnish many of the most deadly of these
drugs-plants whose very names are sug-
SeStive Of horrors-are growing at the very
threshold of home. perhaps? In lovely
guise adjoining our gardens. thriving in
baleful luxuriance in marshy places, low
ering sngly in gloomy thickets. f1ounting
gayly in every field. by every wayside, on
every waste place, these instruments of
certain evil and possible good flourish I'M
disturbed.
OF the number Of persons who perish an
nually even at the present day from the
effects of herbs and simples administered
can be no estimate. The same is true of
cases of accidental poisoning. resulting in
suffering If not always in death. Consid-
ering the ignorance that prevails concern
ing the commoneSt plants, and the ten
dency Of young children to devour anything
in the shape of fruit or berry that comes
their way, it is surprising that so few fatal
cases of poisoning from that cause are re-
ported. but enough are known to make the
subject one of great importance.
Instinct of Wild Animals,
1t has been stated that animals instinct
lively avoid any vegetation that might be
harmful to them. This may be true to a
certain extent of animals in wild state
but even they in times of dearth will de-
YOUR anything that comes within their
reach, while domestic animals show very
little discretion at any time. In some parts
of our country thousands of cattle and
poultry perish yearly from eating poison
Gus plants. In some western states legiSla-
ton has to the aid of the farmer,
Colorado alone having expended S2oO, 900 in
bountias for the determination of the low
weed, without success. unfortunately. So
frequent are the appeals for aid and in
formation received at the United States De-
pariment of Agriculture from farmers all
over the country that the subject has been
taken up for investigation by the division
of botany. Already two valuable illustrated
bulletins have been issued by the depart
ment, containing a full description of fifty,
or more, of native noxious plants. with
information as to their peculiar character
istics, effects, and the remedies therefor
when any are known to exist. These bull
letins cannot fail to interest and assist
farmers and stock growers, and much of
the matter they contain should be more
generally known. 1t would be well to in
clude the study of noxious plants, illus
trated with colored plates, in the botanical
course in our primary schools. People we'll
informed on most topics, are amazingly ig
I
trees that have surrounded them all their
| lives.
POisin of the Lily.
When charming girl adds to her charms
by adjoining her corsage with a big bunch
of lily of the valley, for instance, she lit
tie dreams that 1t contains enough poison
to paralyze the heart that fiutters beneath
1t, but such is the fact. True. she neither
intends to eat her bouquet nor compel her
admirers to swallow 1t. but q little brother
or sister might do so, so 1t is as we'll not to
leave 1t lying about.
The entire narcissus family Is poisonous
the lovely poets narcissus'' most so of
all. The odor of these Is capable of caus-
Ing stupor, nausea. and. in a delicate per-
son, death. The same properties are pres
ent in the common daffodil. and jonquils-
those darlings of the spring, which "come
before the swallow dares and take the
winds of March with beauty" We need
not love them less for this knowledge, but
1t should enable us to be cautious about
putting them in the hands Of very young
children.
Even the Humble Buttercup.
The buttercup, that golden currency of
| babyhood. also belongs to a class of plants
| the ranunculoceae, or crow-foot family
| which contain powerful irritant poison
| capable Of blstering the hands of those
who gather it. This is especially true of
the varieties growing in wet places. In
| Europe, where begging is fine art. men,
bcrs of that profession use the ranunculus
| to produce ulcers on their feet and legs, for
| the purpose of exciting compassion. Cat
| tie men sometimes use the juice of the
ranunculus to brand their cattle, in place
| of the hot iron. Cattle will not eat these
| plants except in a dry state mixed with
| hay. when the volatile acrid quality disap-
! pears. To the same family belong the
| larkspurs, the 'allebores and the delicate
wood anemone. wind flower. that decks
our woods early in spring. But the black
| sheep of this extensive family is the aeon
| itum, VOLTS bane, monks hood, etc. etc.
| as it is variously called. This plant was
| once in every garden, but it Is now seldom
seen, probably because its sombre beauty
| is no offset to its deadly qualities. In old
| time gardens 1t grew freely among the
| vegetables, and its roots have frequently
| been served as horse radish, Its foliage as
parsley, with gruesome results.
| Poppy Seeds and Juices.
The poppy family is too we'll known as
| the source of opium to require mention;
yet it is well to bear in mind that it's seeds
are unwbolesome and its juices dangerous
| more threatening danger lies in the
sorrel family. Its pleasant sourness is due
| to the presence Of oxalic acid. and If eaten
In large quantities by children. who often
! conceive a morbid liking for 1t. unpleasant
| consequences are sure to ensue.
| Few people are aware that the pretty
wild carrot more POLITICALLY called Queen
| AIMS Lace, Is an exceedingly poisonous
| plant-no other than the poison hemlock,"
| believed to be the Identical plant which
sealed the eloquent lips of Socrates. In
view of the abundance of this plant, which
! is equally at home in city and country. its
charming flowerets throwing a lace-lke
| mantle over every vacant lot, and attract
| Ing children and adult alike, 1t is we'll to
| know that it is poison in every part, and
| should be carefully handled when used for
| decorative purposes. The water. hemlock
| another and still more dangerous species,
| is eagerly eaten by cattle. with fatal re-
suits. A number of cases Of poisoning are
| on record from eating the roots. which re-
| semble certain edible tubers The bulletins
| referred to recommend the pulling up Of
| these plants wherever possible as the only
| means Of their determination.
| CneLIe I'm he Wheat