Q68 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
Talks About Weeds — IV. 
POISONOUS PLANTS. 
We devote the chapter this month mainly to 
an account of a plant, 'which though it does not 
infest crops, is very common along old walls, 
and in neglected corners, and is of such a dan¬ 
gerous character that every one should be able 
to identify it. “ Poison Ivy,” or as it is some¬ 
times called, Poison Oak, and Poison vine, is bo- 
tanically known as Rhus Toxicodendron. It is a 
plant that presents several forms; sometimes it 
is a small shrub 1 to 3 feet high—sometimes it 
trails over stone walls and rocks, and again it is 
found climbing to a great bight upon trees, to 
which it clings by means of numerous small 
roots that it throws out from its stem. All 
these forms are varieties of one species. The 
leaves are three parted , the divisions rather irreg¬ 
ular in shape, and are either entire on the mar¬ 
gins, or irregularly lobed or toothed. The flow¬ 
ers are in panicles, small and of a greenish 
white color, and are followed by whitish ber¬ 
ries. The popular names given above, as well 
as the specific name Toxicodendron (Poison-tree), 
indicate that its reputation as a dangerous 
plant is well established. Touching or handling 
the plant will, with many persons, produce se¬ 
rious consequences; others, perhaps the majori¬ 
ty, are not affected by it, while some are so very 
susceptible that by merely passing near the 
plant, especially in hot sunshine, they will re¬ 
ceive its poisonous influence. It is probably the 
case that very few persons are capable of 
being poisoned by it. If it were other¬ 
wise, the plant being so very common, 
we should hear of more frequent cases of 
poisoning. Where a person is but slight¬ 
ly affected by the poison, there is a red¬ 
ness and violent itching of the face and 
hands, followed by little watery blisters. 
Where the effect is severe, the swelling 
and other symtoms are much increased. 
We have seen a person with the face 
swollen to such a degree that scarcely a 
feature could be distinguished. The usual 
treatment in poisoning of this kind is to 
give a cooling purgative, such as salts, 
and apply a solution of sugar of lead to 
allay the intense burning and itching. 
Unless in unusually severe cases, the ef¬ 
fects do not last more than a week. There 
is a very harmless climber which is some¬ 
times mistaken for the Poison Ivy, and 
avoided as being poisonous,—the Vir¬ 
ginia Creeper. As the last is not only 
a perfectly harmless plant, but one of 
our most valuable ornamental climbers, we in¬ 
troduce an engraving of a leaf of it, in order that 
the difference between the two plants may 
be readily seen. In the Virginia Creeper the 
The last time, however, a new method was 
tried, and thus far (for four years,) the stream 
has run freely. The method was this: All 
along the line penetrated by the roots, the tiles 
were imbedded in water-lime mortar, then cov¬ 
ered with a foot of tan-bark, and the remainder 
of the trench filled with common soil. The 
mortar soon becomes hard like stone, and the 
tan-bark both seems to keep away frost and the 
tree roots. [If tan-baric will repel the roots of 
trees, the lime would not seem necessary.—E d.] 
Hints about Farm Laborers. 
A-n- 
Fig. 3.— POISON SUMACU. 
leaf is five parted and much more thick and glos¬ 
sy. We have known one instance in which the 
Poison Ivy was used as an ornamental vine, it 
being mistaken for the Virginia Creeper; a 
rather unsafe plant to have near the house. 
Another shrub of the same genus, Rhus venen¬ 
ata ., called Poison Sumach and sometimes Poi¬ 
son Dogwood, is abundant in swamps and low 
grounds throughout the Northern States. It is 
a very pretty shrub or small tree, and with its 
pinnate leaves it looks somewhat like the Ailan- 
thus. It is distinguished from our other shrub¬ 
by Sumachs by its loose clusters of white ber¬ 
ries. This is even more dangerous than the 
Poison Ivy. The above figures are taken from 
American Weeds and Useful Plants, a work 
which we have already highly commended. 
Tree Roots in the Tile Drains. —One 
of the most important drains on the writer’s 
premises had been so obstructed for several 
years by the fibrous roots of an elm, as 
to require it to be relaid twice in five years. 
One of the sorest troubles in farming, just 
now, arises from the scarcity of help,—a scar¬ 
city which must continue as long as the war 
lasts, unless an unusual foreign imigration sup¬ 
plies the waut. Were it not for labor-saving 
machinery, multitudes of crops would go un¬ 
harvested, and other farm work go unperformed. 
Along with this scarcity, the quality of the 
workmen left is also poor. Not all, indeed, but 
many of our hired men are eye-servants, work¬ 
ing lustily while watched, but lounging, dawd¬ 
ling, and, perhaps, drinking when alone. Tools 
are not taken care of, the work done is slurred 
over, the horses and cattle are neglected, many 
things are wasted—in short, 
the real interests of the far¬ 
mer are not cared for. It is 
vexatious to try to carry on a 
farm with such “help." One 
must be always present with 
his men, must work hard 
himself, and do the worst 
jobs with his own hands. A 
slave’s life is it to be bound 
to such a task, and the mo¬ 
ney gained by it, is earned at 
hard rate.—But here are a 
few helping thoughts. If a 
farmer can contrive to get 
young men into his employ, 
and can manage to keep them 
for a few years, he can train 
them into good workmen. 
Yet much depends on the 
^ employer himself. Many of 
our bad laborers have been 
made such by the unkind¬ 
ness, dishonesty, or shiftless¬ 
ness of their masters. If 
a good farmer can get 
young, unspoiled men, fresh from the “ ould 
countrie,” and can keep them long enough to 
teach and train them, he will generally have 
good and faithful workmen. Hence, one way 
to improve our farm laborers would be for the 
agriculturists of a neighborhood to employ some 
trusty agent—say at New-York or Boston, to 
select companies of likely young foreigners who 
prefer country life, and then to send them di¬ 
rectly on to the farmers wanting them. Also, 
let the farmers of each neighborhood pledge 
themselves not to hire a laborer coming from 
another farmer unless he brings a certificate of 
honorable discharge from his last employer. 
If the Agricultural Societies of town and coun¬ 
ty would form some system of this kind to pro¬ 
vide a steady supply of good material for work¬ 
men, it would raise the character of our labor¬ 
ers, and relieve farming of one of its greatest 
troubles. Of course, it is implied that the farm¬ 
er is to pay good wages, to study the wants ol 
his men carefully, aud to seek, in every reason¬ 
able way, to promote their comfort and happi- 
