Botany of the Borders. 407 
The question regarding the species of thistle regarded as 
the national emblem of Old Scotland, is discussed at some 
length. In the absence of positive proof, plausible conjec- 
ture favours Cardus Marianus. Be that as it may, the thistle 
only replaced the figure of St Giles, which formerly was bla- 
zoned on her standards, about the middle of the 15th cen- 
tury. 
We have several pleasing notices of the application of va- 
‘ rious plants to different purposes connected with domestic 
and rural economy, several of which throw a curious and 
‘instructive light on the history of the past. The broom, as an 
important forage plant for sheep in winter, is the subject of 
many parliamentary statutes. The burning of heath, to 
obtain sweeter herbage, was put under legal restrictions in 
1401. In 1364, the vicar of Norham took tithe of thistles, 
and ‘‘ bramble-berries of the larger sort.” In the charter 
for holding St Boswell’s fair, it is expressly provided that 
thistles shall be exempt from custom; and about a cen- 
tury ago, the chief employment of the farm-servants during 
summer was to pull thistles in the corn-fields, for the double 
purpose of improving the crops, and for feeding the horses ; 
nay more, such was the importance of thistles as fodder, 
that there is at least one instance on record of a prosecution 
being raised by one farmer against his neighbour for stealing 
thistles. Such notices are powerfully significant of the 
wretched state of agriculture in those days. Previous to the 
extensive use of iron in the construction of agricultural im- 
plements, the wood of the ash was very valuable for all 
country purposes; and such was the scarcity of timber in 
the south of Scotland, after the desolating wars of the days 
of Wallace and Bruce, that the Scottish parliament ordained 
that a certain number of ash trees, in proportion to the num- 
ber of ploughs employed on each farm, should be planted 
around each homestead. After the consolidation of many 
small farms, and the consequent destruction of their home- 
steads, a few venerable ash trees were often the sole memo- 
rials of the extinguished hearths. And by way of contrast, 
it may be stated that in Gloucestershire the snowdrop marks 
the site of the cottage garden ; whilst a bright green, grassy 
