Omaha daily bee., 1914-12-18

his travels IN Java lie did not invent
the fable, which, seems to have made a
deep impression wherever it was read.
but based his account upon the assertions
OF the natives OF Java, many OF whom. Il
Is said. still believe II 60 be true.
This story or tradition, Is 10 tha effect
that the mere presence OF, the Upas tree
is fatal to both vegetable and animal life
because OF mysterious emanatlon or
vapor Issuing from Il. Foersch, describ-
Ing the tree as growing IN a valley, said
that not another tree or blade of grass
was found in that valley or on the sur
rounding mountains mot beast. or a
bird, or a reptile, or any living thing
lives In the vicinlty OF the tree"
Foersohs narrative had an extraordl-
nary success and the UpaS tree almost
Immediately passed into literature as r
symbol OF anything baneful in the moral
world. The lines OF the poet Darwin In
dictate this:
"On the blaetad heath
Fell Upas sits, the hydra-tree OF death.
In the middle OF the last century
specimen OF the ill-famed tree was taken
90 England and cultivated in the Kew,
botanic gardens, where the falsity OF the
story OF lts deadly influence upon It's
surroundings was quickly demonstrated!
II IL true. however. that the vIscid. yell
low sap that issues from the extraordis
narily thick bark OF the Upas tree when
Il ls cut and which stiffens into a brown
gum. Is poisonous -
From this sap the natives OF Java and
other parts OF the Malay archipelago and
peninsula make poison for their arrow
Tins. which kills by tetanlc commissions.
It Is also true that when the bark ~
much injured In cutting down the tree a
noxious eNhalation comes from II which
is capable OF produoing ctitsneous erup-
lions, like those caused In some persons
by exposure TO the common poison IVY
The smoke from the burning tree Is said
to produce similar effects. Yet the wood
Is lnnocuous. and Is used for making fur
niture. the poisonous properties being
confined to the bark ~
The UpaS belongs to a family eomprlsl
ing trees. shrubs aud climbing vines
which ~ related 10 the nettle family. II
Is Included in the order, of the Urticalea,
'stinEng" or burning plants, -
The(darts, or small arrows, used by the
sayagas who employ the Upas or other
poison Nare usually shot from blowpipes.
species OF weapon found in many parts
Of the unciviiized world. The best de-
seription OF one OF these curious guns
with which ! am acquainted may be-
found in MIR. Bates book. THE Hatur-
alist on the River Amazon" In South
America the poison used Is called varia
ously urare. curare. woorarl or wooraiil
1t is extracted from a plant OF the
strychnos genus. from which we get the,
ordinary strychnine. =
The Amazon biowplpe. Mr.. Bates says.
Is nine or ten feet long and made Of
two lengths OF wood. each scooped out
to form one-half OF the tube, and then
firmly bound together by spirally wound
strips OF palm and finally covered and
polished with black wax. The product
ton OF a good. accurate shooting tube rsy
quires an enormous amount OF painstaky
ing labor. The tube tapers toward tire
outer end. while the heavier end Is fur
nished with a cup-shaped wooden mouth
piece. The whole apparatus Is 20 heavy
that II requires strong and practiced
arms TO polse It steadily. Young boys
practice with small, light pipes. 81