WHITE-THORN. 155 



flowers in January or February, and in favourable 

 seasons and situations, as early as Christmas. Gilpin 

 mentions that " one of its progeny, which grew in 

 the gardens at Bulstrode, had its flower-buds per- 

 fectly formed so early as the 21st December." In 

 the arboretum at the Royal Gardens, Kew, a similar 

 thorn flowers at the same season. The belief that 

 certain trees put forth their flowers on Christmas- 

 day, was not confined to the Glastonbury thorn. In 

 the JVew Forest, at Cadenham, near Lyndhurst, an 

 oak used to bud about that period; but the people, 

 for two centuries, believed that it never budded all 

 the year, except on Old Christmas-day. The super- 

 stition was destroyed by careful investigation; and 

 the circumstance is thus recorded in the Salisbury 

 newspaper of January 10,1786: " Inconsequence 

 of a report that has prevailed in this county for up- 

 wards of two centuries, and which, by many, has 

 been considered as a matter of faith, that the oak at 

 Cadenham, in the New Forest, shoots forth leaves 

 on every Old Christmas-day, and that no leaf is ever 

 to be seen on it either before or after that day, during 

 the winter, a lady, who is now on a visit in this city, 

 and who is attentively curious in every thing relative 

 to art or nature, made a journey to Cadenham, on 

 Monday the 3d instant, purposely fo inquire on the 

 spot, about the production of this famous tree. On 

 her arrival near it, the usual guide was ready to 

 attend her; but, on his being desired to climb the 

 oak, and to search whether there were any leaves 

 then on it, he said it would be to no purpose; but 

 that if she would come on the Wednesday following, 

 (Christmas day,) she might certainly see thousands. 

 However, he was prevailed upon to ascend, and on the 

 first branch which he gathered appeared several fair 

 new leaves, fresh sprouted from the buds, and nearly 

 an inch and a half in length. It may be imagined 

 that the guide was more amazed at this premature 



