The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-11-08

Most people in the East have ex-
perienced, or seen in others, the dread
ful effects Of the poison ivy: while on
the other hand. IN the West, plants
acting In another way-as the larkspur,
or poison weed; the loco or carry weed
are very well known, and the damage
done by them is exceedingly serious.
So great is the harm done by loco in
some portions of the West, that be-
tween 1881 and 1885 the State of Colo
rado paid out no less than 100000
in bounties in the hope of exterminat-
ing the plant 1t is hardly necessary
to say that these efforts were ineffec-
tual.
over much OF the Middle States and
Of Southern New England the poison
ivy grows in enormous abundance;
fences, stone walls. hedgerows and tall
trees are covered by II. with beautiful
effect to the eye. but with dire re
suits TO the person going too near the
plant provided he OF she is sensitive
to the poison On the other hand, do
nestle animals-and no doubt wild
ones as Well-appear TO be unaffected
by The poison. Cows, horses. mules
and goats eat the leaves readily, and
apparently without ill-effect. They
push their way through thickets Of the
vine, and seem never to suffer from it.
The human subject is variously sus-
ceptible to the ivy poison. Some indi-
viduals can handle the plant without
danger; others cannot so near it with
out great subsequent distress. Some
people will be very badly poisoned by
passing to ihe leeward of a fire in
which the stems OF the ivy are burn
ing.
There is great variety Of plants
which poison arimals and people who
eat them, but most Of them are not
especially attractive, and are eaten
chiefly in curiosity and ignorance by
little children. Deaths from eating
jimson weed occur very frequently
in and near large cities, and it is but
few weeks since several cases of
the kind were reported in q suburb
OF New York.
There are Two mushroom like toad
stools or fungus which are violently
poisonous. These belong 10 the genus
AmGnita, and are called 1y-killer, fly
fungus, and poison fungus. The first
one is perhaps the best known Of all
the poisonous fungi. and has been used
II, Trrpona oe q a. ,,ofe,r, far b.v 1,.,rt- 9
OF years. While bearing a close re-
scmblancc to the common mushroom,
it may be distinguished from it by
having white instead Of purple gills.
by its warty cap, its bulbous stem, ana
by the fact that it grows in forests
where the edible mushroom does not
grow. The so-callcd death-cup or bull
bous Amanita, is even more poisonous
than the hy-killer, and should always
be avoided, for cases have been known
where handling it has caused trouble.
This species also has white gills and
grows in woods, though sometimes
getting out on to the lawns. Both
these fungi have collar about the
stem Just below the head.
Fslsc hclleborc, known also as In
dian poke, puppct root earth gall, crow
poison. Gevil's bite. wolfsbane and bug.
bane arc also poisonous if eaten. 1t
is 4 stout perennial plant. from two
to seven feet high, bearing large pleat-
cd, stemless leaves, and a terminal
cluster Of greneish or yellowish flow
ers, blooming in May to July. Human
beings have been poisoned by eating
the roots, and horses by eating the
leaves; but certain ruminating animals,
as sheep and elk, appear not to suffer
Inconvenience from eating it.
The pokeweed is well known TO every
American country boy, and most Of
them have made red ink from its ber-
ries, which are also grecdlly eaten in
autumn by many birds. The young
shoots Of this plant are commonly
eaten as greens. but these should be
well boiled, and the water should be
changed once before the stems are
eaten. Poisoning has occurred from
eating the root and the fruit: but, on
the other hand, as has been already
said, the BIRDS eat the berries with
npunity.
Several species OF larkspur are re-
garded by stock growers as destruc-
tive ID cattle They are among the
FIRST plants 10 show their green leaves
above the soil in spring. and are there
fore eagerly sought for by cattle, often
with fatal results. II is quite possible
that animals accustom themselves to
this plant, and that If eaten in small
quantities in conjunction with other
plants, the percentage OF deaths re-
sulting Is very small
The leaves Of the wild cherry are
said to be fatal to cattle, which soon
after eating are afflicted with labored
breathing, commissions and death. In
all such cases there is an evident odor
CT prussic acid in the breath
Tho damage caused by loco is well
known. Horses. cattle and sheep are
affected by it. but horses most Of all.
An animal which has eaten loco is
for a time crazy Ooco Sp.l. It seems
not to be able to see. and cannot al
together control its movements. Ap-
parently starting in one direction. it
win suddenly turn OF to one side, and
narhauq rim info n fpnpa or huifdfnv