Poison-Ivy

Categories: 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
br /> 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.