142 TRE ASS0CIA.T10RS OF FLOWERS 
deemed so great a wonder that our merchants annually 
exported its blossoms into foreign countries, for the bene- 
fit of the curious. 'I'he original tree of the Abbey garden 
was partly cut down in the reign of Elizabeth by the 
Puritans, who, in their pious zeal to clear away the super- 
stitions of the land, were too prone to destroy anything, 
however valuable, to which a legend was attached. The 
other part was cut down during the Great Rebellion. At 
that time, however, a number of plants derived from the 
original stock were in existence. 
It is now well known that the Glastonbury hawthorn is 
not regular in the day of putting forth its blossoms ; and 
although it flowers in December, January, or February, 
this occurs as often in the last as in the first-named month. 
Cuttings taken from this thorn have retained their pecu- 
liarity of bearing blossoms in winter; and a hawthorn in 
the arboretum of Kew gardens is often covered with its 
white clusters while the snow surrounds it. 
The hawthorn belongs to the rose order, Rosacese; and 
anyone who examines the flower of the briar rose, will 
see that there is a great family likeness in all the plants 
composing it. This likeness is lost in the double rose of 
the garden, because its whole form is completely altered 
by culture. None of the rose tribe are found in the 
southern hemisphere. The beautiful white or pink blos- 
soms of this order, covering the orchard and garden trees, 
form the most prominent natural characteristic of the 
lovely spring. They begin with the almond-tree, which, 
long before the trees in general have put forth their leaves, 
is covered with a profusion of flowers, and are succeeded 
by the peach, and the various blossoms of gardens and 
orchards. In the cherry counties, as well as in those in 
which apples are cultivated for cider, few more beautiful 
objects in spring than the fruit orchards present them- 
selves to the traveller. Evelyn, while warmly recommend- 
ing the use of cider instead of the more recently introduced 
beverage of beer, thus remarks : “ Not to refine upon the 
rare effects of cider, which is, above all, the most eminent, 
soberly to exhilarate the spirits of us hypochondriacal 
Islanders, and by a specific quality to chase away that 
unsociable spleen without excesse; the very blossome of 
the fruit perfumes and purifies the ambient air, which (as 
