52 



FAMILIAR GARDEN FIOWESS. 



In Lower Saxony the young girls gather sprigs of St. 

 John's wort on the eve of St. John, and secretly suspend 

 them on the walls of their chamljers, with certain mys- 

 terious ceremonies. The state of the plant on the fol- 

 lowing morning indicates their future fate. If fresh and 

 undrooping, it foretells a prosjserous marriage; if fading 

 and dying, the reverse. The plant is influenced by the 

 condition in which it is placed, and those who have damp 

 walls are the more likely to have prosperous marriages 

 than tho^e whose walls are as dry as they should be- 

 There is wisdom in this ; the sooner the former are mar- 

 ried and comfortably housed, the safer are they from 

 attacks of rheumatism. There is a pretty German legend 

 of this superstition, the first six lines of which indicate its 

 tone : — 



" The young maid stole througli the cottage door, 

 And blushed as she sought the plant of power. 

 ' Thou silver glow-worm, oh, lend me thy light ; 

 I must gather the mystic St. John's wort to-night : 

 The wonderful herb whose leaf will decide 

 If the coming year shall make nre a bride.' " 



