Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 415 



Tansy for the Borek. 



Mr, "W. A. Scott. — I was looking tliroiigh a neighbor's orchard, ca 

 few days ago, and noticed tansy growing around the roots of most of 

 his apple trees. On asking his object, he told me that it was to keep 

 the borers away. We examined the orchard carefully, and not a 

 borer nor a borer's mark was to be seen in the trees where the tansy 

 was growing. The trees without tansy were more or less affected, 

 and some of them almost ruined by the borers. He will put tansy 

 roots around all of them next spring. He told me of another neigh- 

 bor who had learned this idea of him, and to that neighbor I went. 

 The latter told me that before he put tansy around his trees the borers 

 were very troublesome, but that since then he had never seen a borer. 

 I do not think the tansy hurts the growth of the tree, for those with 

 tansy around were undoubtedly the finest looking trees. What does 

 the Club think of this ? It's new to me, is it to you I or is it merely 

 and old fancy rejuven-ated ? 



Mr. A. S. Fuller. — It is by no manner of means a new thing under 

 the sun. It swings around the circle once every five or six years. In 

 my opinion it clutters the ground about the roots, and takes succu- 

 lence from the soil which the tree cannot conveniently spare. N^o 

 farmer wants so much tansy growing about his house, and a .good 

 starp wire, well used, will finish the borer at less cost. 



The Chaiiinan. — The remedy, if a remedy, is inexpensive, at least. 



Is Pie-plant Poisonous? 



Mr. S. S. Gregory, Berea, Ohio. — At one time the opinion was 

 lield by some that pie-plant, as now used by many, is an unsafe 

 article of diet. Two cases of poisoning by eating the leaves of it 

 have come to my knowledge recently. In Pennsylvania nine hogs of 

 the Chester county breed, had such leaves fed to them ; five of them 

 died in consequence. In Indiana a family of five pprsons ate of such 

 leaves boiled for greens. All were made sick, and one of them died. 

 If the leaves of a plant are poisonous, is there room for doubt that 

 the stalk on which such leaves grow is also poisonous ? Can experi- 

 ments be tried to settle this question conclusively ? 



Mr. D. B. Bruen. — We know that there is prussic acid in pie-plant, 

 and that tliis is poisonous. Peach leaves have it, and the fruit also. 



Mr. A. S. Fuller. — But you take this acid out of peaches and you 

 spoil them. As regards the question asked of our correspondent, 

 there is uo doubt that it is perfectly safe to eat pie-plant. Oxalic 



