342 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[November, 



a great number of water oaks, and the mistletoe is 

 the chief enemy, ahnost destroying the tree and 

 greatly weakening its natural growth from the 

 great numbers of plants on the limbs. During 

 the winter, when the oak leaves have fallen, some 

 of these trees have the appearance of being ever- 

 greens, from the green leaves of the parasite. I 

 have seen the same thing in the low country of 



this State ; sometimes also on other oaks, but 

 most generally preferring the water oak. It is 

 often seen also on persimmon and tupelo, but I can- 

 not recollect ever having seen the mistletoe on 

 any coniferous tree." 



[The mistletoe has been found in some instances 

 on the Scotch pine in the north of Europe. — 

 Ed. G. M.] 



Literature,, Travels and Personal Notes. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



GOOD WORDS FOR THE PRINOS AND 

 HOLLY. 



BY WM. T. HARDING. 



Irving, in his love of nature, thus alludes to " the 

 holly providently planted about the house, to 

 cheat winter of its dreariness, and to throw in a 

 semblance of green summer." 



It was during the month of March, 1676, while 

 the adventurous and hardy colonists were "sub- 

 duing the wilderness of North America," that the 

 unprincipled and prodigal fellow, Charles II, "by 

 the grace of God (?)" was king; — And who from 

 his flagrant profligacy, the chroniclers of his day 

 dubbed the "Merry Monarch,"- — pompously speaks 

 of " our province of Nova Cesaria or New Jer- 

 sey." And within the boundaries of the aforesaid 

 State, at that early period, the leafy primeval 

 spot among the pines, " and other sombre bos- 

 cage," now known as Mount Holly, wasthen recog- 

 nized by the good folks thereabouts as Bridge 

 Town, and according to the natural fitness of 

 things — when they " called a spade a spade " — 

 was properly so called, from the number of bridges 

 required to cross the circuitous Rancocas creek_ 

 which with many angles and singular sinuosities, 

 seems to curve, twist, and turn most crookedly 

 about the town, in its devious wanderings to find 

 a way out. 



From analogy, or, " what's in a name ?" one 

 would naturally expect to find some fair sized 

 Holly trees. Ilex opaca, growing on the closely 

 wooded " Mount," which majestically rises um- 

 brageously above the highly cultivated farms and 

 gardens which picturesquely diversify the Imd- 

 scape of the surrounding level country, and from 

 which the pleasant town of Mount Holly is, or 

 was, appropriately named. But disappointment 



awaits the man, however diligently he searches, 

 who expects to discover any with larger stems 

 than a few inches in diameter. That ubiquitous 

 person, the oldest inhabitant, says, " there used to 

 be some good sized trees of that kind, thereabouts, 

 when he was a boy ; which have since then been 

 wantonly destroyed." Yet, in the woods border- 

 ing on the town, which unhappily, I regret to say, 

 are now fast falling before the merciless strokes of 

 the wood-cutter's axe, may be found a few "exam- 

 ples of about from forty to fifty feet high, and from 

 twenty-four to thirty inches in circumference. But 

 by far the most handsome and portly tree I have 

 seen anywhere in the neighborhood, measures 

 three feet ten inches in girth, with a rather uniform 

 head, which rises from a clean, straight stem eight 

 feet high, and then branches off some twenty feet 

 above. 



As an old admirer of Hollies, I am prone to 

 speak in their favor, and by so doing, if possible, 

 rescue them from the neglect and obscurity to 

 which they seem to have been so long consigned. 

 And as the Prinos and Holly are in the same 

 natural order, Aquifoliacae, and like " The two 

 Dromios," bear a strong family resemblance to 

 each other, it would seem but proper to group 

 them together. 



When residing in the South, in ante-bellum times, 

 the writer made a collection of the various kinds 

 of Hollies and Prinos, which are readily found in 

 the woods in that region ; and, which when 

 planted in the ornamental grounds, proved very 

 interesting to all who had an eye for beauty. Ilex 

 angustifolia, I. Dahoon, with I. Cassine, are as 

 handsome low growing shrubs as are to be found 

 in this country. And if well protected with other 

 evergreens of more robust habit, might be made 

 to contribute to the beauty of the lawn and shrub- 

 I bery in colder sections than they are usually seen. 



