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Yellow and Orange


The literature of Europe is filled with allusions to it. Swift


wrote;
“* They tell us something strange and odd
About a certain magic rod
That, bending down its top divines
Where’er the soil has hidden mines ;
Where there are none, it stands erect
Scorning to show the least respect.”


A good story is told on Linnaeus in Baring-Gould’s ‘‘ Curious
Myths of the Middle Ages” : ‘‘ When the great botanist was on
one of his voyages, hearing his secretary highly extol the virtues
of his divining-wand, he was willing to convince him of its in-
sufficiency, and for that purpose concealed a purse of one hundred
ducats under a ranunculus, which grew by itself in a meadow,
and bid the secretary find it if he could. The wand discovered
nothing, and Linnaeus’s mark was soon trampled down by the
company present, so that when he went to finish the experiment
by fetching the gold himself, he was utterly at a loss where to find
it. The man with the wand assisted him, and informed him that
it could not lie in the way they were going, but quite the con-
trary ; so they pursued the direction of the wand, and actually
dug out the gold. Linnaeus said that another such experiment
would be sufficient to make a proselyte of him.”

Many a well has been dug even in this land of liberty where
our witch-hazel indicated ; but here its kindly magic is directed
chiefly through the soothing extract distilled from its juices.
