Page:Hardwicke's Science-Gossip - Volume 1.pdf/299
BOTANY.
Christmas Leaves.
I'll shake the berried Mistletoe, that he
May long remember Christmas; to the son
Of boasting war I'll give the Holly-leaf
And its red berries; such he'll find its meed,
A little show of pomp, and many thorns.
I'll give the poet Ivy; for, like it,
Around the ruined pile he ever clings,
Adorns the loneliest spot with fancy's charms,
And props the tott'ring column in his rhymes.
I'll give the scholar Fir, for he must be
Like it for ever green, erect, and firm,
And with his needles of philosophy,
Contemn the snows of life. Here's darkling Yew,
The mourner must have that, who seeks the shade,
And hides his melancholy head in caves,
Or by the sandy beach, utt'ring aloud
Hill dull soliloquies, unseen, unknown.
Christmas—a Masque.
Mistletoe on the Oak.—At last, on June 7th, 1837, I was fortunate enough to behold a young oak, about seventy or eighty years old, with four fine bushes of Mistletoe growing upon it, in Earl Somers' Park at Eastnor, near Ledbury, on the side of an old British road, at the western base of the Malvern Hills, called the "Ridgway;" but on the strictest inquiry and examination, among natural oak woods there of more than three hundred acres in extent, this was the only Oak with Mistletoe upon it, and is the only one I have ever seen.—Edwin Lees, Botanical Looker-out.
Mistletoe on the Oak.—There are now growing on an Oak-tree by the side of the drive leading to Eastnor Castle, the seat of Earl Somers, situated between this town and Ledbury, no fewer than five large bunches of Mistletoe, apparently in the greatest luxuriance. I discovered them a few days ago, on the right-hand side, about a quarter of a mile from the Deer Park gates, going down from the Malvern and Ledbury road. If those who may still be unbelievers in this matter will pay me a visit, I will direct them to the spot where it is growing.—G. Butcher, Great Malvern.
Mistletoe on Mountain Ash.—The Mountain Ash is not mentioned amongst the trees upon which it springs up spontaneously. But there is a Mountain Ash tree in a garden at Odiham, in Hampshire, on which it grows with the greatest luxuriance, without the health of the tree appearing to be impaired by it. Having only been acquainted with the place for a few years, I am unable to say whether the parasite grew spontaneously in the first instance. That which, however, appears the most curious feature of the case is, that the whole of the Mountain Ash seems to be so impregnated with Mistletoe, that wherever a bough is cut off, a swelling begins to form, upon which delicate sprays of Mistletow immediately make their appearance.—Once a Week.
Trees on which Mistletoe grows.—Dr. Harley communicated to the Linnæan Society, in his paper on the "Parasitism of the Mistletoe," the following trees upon which it grows spontaneously, or may be grafted:—Maple, Walnut, Plum, False Acacia, Cherry Laurel, Portugal Laurel, Hawthorn, Apple and Crab, Almond, Lime, Olive, Ash, Poplar, Willow, Pear, Elm, Fir, Larch, Oak, and Beech.
Alpine Plantain in Shetland.—At the last meeting of the Society of Amateur Botanists, Mr. Ralph Tate exhibited Plantago alpina, a species now recorded for the first time as British, discovered by him during his recent visit to the Shetland Islands. This alpino-boreal species is allied to P. maritima, and is a native of the Tyrolese and Savoy Alps; and is a maritime plant in Iceland and Faroe. Mr. Tate found it in great abundance on the sea-banks of Lerwick Harbour. We would direct attention to Mr. Tate's paper on the "Flora Zetlandica," in the December number of the Journal of Botany.
Natural Curiosities.—In a garden in Dorsetshire two or three rows of broad beans, having borne the usual crop, were about the be destroyed, when it was discovered that fresh plants were springing up from the old roots. A row was therefore left to see if they would come to perfection, which they did, and bore a fair crop. In a garden in Gloucestershire, there are four apple-trees which are now bearing a second crop, the blossoms having formed in July. The first crop is picked; the second is now on the old trees, the apples not having yet attained quite their full size, and it remains to be proved if they will ripen.—E. J. W.
Influence of Palms.—It must not be imagined that the spell which Palms exercise upon mankind is a matter of recent growth, due to the refinement of taste which modern civilization has wrought amongst us. On the contrary, it began to operate in antiquity. It is the true origin of that species of tree-worship which once had such a hold upon all nations of the Eastern hemisphere, which still exists in full force in parts of Asia, Africa, and Polynesia, and which survives even here in the decoration of our houses at Christmas time with Mistletoe and Holly, or wassailing our Apple-trees on Twelfth-night eve. If tree-worship had passed away without leaving any other traces, we should have little reason to be thankful for it; but we are indebted to it for two of the most noble styles of architecture which the human mind ever conceived—the Grecian and the Gothic.—Gardener's Chronicle.