The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-24
PLANTS YOU MUST LET ALONE.
CAUTIONS FOR cry CHILD"H"
IN THE COUNTRY.
Poisonous GrOwths That Eve" "ro""
Persons on Vacation sometimes "s".
or Taste TO Their sor'"" ,,''',
Cultivated Plants, O'heTs "'''

Inc summer tPHSOiI' "''''
,,,.,d ohndron RIM wild in rural parts, Is
pow a, hond and as many reports come
every wear during this season OF cases u
,,ois.,,;na ~ children bv eating or handling
,,o;,onn,'s nlarts. a brief and non-tet,hnical
Tas,,;,ti,n If Some of the plants most
,o,nmnnlv me, with and those most apt
IN temnt and deceive children, If not grown
persons. may serve az "h"ee''ho
warning,
Many OF the growths harmful to human
beings are not the wild productions oil 'he
fields and woods, but are cultivated III
vegetable and flower gardens. How many
people know. for instance, that the loVely
fragrant lily of the valley bears deaoiy
poison in every part of it--root, brahch
and flower? The pleasant bitter flavor OF
the flower of the lily of the valley Is grea'
attraction to children Severe attacks
follow the swallowing of the juice ohtalheu
by chewing either the flower or the ZEAL
and death from paralysis Of the heart Is
sometimes the result,
Varieties of orchids, both cultivated ana
vild-among the latter the pretty lady
slipners-fox- glove narcissus, oeander, ana
other commonly cultivated towering plants
are poisonous, Many varieties OF plants
weld tempting fruit, fair to the eye ana
peeable to the palate, but of most DIS
astrous effect when taken into the stomach
And there are many plants and vines IN
the country, particularly in all the region
xrbere New Workers spend their summer
vacations. whose mere contact with the
skin is poisonous.
Plants of the former class are more easily
Guarded against on account OF their con-
spicuous appearance, but the latter are
often so unpretending in aspect. and 30
intermingiinp in their habits OF growth,
that thew strike their victim without warm
ine. and, what is still more aegravating,
without any immediate sensation by which
thew NAV ut the time be discovered.
The most familiar illustration of this
IA found in the poison ivy, of which ev'ry
ono has heard and so few even among
those living in close proximity to it, have
much knowledge. This vine Ia of a de-
cidedly rambling habit. like its oftentime
near neighbour, the harmless Virginia
creeper.
It's beauty makes it attractive at once
tn the person unaware Of the danger that
lies concealed be eath that aspect of inno-
cence. Its three shining, intensely green.
pointed leaflets are disposed at the end
Of a stem two or three inches in length,
and by that one sign the vine may be
readily distinguished from the Virginia
creeper, which has FIVE leaflets.
While the poison vine and the harmless
one may frequently be found growing
together on trees and walls and fences,
the harmless one 9 never found clambering
among huckleberry bushes or blackberry
bushes or in thickets. in all Of which places
the poisonous one has a treacherous trick
OF creeping, as if for the very purpose Of
waylaying berry -pickers and singing
them.
There is law in this State which pro-
vides that every property owner shall
destroy and keep rooted out poison ivy on
his premises, but any one passing through
the rural districts Of any Of the nearby coun-
ties may see this dangerous plant grow
ing luxuriously and undisturbed on farm
fences and walls, on trees and in old fields
The poison s1mac, known also as the
poison dogwood and poison elder ia an
other wild growth that Is frequent menace
to the sojourner in rural parts. This
stems, on each OF which will be either six
or thirteen smooth leaflets, in form like a
rose leaf. At the base of the leaf stalk are
scraggly clusters OF greenish-hued flowers.
through the Atlantic States. from Maine
TO Florida It's wood has faint sulphur
Gus odor, and one breath of it is sufficient
to inoculate some constitutions with poison
the symptoms of which are similar to those
Of the poison ivy. and. il anything, more
severe.
One Of the commonest OF poison plants
readily accessible to children roaming pro-
miscuously about in rural dis riots is the
Young shoots of the common broad-leaf
laurel. These shoots resemble closely the
wintergreen plant. and the many instances
of death among children who have eaten
the leaves of this laurel in mistake for the
wintergreen show how prone children are to
be tempted and deceived by them This
plant grows abundantly on stony hillsides,
and it will be wise for parents TO see that
their children do not hunt the wintergreen
in such places.
Notwith, landing the almost 'nvariable
unattractiveness of the spots where IL
grows. and not only the lack of beauty in
both it's flower and ito fruit but the offensive
odor that Is peculiar 10 both, the commonest
most dangerous, the jimson weed, moves
children by some strange fascination TO
seek it and to endanger their lives with
its flower, its leaves and its seeds
This rank and offensive weed grows in
waste places about barnyards. in aban-
doned excava tons and on dumping grounds.
It's dirty-white tr,lmpet-shaped flowers
and prickly almost round pods are familiar
objects in summer The prickly pod is, is
called the thorn apple in some localities
and the mad apple in others.
A few OF the seeds which these pods con-
tain if taken into the stomach win produce
nauseating intoxica ton, followed by deep
and long stupor. Taken in larger quantity
they bring on violent commissions, pro-
longed stupor delirium and frequently
death. The leaves Of this weed produce
similar effects. differing only in degree.
rambler through the woods or moist,
shady places along in midsummer may
sec among the ferns or other rank growths
a brilliant cluster of scarlet berries, grouped
closely about the top Of a short. straight
stalk, close to the ground. This scarlet
bunch of seeds took the place of what
earlier in the season was the flower famil-
iarly known as Jack-in-the-pulpit. The
root Of the plant is the growth known to
the rural small boy as the Indian turnip.
That root and these attractive and tempt
ing red berries are poisonous. the root par
ticulariy so. No other noxious plant
brings grief so often to children as the
Indian turnp. with the exception of the
wild carrot and both have a singular fasci-
nation for them.
Little boys and girls who seek brook
sides or small ponds. fishing or pcnicking,
are likely to meet with the wild carrot, and
TO Ike attracted by its pretty white flowers.
Phcking the flowers is quite apt to take
the plant out of the ground by the root f.
and the pleaSant aromatic odor of tho rich