Milkweed Supplies Milk Poison Dyes and Fibers Milk from milkweeds is used by human beings In its native Ceylon one such milk milk- milkweed milkweed milkweed weed is called The leaves of several are cooked and eaten as greens Tender growths of others are eaten as salads The milky sap of several is used for medicine The juice may be tonic emetic purga purga- purgative purgative tive or even a deadly poison Some aborigines use the juice to poison arrows The names of wolf- wolf bane or dogbane have been applied to some milkweeds because they were employed to poison these and other animals In East Africa one plant variety is thrown into pools to poison fish Not all however are toxic or noxious Some milkweeds supply dyes basis and others fibers But the Sodom apple of the Bible is sup sup- supposed posed to have been the fruit of such a plant native to India a plant that has been grown in local gar gar- dens Milkweeds form a large and in in- interesting interesting family because of their va va- varied varied varied ried uses writes a correspondent in the Los Angeles Times In the Americas we have kapok or silk- silk cotton trees but in other parts of the world kapok of exports is from the pods of milkweeds In a family of 2000 different in in- in individuals individuals or species we must expect a wide range rang and children who have opened ripe pods of milkweeds have been delighted with the silk floss It is not used locally only be be- because because cause of lack of volume and the cost of harvesting it But giant tree-like tree milkweeds fifteen or more feet high promise a rich reward to natives of India These species have been planted in our country and in the West Indies have escaped from gardens to the wilds