PAGE 8
MlWi
JUNE, 1957
DR. W. B. PARKS ADVISES
Add Poison Ivy To List Of Summer Enemies
When Captain John Smith and members of his
party landed at Jamestown, Va., more than 350
years ago, the adventurers faced many an ob
stacle in a hostile wilderness. An unusual enemy
—and one of no little consequence—was a plant
with glossy, green leaves that, in autumn, turned
to orange and scarlet.
The Captain wrote describing it: “Being but
touched causeth redness, itching and lastly blis
ters, and which, howsoever, after a while pass
away of themselves without further harm. Yet be
cause of the time they are somewhat painful, it
hath got itself an ill name.”
Poison ivy, unknown in Europe in 1607, and
even today, “hath an ill name” still with millions
of people who in summertime come in contact
with the wild-growing pest.
Although some lucky persons are naturally
immune to the poison, it has been found that
one person in about 18 is seriously poisoned by
ordinary contact with the ivy, observes Dr.
W. B. Parks, plant physician.
EACH YEAR there are thousands who become
acquainted with it for the first time. There are
those who are so susceptible that they are seri
ously affected by merely handling objects that
have come in contact with the plant’s poison oil.
Contamination has been known to last as long as
a year on such items as clothing.
Poison ivy, sometimes called poison oak, is an
erect bush or trailing shrub, growing from a few
inches to three feet high. It sometimes forms a
vine that attaches its aerial roots to fences, trees
and other supports.
The woody plant, abundant in Eastern North
America, has leaves which may be hairy or
smooth and glossy; entire, toothed or lobed. The
variety most common to the mid-South has lobed
leaflets and is especially attractive in the fall
when its leaves turn to shades of orange, red, or
bronze.
The flowers, appearing in late spring, are
clusters of small, greenish-white bloom, followed
by waxy white berries.
Toxic oil emitted from leaves, stem, bark or
berries—even when dry—excites a mild-to-severe
skin irritation that usually turns into blisters.
TODAY there are almost a hundred marketed
products said to prevent poison ivy contamina
tion or to lessen its itching and blistering effect.
Ask your doctor or druggist about these.
There are also scores of home remedies, popu
lar but of questionable worth. The household
preparations often spread the poison. One of the
best-known and most effective of the common
remedies is an alkali soap. When exposed to
poison ivy, it is usually beneficial to wash the
exposed parts with a strong laundry soap, allow
ing the suds to dry between applications re
peated a few times at three or four-hour inter
vals.
Beyond this simple remedy, you are wise to
consult your physician.
“There are a few simple suggestions that add
up to sound tactics which will protect you from
being a casualty of poison ivy this summer,” Dr.
Parks says. “People who are affected by it can
best avoid it by watching their step.”
HE OFFERS these additional tips;
Learn to recognize the plant and keep your
distance. Do not confuse it with the harmless Vir
ginia creeper or woodbine which has five leaflets,
tendrils and purplish black berries.
If the noxious plant infests your property, kill
it before it draws a bead on you. The most ef
fective killer is a hormone-type weed spray, ob
tainable from hardware and farm supply stores.
Use it only in windless weather.
Never stand in smoke from burning poison
ivy. The poison can ride long distances on the
smoke.
If you pull it or dig it, use protective clothing
and equipment. Give yourself a scrubdown after
you’ve finished.
Stay away from clothing, tools and other ob
jects that may have been contaminated. Wash
them cautiously.
If you use an ivy-killing spray, cover your
shrubs, flowers and garden plants. If you have
neighbors living close-by, it’s a good idea to team
up with them to make war on the poison ivy.
That way, they can protect themselves, too.
—From page 6
People and Places
Virginia Eaker, spooler tender, has returned to work after a
tonsillectomy in May.
Lela Mitchell, warper tender, had as recent guests Mr. and Mrs.
M. H. Howl, and Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Retter of Chicago, 111.
Mrs. Elmer Kline and daughters Lois and Faith of Richmond,
Ind., visited the Claude Callaway family. May 17. Mr. Kline is
minister of the Christian and Missionary Alliance congregation in
Richmond.
Mrs. Carl Stowe, Girls’ Club Hostess, and Mr. Stowe attended
the annual meeting of the North Carolina Iris Society, held in
early May in Asheville. The meeting schedule included tours of
selected houses and gardens, and a trip to points on the Skyline
Drive and Beaver Lake in the Asheville vicinity.
Mrs. Stowe is one of the few members of the N. C. Iris Society
from the Gastonia area.
The next meeting of the organization will be held at Greens
boro in May of 1958.
J
PUBLIC INTEREST A WARD
The National Safety Council's Public Interest award
for 1956 was presented recently to the Company by Public
Information Director Paul Jones. H. D. Tompkins, vice presi
dent (left), and C. B. Ryan, director of merchandising and
advertising (center), accept the award for Firestone. The
special recognition was earned through the Company's pro
motion of safety in newspaper, magazine, radio and tele
vision advertising.
GTI Has Grant Of $95,000
For Property Improvement
Playground Season
Opens June 10
Firestone Park, one of more
than a dozen public recreation
facilities operated in Gastonia
during summers, will open its
10-week schedule June 10.
Hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday; and 8
a.m., to 2 p.m., Saturdays.
The Company - owned play
ground is operated by the City
Recreation Department. Its fa
cilities, for children up through
12 years, include a wading and
swimming pool, swings, horse
shoe pits, a ping pong table, a
chin bar, and seesaws.
The City Recreation Depart
ment furnishes supervisory per
sonnel during all hours of play
ground operation.
The North Carolina state legis
lature voted in May to give Gas
ton Technical Institute $95,000
to make changes and improve
ments on the school’s new quar
ters in the old Firestone Textiles
dormitories. The bill provided
that the money will come from
the Contingency and Emergency
Fund.
The former Firestone prop
erty, donated to the school last
year, is valued at a half-million
dollars. When prepared for oc
cupancy, the buildings will
make possible tripled facilities
for the North Carolina State
College extension school, es
tablished at Morehead City in
1947 and moved to Gastonia in
1952.
As of late May, Institute Di
rector James I. Mason said it
would likely be mid-autumn be
fore the property can be ready
for the school to move from its
present quarters on Airline ave
nue.
PARTITIONS on the first
floor of the east and west dormi
tories will be removed for lab
oratory and classroom space, the
Director said.
The buildings will provide
space for radio and television,
electrical and physics labora
tories, two mechanical drawing
rooms, and five classrooms. The
laboratories can also be used as
classrooms.
Shop space will be arranged
in the basement, in what has
been the plant Recreation De
partment offices and storage.
The Firestone Men’s Club, mov
ing soon to its new quarters at
Dalton and Second avenue, will
be converted into space for the
school library, assembly room,
teachers’ lounge, office space and
dining room facilities.
When completed, the dining
facilities will be the first which
the school will have had. The
new setup will also allow for
students to board at the school
for the first time.
The second floor of the east
and west dormitories will be
used as living quarters, and al
together will house about 150
students.
Besides the classroom space,
shop and other facilities, addi
tional provisions of the new
property will allow for a more
varied program of recreation.
During the past four years
GTI has graduated several hun
dred trained technicians in the
fields of radio-television, me
chanical, electrical and automo
tive technology. Its new quarters
at Firestone will make possible
an expanded program, Mr.
Mason pointed out.
Electrician Furman Pearson spent his vacation this spring
visiting his brother, Platt Pearson and family in Paterson, N. J.
George W. Pearson accompanied his son on the trip.
Jack Moore, benchman, Mrs. Moore, and Mr. and Mrs. Wayne
Eaton spent a week end in Raleigh, N. C., visiting the Moore’s son,
Carroll, and his family. Carroll is majoring in electrical engineer
ing at N. C. State College. Mrs. Eaton is the former Shirley Moore.
FIRESTONE TEXTILES
P. O. BOX 551
GASTONIA, N. C.
SEC. 34.66 P. L. & R.
U. S. POSTAGE
PAID
GASTONIA, N. C.
PERMIT NO. 29
Several women in first shift Winding met on May 3 for a
covered dish supper at the home of Mrs. Mattie Deaion.
Mrs. Mae Grindle, winder tender, entertained her daughter with
a birthday dinner recently. Twenty-two guests were present.
Mrs. Faye Ross, winder tender, has returned to work after
having undergone several weeks’ treatment in a local hospital.
Paul Caldwell and his family visited Fields of the Wood near
Murphy, N. C., on a recent Sunday. Fields of the Wood, on N. C.
Highway 294, is a large Church of God assembly ground. Nearby
is an enormous concrete tablet of the Ten Commandments. Here
on Burger Mountain is located what is believed to be the world’s
largest cross.
Form 3547 Requested