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THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURlSi 



parasite, and when its seed has once found 

 a congenial home in the bark of a tree it 

 drives its roots deep into the wood, from 

 whence it draws its nourishment. The mys- 

 terious origin of the mistletoe was perhaps 

 one cause for the religious veneration in 

 which it was held by the ancients who seem 

 to have regarded it as a sort of Melchisedick 

 among plants. Another reason why it has 

 received such a marked degree of honor 's 

 its parasitical manner of growth, which was 

 in primitive times ascribed to the interven- 

 tion of the gods, for its seed was said to be 

 deposited on certain trees by birds, the mes- 

 sengers of the gods, if not by the gods them- 

 selves in disguise. When found growing 

 on the oak its presence was attributed 

 specially to the gods, and as such was 

 treated with the deepest reverence. 



The ancient Druids regarded the mistle- 

 toe, when growing on an oak tree, as sacred, 

 and the gathering of it was a most import- 

 ant ceremony with them. Five days after 

 the new moon they went in stately proces- 

 sion to the forest and raised an altar of grass 

 beneath the finest mistletoe bearing oak they 

 could find. The Arch Druid, clad in a white 

 robe, ascended the tree, and with a golden 

 sickle cuts the mistletoe, which was caught 

 in a white cloth held by four priests, for it"? 

 efficacy, it was held, would be injured if it 

 touched the earth. Two white bulls that 

 never had a yoke on them, were sacrificed 

 amid many religious ceremonies and feasts. 

 When the Druidical religion was overthrown 

 the church tried in vain to set aside the mis- 

 tletoe as a gross heathen superstition, but 

 the edicts of emperors and the canons of 

 councils were unable to put it down. 



The Scandinavians dedicated the mistle- 

 toe to Freya, their goddess of love and 

 beauty, but it is curious to note that by the 

 Romans it was held sacred to Proserpina, 

 her doves it was that guided ^neas to the 

 tree wherein grew the golden bough differ- 

 ent from the tree itself. Although the mis- 



tletoe in these legends is associated wit^ 

 both love and death, and later stories do so 

 also as we find in the old song, " The Mis- 

 tletoe Bough," still it is as being sacred to 

 Freya, the goddess of love, that the mistle- 

 toe will be most remembered, especially 

 among lovers to whom its sentimental asso- 

 ciations will far outweigh any amount of 

 antiquarion lore. 



Freya from whom flows every bliss, 

 The winning smile, the melting kiss. 



Hence arose the custom (proper or im- 

 proper to Christmas) of suspending the 

 mistletoe in halls and kitchens with the privi- 

 lege that custom confers. The mistletoe 

 had been used in the decoration of churches, 

 but the associations connected with it were 

 not in keeping with a sacred edifice, so in 

 the course of time they were left out. What, 

 however, may not be quite proper for a 



Winter Protection of Vines. 



In our northern latitudes protection for bushes and vines is a 

 necessity and amply repays for what trouble may be taken to insure 

 bushes going through the cold winter successfully. This may be 

 done with straw, leaves, hay, pine or cedar boughs, corn stalks -or 

 any thing of such description. Do not cover the bushes or beds 

 until winter has fairly set in. If covered too early, they will be in 

 danger of sweating and injury. Always see the material used for 

 covering is perfectly dry and so placed as to admit of free air. 



church may be proper in another place. 

 Even to the present day the idea of a kiss 

 under the mistletoe bough has not quite lost 

 its ancient mystic meaning, and we see no 

 reason why 1900 years after the extinction 

 of Druidism we should not set aside and for- 

 get the heathen origin of the custom, and 



