THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
95 
read and most serious minded citizens in the United 
States. 
They will fight to the death to save (he nation and pro¬ 
tect their families. They no longer heed (he well moan¬ 
ing but idiotic political chatter of certain politicians and 
peace enthusiasts. 
“They realize the great danger, and they know they 
and their sons will have to repel any military invaders.” 
Mr. Stark scores the theories advanced by Congress¬ 
men and politicians who, he said, know nothing of mili¬ 
tary tactics, and should allow the War College and I he 
Army and Navy boards to determine upon the proper 
course. The propaganda must be divorced from politics, 
he said. 
“I am a pacifist at heart myself, just as every good 
American is, but I do not believe in facing tbe present 
crisis without preparation. In my business, which I be¬ 
lieve is the most peaceful in the world, I am in constant 
communication with thousands of farmers, representing 
the real wealth of the nation.” 
Mr. Stark has studied conditions in South America, 
where he went in 1909 with Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood of 
the United States Army and Admiral Staunton and other 
naval officers, lie has witnessed also the conditions in 
Turkey resulting from the Armenian massacres. 
“In the case of the Armenians,” he said, “it was their 
wealth which caused the attacks by the jealous and less 
industrious Turks. 
“Our wealth is a cause of envy on the part of foreign 
Powers, and it is particularly necessary that we be pre¬ 
pared against aggression from without.”— St. Louis Re¬ 
publican. — 
POISON IVY. 
Experiments in destroying poison ivy by means ot 
chemicals have developed only a limited field of useful¬ 
ness for this method. Applications of strong solutions 
of crude sulphuric acid or of crude carbolic acid have 
been found effective, but serious risks are encountered 
in handling these substances. In work undertaken by 
the Massachusetts Experiment Station, it was found that 
arsenate of soda could be used very successfully to kill 
poison ivy on large trees over 6 to 10 inches in diameter 
and on stone walls, buildings, etc. In open fields, how¬ 
ever, this treatment proved expensive and injurious to 
other vegetation, rendering the land useless for several 
years. In these experiments two or three applications 
of arsenate of soda at the rate of 2 pounds to 10 gallons 
of water were generally sufficient. The preparation is 
poisonous and stock must he kept away from the pois¬ 
oned plants. The cheapest and most effective method 
of eliminating poison ivy seems to be the simple one of 
rooting up the plants and destroying them. In large 
fields it may be necessary to plow and cultivate tin* land. 
The safest time for handling poison ivy is in tin; fall, 
after the sap is out ol the plants and after the plant has 
stopped flowering, as the sap and pollen make tin 1 plant 
more likely to affect those who come in contact with it. 
In any case, however, the following protective measures 
should be used by those attempting to eradicate it: With 
the exercise of due care, the use of overalls and gaupt- 
Jeted gloves will enable most individuals to deal with the 
plants with impunity. The further precaution of greas¬ 
ing the hands with lard, to be washed off with strongly 
alkaline soap on conclusion of the work, has been re¬ 
commended. It may be possible to employ some one 
to remove the plant who is not affected bv it. since many 
individuals are practically immune from the effects of 
poison ivy. In burning poison ivy care must be taken 
to keep away from the smoke, as cases of serious injury 
to eyes, nose, and throat from the poison conveyed by 
this means have been reported. 
The toxic properties of poison ivy are attributed to a 
nonvolatile oil which is found in all parts of the plant 
even after long drying. Minute amounts of this oil are 
capable of causing extensive inflammation. The oil is 
insoluble in water but may be removed by alcohol or de¬ 
stroyed by a solution of sugar of lead and alcohol. As a 
preventive measure thorough and repeated washing with 
warm water and strongly alkaline soap as soon as pos¬ 
sible after contact with poison ivy is advisable, and it 
should he borne in mind that the poison may he trans¬ 
ferred indirectly from clothing, gloves, and implements, 
also from towels used by those who have been in contact 
with the plant. 
Since ivy poisoning generally subsides within a few 
days, the treatment of mild cases is simple. There is. 
however, no one remedy that will cure all cases. In 
severe cases a physician should be consulted. Special¬ 
ists of the department have found the following methods 
and formulas useful in many cases: At the outset, re¬ 
moval of the cause of the irritation may be accomplished 
by cleansing the inflamed surface repeatedly with alco¬ 
hol, or with a saturated solution of sugar of lead in al¬ 
cohol, using a fresh bit of lint or absorbent cotton each 
time, to avoid spreading the irritant. The sugar of lead 
solution can not be used over extensive areas because of 
risk of lead poisoning. Covering the inflamed parts 
with lint or absorbent cotton kept constantly moist with 
limewater or with a saturated solution of bicarbonate 
“THE MONTHLY SUMMARY OF COMMERCE AND FINANCE” FOR NOV. 1915, GIVES THE FOLLOWING REPORT OF 
IMPORTS OF PLANTS, TREES, SHRUBS AND VINES. 
ARTICLES 
NOVEMBER- 
ELEVEN 
MONTHS ENDING NOVEMBER— 
1914 
1915 
1913 
1914 
1915 
Quantity 
Value 
Quantity 
Value 
Quantity 
Value 
Quantity 
Value 
Quantity 
Value 
Plant*, trees, shrubs and vines : 
Bulbs, bulbous roots, or corms, cul¬ 
tivated for their flowers or foliage 
14,972 
203,677 
too 
153,846 
11,035 
150,058 
1,803 
277,048 
197,132 
1,868,088 
14,042 
1,316,050 
219,143 
2,060.838 
12,757 
1,299,798 
225,258 
2,058,911 
24,715 
1,197,287 
Allother {dut.... 
Total 
357,623 
428,909 
3,198,180 
3,373,393 
3,280,913 
