The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-10-29
POISONOUS VEGETATION.
Myth and Fact About the DendIS
IpRs Tree.


From tho New York Evening Post
In a shady nook Of the bank on thu
roadside BE- a sight which IS well worth
more than a passing hurried glance. The
soplng ground and the pos.-aud-Tail fence
along the top are a mass OF the most
delicate green foliage. each spray consist
INK Of three large and glossy leaves. From
che mass rise tho flowers Of the honey
suck.e and the wild rose. but the leaves
Of these are hidden by the greater lux
urlance Of their companion. A dead tree
surmounts the bank ana
Round IL luxuriant IVY has grown.
And wreathed u with verdure no longer
it's own
But hold, We may not gather a spray
OF blossom Tor the graceful ana bril
liant climber o. none other than that
dangerous plant. the poison ivy. You
may not touch or carry with you a sin
sic branch OF the plant unless you are
one % the fortunate "lmmunes.
DR. Pan Of Harvard has invess igatcd
the poison which Rhus toxicodendrou OF
radicans. thus dispenses with lavish
ness equal 20 that % the Italian witch.
Tofana. He finds IL 20 be "a non-vOlatile
oil which cannot b. washed of the skin
with water alone. IL IL truc that rem
edy has been discovered IN the form Of a
saturated solution Of alcohol. OF - 20 =
per cent. strength. and sugar OF lead: and
that tie efficacy has been tested oy the
| Departments OF Agricultue. bur an ounce
| Of prevention IS better than a pound of
cure. and We had better leave the pois-
oner alone
| u is strange that some persons should
/ be so liable TO suffer from merely touch
| lng the plant aud others should take no
/ hurt from handling. even roughly. che
wood and foliage Close by me lives a
man who viii undertake 90 root out poi
/ son ivy from the fences and orchards ard
/ be makes profit out Of his immunity
I for ne can earn double wages at task
/ which others do not care 10 undertake
Stranger still there is COW near here
/ which seems 10 have a positive liking for
| the YOUNG leaves. / got her owner to
/ drive her 90 fne group Of the Tvs. and
| was ast0nished 60 see her quietly MUNICH
| the tender sprays 90 evident preference TO
the luxuriant grass which surrounded 50.
| From careful observations of the way in
/ which animals push their way through
| masses Of the twining shrub. n 81 mani
/ fest that its pernlcious effect Is confined
/ to the human race. Why this IL so Is "a
| question 10 which II Is not easy even 10
surmise a solution.
Readers OF the poets may refer as 20
j ffAF Ifaa ANFft " NAaN u a iNNnFiAf EUlhif
/ for all thar has the most deadly infiu-
| ence. but such can scarcely know that the
/ tales Of that native OF Java are q stand
/ ing monument 10 the mendacity OF trav-
elers and che crcdulity Of the unscientinc
l mind The myths that have been circu-
| lated about Antiaris innoxia. the upas
tree. must be laid az the door OF a Dutch
| surgeon named Foersch. He described the
/ tree as growing IN a desert tract with no
] az Q -
] ten or twelve miles Criminals condemned
| to die We're offered the chance OF life II
| they would 60 aud collect some Of the
! poisonous juice OF the tree. Not more than
/ two out Of every twenty OF those who UNI
| dertook the task ever returned SO cir
cumstantial was the story teller shat ~
| stated that he had derived his informa-
ton from some OF these survivors. who
said that the ground around the tree was
strcwed with the bones of their prede-
/ cessors. Nay such was the virulence 81
the poison that there are no fish IN tho
| waters. nor has any rat mouse OF any
| other vermin been seen there. and when
any birds nv 50 near this tree that the
efHuyia reaches them they fan a sacrifice
10 the effects OF the poison"
But what are the real facts7 The upas
tree IA found growing Ia the midst OF cof-
fee plantations in Java. II Is even Guilt
| waited In botanic gardens Birds and liz
| ards have been seen on It's branches j,
/ Is true that lts juice is virulent robson.
and that persons who have got this on
| their bodies from climbing the tree Tor
branches and flowers have suffered in
/ tensely, IL Is also q fact that EMS Juice
| when mixed with other ingredients fur
/ nishes the natives with poison for their
| arrows which IL equal in It's effects 60 the
| famous curara OF Wouraii. poison Of South
| America. or 10 tho pelago both of which
| are the produce OF species OF stry,hnoa
| The inner bark OF young unas trees fur
nishes fibcr which can be utilized for
the purpose OF making garments. Unless
the nber Is properly prepared. che use OF
such garments Is very dangerous for o.
soon as they are wet they cling 10 the
skin with such horrible irritation that one
Is reminded OF the sacrincial garment sent
by jealous Dcianira TO Hercules
Probably some one VIII remind "a Of the
mauchineel. or manzanlllo. Tree OF the
West Indies Neuczue a aud Panama We
may b. told that no grass ever grows un-
der that polsoner OF the woods that II
you sleep under Il you are "a dead man
that n the rain shed from its leaves fai,s
on YOUR skin IL viii raise blister and
create a sore which q will be difficuit "a
heal. unless you rub he spot with the
trumpet flower. which merclfuliy grows
close nt hand. Here aglin We are Ia the
region OF trave crs' myths. u is true that
the juice 10 acrh. that Il Affects some
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