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THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



I November, 



are often tastefully arranged in the pretty poetical 

 garlands of these lovers of song. And the once 

 popular ballad, "The Mistletoe Bough," which 

 many gentle readers, no doubt, still remember 

 how it conspicuously figured in the pleasant 

 picture the poet gives of a Christmas holiday in 

 the days of yore. And thus he sings; 



"The mistletoe liung in the old castle hali, 

 And the holly branch shcjne on the old oak wall ; 

 While the baron's retainers were blithe and gay, 

 Keeping their Christmas holliday ;" &c. 



It would occupy too much space to quote but a 

 few of the many poetical allusions to the Holly. 

 So the following must suffice, written in the reign 

 of Henry VI. The ivy being dedicated to 

 Bacchus, was often hung outside the door, as a 

 Vintner's sign in winter, while " Holy" (or Holly) 

 "stond in the halle." 



" Nay. Ivy, nay. it sh.tU not be I wys ; 



Let Holy hate the niaystry, as the nianer ys. 



Holy stond in the halle, layre to behold ; 



Ivy stond without the dore ; she ys full sore a cold. 



"Holy and hys mery men they dawnsyn and thev svng, 

 Ivy and bur m,aydenys thev wepvn anil they wryng! 

 Ivy hath a lybe ; she laghtit with ihe cold, 

 So mot they all hate that wyth Ivy hold. 



*'Holy hath berys as red as any Rose, 



They foster the hunters, keep hem from the doo. 



Ivy hath- berys as black .as any slo ; 



Ther com the oule and ete hym as she goo, 



"Holy haih bynlys. atnl fayre fok. 



The Kyghtyngale, the Popyngy. the gayntyl Lavyrok. 



Good Ivy ! what liyrdys ast thou ! 



Hon but the Howlet that ' How ! How I' " 



Evelyn speaks of "stout walls of Holly, 20 

 feet high," which are common in England at the 

 present time. As a hedge plant, both orna- 

 mental and useful, it has no superior. And many 

 readers will remember seeing the handsome neatly- 

 clipped hedges of 1. Cassine, 1. Dahoon, and 1. 

 opaca, about the better class of houses in the 

 Southern States. And I see no reason why the 

 last-named kind should not be used for similar 

 purposes elsewhere. To form a beautiful or de- 

 fensive hedge, living green screen, or wind break, 

 it is much better adapted than are many things 

 often so used. And for ihe pretty native birds, ii 

 makes a snug warm retreat during winter. 



1 am sorry I cannot refer to any fine specimens 

 hereabouts, where 1 naturally look for them. The 

 largest trees are often shamefully hacked and 

 senselessly mutilated ; which makes one think the 

 foolish ones have an antipathy for them. The 

 most magnificent old Hollies I ever saw, are still 

 growing in Needwood forest, England, where for 

 more than a thousand years they have stood the 

 storm, and, the last lime I saw them, they still 

 seemed good for a thousand more. 



Mount Holly. N. J., August zgth, 18S5. 



LOCAL NAMES OF PLANTS. 

 BY MRS. FANNV E. BRIGGS. 



One of the first flowers I remember was the 

 Lychnis Chalcedonica, Scarlet Lychnis, called in 

 New England "Prince's Pride." In the West it 

 is called " Bleed-hearts" and " Fire-ball." Chrys- 

 anthemums (C. Indica) were called " Fortune 

 Plants." Tanacetum Balsamatea was " Patagon- 

 ianMint," in New England ; at the West " Rose- 

 mary" and "Sweet Mary." One of the first house 

 plants I remember was Saxafraga sarmentosa, and 

 was called in New England " Strawberry Geran- 

 ium," from the similarity of habit. In California 

 this plant is " Beefsteak Geranium," and in Oregon 

 simply " Beefsteak." In California this latter 

 name was given to the beautiful Painted Cup 

 (Castilleja coccinea). A beautiful Calochortus is 

 called in California "Indian Potato;" in Oregon, 

 " Cat's ear Lily." It is bright yellow, with densely 

 bearded petals — the " cat's ears," I suppose. 



In Pennsylvania and in the Western States gen- 

 erally, the low growing native Phlo.\es are known 

 as "Wild Sweet Williams." Balsams are "Touch- 

 me-nots," from the seed-pods. Asters are " Fall 

 roses." Bachelor's buttons (Centaurea Cyanus) 

 are known as " French Pinks," while the Globe 

 Amaranth is " Bachelor's button," " French 

 Clover," and "Winter Clover." Ixia Chinensis 

 is " Blackberry Lily," — a good name. 



The old single Zinnias are called in Iowa "Youth 

 and Old Age," a very good name, as the flowers 

 do not wither or drop their petals, but stand a long 

 time unchanged, except the fading color. The 

 Molucca Balm, or shell-flower, was called "Shaker 

 bonnets." Nicandra physalioides was " Bluebells" 

 in New England ; Mertensia Virginica are " Blue 

 Gentians" at the West. 



Many plants are called Mies ; Irises, Erythro- 

 niums, and Trilliums are so called. In this region 

 all kinds of Narcissus are known as " Easter 

 Flowers. " Polemonium cerulea is " Jacob's 

 Ladder;" Myosotis, "Blue-eyed Mary." Our 

 " Barberry " is a tree with small white flowers and 

 black berries, with hard bony seeds. It is also 

 called " Hear berry " from the fondness of that ani- 

 mal for the berries. [Rhamnus Purshianus.— Ed.] 



Polypodium falcatum is known here as "Wild 

 Licorice " and used in medicine like the true 

 licorice. Lomaria Spicant is known as " Deer 

 Fern." Sometimes the nurserymen are caught 

 napping. A friend in Iowa had " Rose of Circas- 

 sia " picsented by a prominent dealer. It proved 

 to be Rose Acacia ; and a traveling agent in the 

 same State, reading the names of the impossible 



