COMMONPLACE NOTES. 



705 



The one point is to keep always cutting, and never allow them to exceed 

 six inches in height, or to ripen any seed. 



Poisoning from Daffodils. 



In February last we received the following letter : — 



"We force large quantities of Daffodils for cut flowers. The men 

 working in this crop very frequently get their hands poisoned by the 

 juice which flows from the base of the flowerstalk when broken or cut. 

 To aid us in arriving at a suitable remedy for this, we should like to know 

 what poison it is which is present in the plants." 



On our inquiring in what way the men were poisoned, we were told 

 " the men and lads are at work picking the blossoms all day long and 

 from one day to another. After they have been at the work a little time, 

 first one and then another will be obliged to stop working on account of 

 gatherings underneath the finger-nails, and at various places on the hands 

 and arms, and sometimes on other- parts of the body. It seems as if the 

 juice which flows from the stem, where broken off, has something in it 

 which sets up an irritation in the blood or something of that sort, which 

 has to find vent somewhere. If there is any little scratch or wound on 

 the hand it seems almost certain to be affected, by this poison (or what- 

 ever it is) being thus given a chance to get into the blood. We take care 

 to have warm water and soap at hand, and the men are given time to get 

 their hands clean before they have their meals, but — especially with certain 

 individuals — it all seems to do no more than mitigate the evil a little. 

 If you can do anything to help us cope with the trouble we shall be 

 extremely obliged." 



Being ourselves quite ignorant on the point, we inquired of one of 

 our largest Daffodil-growers, who told us : " It is an old complaint, as I 

 have observed it all the time I have grown Daffodils. Nearly all the men 

 and women suffer more or less with bad hands at bunching time. It is 

 caused, I think, by their having chapped hands, on which the juice of 

 the Daffodil acts as an irritant. But if there is no broken skin, and the 

 hands are well washed after bunching the flowers, there is little if any 

 poisoning." 



Having obtained so much information, we at once examined the 

 matter for ourselves, and we find that the " poisoning " is purely mecha- 

 nical : it is caused by small crystals of lime, technically called raphidcs, 

 which exist in great numbers in the sap or juice of the Daffodil. It is 

 only necessary, therefore, to keep these crystals out of the skin — to prevent 

 them from entering, either through cuts, or the cracks caused by chapping, 

 or under the finger-nails. W T e therefore recommend that all who are to 

 any extent engaged in gathering Daffodils should, before beginning their 

 work, rub their hands over well with oil, and rub a little soft tallow up 

 under the finger-nails ; and if they will always do this we do not think 

 they will suffer to any appreciable extent, 



Two Ornamental Rubus. 



Of all the numerous species of Rubus it is doubtful if any of them 

 equal B. odoratus for effect and succession of blossoms. In the Society's 



