The new enterprise., 1904-12-15
LTHOrGH ID Is a wen ur

Most people in the East have eS.
perienccd, or seen in others, the dread
5uI effects of the poison ivy; while on
the other hand, in the West, plants
acting I'm another way-as the larkspur,
Oy poison weed; the loco, or carry weed
are very well known, and the damage
done by them is exceedingly serious.
50 xreat Is the harm done by loco in
some portions Of the West, that be-
tween 1881 and 1885 the State Of Colo
yado paid out no less than 100000
IN b0nntles in the hope Of eSterminat-
ing thc plant, 1t Is hardly necessary
70 say that these efforts were ineffec'
snail
Over much Of the Middle States and
Of Sonthern New England the poison
IVY grows in enormous abundance;
fcnees, stone walls, bedgerows and tall
trees hrc covered by 1t, with beautiful
oGoct 20 the eye, but with dire re-
sultsto the person going too near the
plank provided he or she is sensitive
m De poison, On the other hand, do
nestIe anmals--and no doubt wild
ones MS wcll-appear to be unaffected
by nc poison. Cows, horses, mules
md 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 Il. I
The human subject is variously sps-s
eeptible to the ivy poison. Some 'indi-
VdnaIs can handle the plant without
danger; others cannot 60 near II with
cut great suDsequent distress. Some
people will be very badly poisoned, by
passing to the leawand OF fire; in
which the stems of the ivy are burn
jBg. ~,
There is great variety OF paenas
(which poison animals and people'sNbq
eat them, but most Of them are" not
especially ntractiyes aud, are eaten
chiefly In curiosity and, Ignorance by.
little aehildren. fDeaths from eating
ilnson weed occur very frequently
IN and near large cities, and II Is but
few weeks since several casest6f
'he kind We're reported in a sud Eb.
N New York. ........- ..#r r
There are two mushroom-like toad;
stools or fungus which are violenNM
poisonous, These belong to the genus
hmanita, and are called hy-kiler, hyI
fungus, and poison fungus. The fitst
one Is perhaps the best known OF all
thc poisonous fungi and has been used
IN Europe as fly poison for hundreds
~ years. While bearing a close re-
semblanCe to the common mushroom,
II may be distinguished from it by
having white instead of purple gills,
by its warty cap, its bulbous stem, aud
by the fact that II grows in forests
where the edible mushroom does not
grow. The so-called death-cup or bull
bous Amanita, is even more poisonous
than the fy-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 a collar about the
stem just below the head.
False hellebore, known also as In
dian poke, puppet root, earth gall, crow
poison, DEVILS bite, wolfsbane and bug
bane are also poisonous II eaten, 1t
Is stout perennial plant, from two
30 seven feet high, bearing large pleat-
ed, 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 Illuminating 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.
rles, which are also greedily eaten in
autumn by many birds. The young
shoots Of this plant are commonly
eaten as green's but these should be
well boiled, and the water should be
changed once before the stems are
eaten. Poisoning has occurred from
eoting the root and the fruit; but, on
the other hand, rs has been already
said, the birds eat the berries with
impuLity.
Several species Of larkgpur are re-
gardcd by stock growers as destruc-
tive 70 cattle. They are among the
first plants to show their green leaves
above the soil in spring, and are there.
fore eagerly sought for by cattle, often
with fatal results. 1t 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.
shifting is very small
Thc leaves of the wild cherry are
said 20 be fatal to cattle, which soon
after eating are afflicted with Iabored