His main concern was that a magic man would find the scraps and use them to cast a spell that would cause him to become ill. Although these specific practices may not be common in your part of the world, perhaps like James you have felt the need to follow traditional customs in order to obtain protection from wicked spirits.
Konkrētās paražas katrā zemē mēdz būt citādas, bet tajās ir kaut kas kopīgs: daudzu zemju iedzīvotāji, tāpat kā Džeimss, tic, ka viņiem ir jāievēro noteiktas tradīcijas, lai nodrošinātu sev aizsardzību pret ļauniem gariem.