COUNTRY LIFE
THOSE who adorn their Christmas with mistletoe (viscum) may be advised to look a little way into the botany of this queer shrub, which is unique in habit, though there are a number of varieties in the genus. It has many of the qualities of a bush growing in the ordinary way— flowers of two sexes, greener leaves than a parasite should have, and bark that is in some sort sham. The almost diaphanous fruit-case encloses a single seed, usually fertile. It seems to be a little particular about geography, totally avoiding, I believe, Ireland and Scotland, and preferring the western and southern parts of England. It is an amusing curiosity to have in the garden ; and more English gardeners might amuse themselves by transferring the sticky seeds to slits on the underside of branches of various trees. The great sowers are said to be thrushes, but is it true that this fotidness gave its name to the mistle-thrush ? Its popu- larity (of which the origin is hard to trace) seems to increase. The im- ports this year were immense. We might, perhaps, use gorse in its place. This is today in very full flower ; and was it not said that " gorse is out of blossom when kissing is out of fashion."?
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