Pueblo chieftain., 1921-06-19
BY Frederic ]. Haskin.

washington, D. o., June 1b.-Afe you
going into the woods this summer? II
so. do not come back bitten by bugs,
and possibly by snakes. poisoned by
| ivy. and generally in a state of acute
discomfort.
All Of these things can be avoided.
but the average man or woman going
into the woods for the first time is
equipped with nothing but rosy and
romantic notion Of life in the sylvan
solitudes. After about a week Of such
life, he is usually in state Of painful
porch and -palm-leaf-fan school Of
vacationists for the resr OF his life
This is too bad, because a vacation
ought to be an adventure and 1t is
good for civilized man 20 revert to the
primitive once in a while, II he can do
and his digestion. And it can be done.
But 1t takes time and care to learn
how. Getting yourself thru the woods
or over the mountains in comfort is a
science.
The perils from wild beasts in this
country have about been abolished, but
there are some wild plants that still
bite people every year, and the worst
of this is the large and varied class
of shrubs known as poison ivy or pol
son oak. The cases of ivy poisoning
must run into the hundreds of thou
sands every year. and every case rep
resents a vacation ruined or day out
doors severely regretted.
And yet ivy poisoning Is generally
preventable. Two things are neces-
sary. First learn to know the plant.
and second. when there rs any danger
of having been exposed to it. take
preventive measures. The advisability
of this is usually hard to impress upon
the man who has never mad a dose OF
poisoning. but after he has spent a
week in a state of most acute discom-
fort. perhaps with both eyes. swollen
shut. he is apt to appreciate the nee
essity.
The Ubiquitous Ivy
Some form of poison oak or poison
| ivy occurs in almost every part of the
United States. according to the De
partment of Agriculture. In some
places it is so rare as to be little Of
"A menace. but in many SECTIONS 1t is
literally impossible to spend a day in
the woods without encounterinS 1t.
This is especially true IN parts OF
Maryland. virginia, Pennsyivania. and
other Atlantic coast states.
Many people believe themselves to
be immune to ivy poisoning. but the
Department of Agriculture says 1t Is
doubtful whether anyone is wholly i'm.
mune. The poison merely takes hold
of some skins more easily than others.
attack. but on the other hand. those
who have once been poisoned often
seem thereafter to be more susceptible
| than before.
The different kinds Of poison Ivy
~ mi IN r. r. IL: :sas 2. spsess ses's
the leaf form varies. So does the man
ner of growth. The common eastern
form may appear as a low growing
shrub. looking like an ordinary weed.
or Il may be hourishing bush three
or four feet high with light-colored
woody trunk. 1t may be . small creep
ing vine. or II may be \ vine three or
four inches thick. twtninE about a tree.
and throwing on aerial rootiets.
There Is only one characteristtr
which the poison ivy has wherever II
Erows and in all it's forms. that Is. that
the leaves Erv& in kroups Of three.
The central leaf ie on a stem an inch
or more in length. Tho other two
grow directly opposite each other and
have practically no stem AT all. when
ever YOU sec = plant with this style oil
foliage. whether Il is bush, weed
or a vine. give II a wide berth. II may
be harmless but II probably is NOT
Al certain times of the year some OF
the poison ivy plants bear clusters OF
white berries, but this is not mark
Of identification that can hc relied
upon.
The poison Of tho poison ivy Is an
acid which eets upon the akin and
slowly sinks in. Hence the counter
ASen. is an atkAii. Two Of the best