Poison-Ivy
Category:
Viii Little Foes Of The Trailer
We are apt to think that every one knows the common poison-ivy, but that
some people are not familiar with it was shown when one beautiful autumn
day a young woman passed along our village street carrying a handful of
the sprays of the vine, gathered probably because of their beautiful
coloring. Noticing that she was a stranger, no doubt from the city, and
realizing the danger she was running of poisoning herself or some one
else, we hurriedly caught up with her and gave first aid to the ignorant
in a few forceful remarks. The result was that, without a word, the
young woman simply opened her hand, dropped her vines on the walk, and
hurried off as if to escape a pestilence. We were left to close the
incident by kicking the stuff into the street that some other equally
uninformed person might not be tempted to pick it up.
If you do not know the poison-ivy, remember this: It is the
_three-leaved ivy_. Its leaves always grow in triplets as shown in
illustration. The leaves are smooth, but not glossy; they have no teeth
but are occasionally notched. Sometimes the plant is bushy, standing a
foot or two high, again it is trailing or climbing. It loves fence
corners and big rocks to clamber over; it will also choose large trees
for support, climbing up to their tops. The flowers are whitish and the
fruit is a pretty, green-gray berry, round and smooth, which grows in
scant clusters.
Poison-ivy is found through the country from Maine to Texas and west to
South Dakota, Utah, and Arkansas.
Some people are immune to ivy poison and, happily, I belong to the
fortunate ones. Many persons are poisoned by it, however, and it may be
that fear makes them more susceptible. On some the painful, burning
eruption is difficult to cure.
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