90 PLAIN AND PLEASANT TALK 



It is said that pear-trees that are unfruitful, may be made 

 to bear, by digging under them, cutting the tap root, and 

 burying a black cat there. We do not know as it makes 

 any difference as to the sex of the cat, though we should, 

 if trying it, rather prefer the male cat. 



Lastly, that we may contribute our mite to the advance 

 ment of science, we will state that, in our youth, we were 

 informed, that, if we would go into the wood-house once a 

 day and rub our hands with a chip, without thinking of red 

 fox s tail, the warts would all go off. We have no doubt 

 that it would have been successful, but every time we tried 

 the experiment, whisk came the red fox s tail into our head 

 and spoilt the whole affair. But might this not cure warts 

 on trees ? 



ASHtS AND THEIR USE. 



SOME soils contain already the chemical ingredients which 

 wood ashes supply. If lime be applied to a calcareous soil, 

 It will do no good ; there was no want of lime there before ; 

 if potash be added to a soil already abounding in it, no 

 effect will be seen in the crops. Ashes contain lime and 

 potash (phosphate of lime and silicate of potash). If a 

 soil is naturally rich in these, the addition of ashes would 

 be useless. Such cases show the true benefits of a really 

 scientific knowledge of soils and manures. Every plant that 

 grows takes out of the soil certain qualities. Wheat, among 

 other things, extracts largely of its potash; Indian corn 

 Abstracts but little ; potatoes extract phosphate of mag 

 nesia, etc. A chemist would say, at once, apply that kind 

 of manure which is rich in the peculiar property extracted 

 by your wheat, corn, or potatoes ! What manure is that 

 Here again science must help. It analyzes manures gives 

 the farmer the choice among them. The soil being known, 



