384 ON I HE MISSELTOE. 



Misseltoe, are questions vvliich can only be determined by a care- 

 ful series of comparative observations. 



Witb respect to the occurrence of the Misseltoe near Ken- 

 dal, it may be observed in connexion with this inquiry, that the 

 town itself is situated on clay slate, but the mountain limestone 

 and the grauwacke formations occur in the neig^hbourhood. In 

 Bedfordshire, where, according to Dr. Abbot, Misseltoe is found 

 in abundance, the oolitic and cornbrash limestones are the prevail- 

 ing formations; while in Wiltshire, and Dorsetshire, wliere it is 

 said to grow on the oak, chalk and the more recent sedimentary 

 deposits constitute the geological character of the country. 



But if there is considerable difficulty in accounting for the 

 prevalence of this shrub in some localities, and its absence from 

 others, there is no less obscurity attending its capricious selection 

 of the trees upon which it forms its habitat. Thus as we have 

 before remarked, it has not been noticed upon the oak within the 

 limits of tlie county of Worcester; whereas in some of the south- 

 ern counties, though not common upon this tree, it must yet be of 

 comparatively frequent occurrence. JNIr. Lees has remarked that 

 it is not usually found on more than one species of a genus ; thus, 

 it grows on the black poplar, Populus nigra, abundantly, but it 

 lias not been observed either on the aspen, P. tremula, or on the 

 white poplar or abele, P. alba. Again, the apple orchards of 

 Worcestershire and Herefordshire abound with it, but, according 

 to the observations of Mr. Lees, it is not found upon the pear. 

 Ray, liovvever, states that the Misseltoe grows upon the pear,* 

 and he was too accurate an observer to be mistaken, but it must 

 be very unfrequent on this tree, as from tlie vast number of pear 

 trees in Worcestershire, and the extensive acquaintance of Mr. 

 Lees with the natural productions of this county, it is scarcely- 

 possible but that he must have detected the plant upon this tree had 

 it existed within the range of his inquiries. The experience of 

 the authors of this communication is confirmatory of the remark 

 made by Mr. Lees, as they have never yet noticed the Misseltoe 

 growing upon the pear. 



The mode of propagation of the Misseltoe was long a subject of 

 controversy. It was formerly considered to be an excrescence 

 from the tree on which it grew, and consequently produced with- 

 out seed.f In these days, however, we are in no danger of being 

 led astray by the idea that it is a spontaneous production. The 

 fact of its propagation from seed has been long established by con- 

 clusive experiments. Seeds inserted in the bark of the white pop- 

 lar have germinated, and produced the plant; and in some 

 experiments made in a garden at Knaresborough, by Mr, Collins, 

 large plants were obtained upon dwarf apple trees by rubbing the 

 full ripe berries upon the smooth bark of the shoots. By this 

 process, vt hich may be performed upon the smooth bark of almost 



* Rail, Sjn. p. 464. f Evelyn's Silva, by Hunt. v. 1. p. 9. 



