70 THE WOOD. 



and so transfer the seeds from themselves to the 

 trees. They adhere, by the means of the viscid 

 substance enveloping them, till the season of ger- 

 mination ; when there appears, rising through the 

 covering of the seed, a kind of rootlet which bends 

 down till it reaches the bark; it then swells out 

 like the extremity of the sucker of a house-fly, 

 and finally buries itself in the bark of the tree. 

 Leaves soon appear at the opposite extremity ; the 

 roots in the mean time having penetrated the bark, 

 and extending themselves between it and the soft 

 wood. New wood is formed by the tree overlying 

 the roots of the parasite, which thus become em- 

 bedded in its substance, and occasionally send up 

 suckers at some distance from the place where the 

 seed was deposited, much in the same way that 

 common trees multiply themselves. The Misletoe 

 is by no means a harmless visitor to the tree in 

 which it takes root; for, by robbing the branch 

 of its sap, it weakens and sometimes destroys it. 

 Hence, when it makes its appearance in orchards, 

 it is generally eradicated by careful farmers before 

 it has attained any considerable size. It grows 

 more frequently on the Apple than on any other 

 tree, but is sometimes found on the Poplar, Lime, 

 &c. It is most rare on the Oak ; and it was, when 

 found a parasite on this " Lord of the woods," 

 that it was held in such great veneration by the 

 Druids. You will find no difficulty in making 

 the seeds grow, if you rub the ripe berries against 

 the smooth bark of an Apple-tree in the winter, 

 or early in the spring. But take care that you do 

 not sow too extensively, unless the trees are your 

 own ; for, however anxious you may be to satisfy 

 your curiosity, you will receive but poor thanks 



