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From: wjr@frog.UUCP (STella Calvert)
Newsgroups: net.garden
Subject: Re: how to get rid of poison ivy (answer)
Message-ID: <876@frog.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 21-May-86 20:03:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: frog.876
Posted: Wed May 21 20:03:02 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 25-May-86 13:21:54 EDT
References: <2903@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Reply-To: wjr@frog.UUCP (STella Calvert)
Organization: The Church of the Holy Starship
Lines: 23
Summary: I'm not trying to get your goat, really!

In article <2903@decwrl.DEC.COM> kolling@decwrl.DEC.COM (Karen Kolling) writes:
>Eradication of poison ivy is difficult and the process may
>require several years of work as the vines spread by creeping
>stems and strong rootstocks.  The herbicide Ammate controls
>the vine and is most effective if applied when the poison ivy
>is in full leaf.

My junior high science teacher, many years ago, found an excellent way
of keeping poison ivy to a minimum on her property.  (Not eliminate
it, just reduce it to where this violently allergic person could enjoy
the outdoors -- poison ivy's almost impossible to destroy without
painting your territory with herbicides (ooh, ick!))

Goats, you see, like the taste of poison ivy.  Prefer it to many other
things.  So Tee rented a neighbor's goats to browse her land once or
twice a month during the growing season.  The goats got fed, their
owner got a few bucks (sorry), and the poison ivy tended to disappear from
places that goats could go.  Since she wasn't as agile as a goat, this
was good enough for her. But she had to be careful not to pet the
goats after they'd been on the job, cause they'd just push through it.

Anyone know why goats don't get poison ivy?  Or why these goats didn't?

STella (decvax!frog!wjr)