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to its occurrence at the present time. Whatever may be the conditions necessary 

 for the germination and growth of the Mistletoe on the oak, they must be such as 

 rarely coincide, or it certainly would be much more common in this County. 

 Oak may be considered the weed of Herefordshire. Oak timber and Oak bark 

 form two of our chief exports. Oak woods and Oak trees border Mistletoe-abound- 

 ing orchards very generally, and the trees themselves are often mingled in very 

 close alliance : indeed it would not be too much to say, from the great abund- 

 ance of Oaks in the vicinity of orchards, that the birds must sow the Mistletoe 

 seeds upon them more frequently than upon any other kind of tree in the County. 

 Nevertheless so far as is known, there are but two instances of its growth on the 

 Oak in Herefordshire, the one in Eastnor Park, which has been so well known for 

 many years, and the other in an outlying district of the County at Tedstone 

 Delamere, discovered by Dr. Cradock in 1857. 



The occurrence of the Mistletoe on the Oak is at once so rare and so interest- 

 ing, that I have not confined myself to this County in my enquiries about it, but 

 have taken some pains to ascertain its existence, at the present time, in all the 

 instances which have been recorded as occurring in England. The following 

 instances I have been able to get well authenticated : — 



No. I. The Oak at Eastnor. — Ten days since I visited this Mistletoe- 

 bearing Oak. It is situated the left side of the drive leading from the Park up the 

 Ridgeway hill towards Malvern, about two hundred yards beyond the Lodge. 

 The Oak may be some 80 or 90 years old and the Mistletoe grows freely upon it. 

 It is most luxuriant high up in the tree where three large branches grow very near 

 each other, having in each instance destroyed the bough beyond the place where 

 it is situated. It is also'growing in four other places in the tree, one fresh yearling 

 plant shooting straight out from the main stem of the tree about twelve feet from 

 the ground. One large bunch of Mistletoe growing in a large branch many feet 

 from the main stem was dead and decaying, but without having killed the branch. 

 The Mistletoe plants are of both sexes, and the females bear berries freely. It is 

 more slender and pendulous, with smaller and thinner leaves ; or in other words, 

 it is not so stiff and rigid, and short jointed, as it usually is when growing on the 

 Apple tree. During the twelve years I have known this tree the Mistletoe has 

 increased upon it, and the Oak is already beginning to shew signs of suffering 

 severely from the parasite. Upon the large moss-covered branches it was curious 

 to observe the great number of Mistletoe seeds which had been deposited by the 

 birds. 



No. 2. The Oak atTedstone Delamere. — In 1S53, Dr. Cradock, (Principal 

 of Brazenose College) discovered the Mistletoe growing on a thriving Oak in the 

 parish of Tedstone Delamere. It had been known for some time before by a 

 woodman who kept it a secret but occasionally produced a piece of it on particular 

 occasions. The Incumbent of the Parish at this time. The Rev. Gregory 

 Smith,' M.A., has kindly sent me the following description of its present appear- 

 ance : " The Mistletoe is still growing where Dr. Cradock observed it, on an 

 Oak some 60 years old, and there it has been, according to the Woodman, for some 



