Poison Ivy And Poison Sumac And Their Eradication

"Many persons obtain their first acquaintance with poison ivy or its relative, poison sumac, by being painfully poisoned, sometimes as the result of collecting the foliage of these plants for ornamental purposes, despite the fact that it is generally known that contact with them may produce severe inflammation of the skin. In many localities throughout the country poison-ivy growth is so abundant as to discourage attempts to destroy it in order to reduce the danger of injury, and even under more favorable circumstances cases of accidental poisoning must be expected. The very large number of these cases, however, could be greatly reduced if simple means of recognizing the plants, of avoiding poisoning by them, and of destroying them were more generally understood. As a preventive measure, thorough washing is recommended, since the poison usually requires some time to penetrate into the tender layers of the skin, and until such penetration has taken place much or all of it can be removed. Ordinary alkaline kitchen soap is best for this purpose. A thick lather should be produced and the washing repeated several times, with thorough rinsing and frequent changes of hot water. The methods of destroying poison-ivy growth include spraying with salt brine (3 pounds of slat to the gallon of water) repeated several times if found necessary at intervals of a week or two, pulling by hand or grubbing out small areas, frequent mowing and, in fields, plowing followed by the cultivation of hoed crops. Poison sumac usually occurs in swampy inaccessible locations where the expense of eradication is not warranted. When it grows along the edges of paths or roads or in frequented places it should be cut off close to the ground, after with the roots should be grubbed out or killed by applying salt, crude oil, or chemicals to the newly cut surfaces and the surrounding soil."--Page 2

Poison-ivy, poison-oak and poison sumac is a mycological work by Donald Mundell Crooks. It covers the identification, precautions and eradication knowledge needed to deal with these poisonous mushrooms.