In your Gardeners' Monthly for October, Mr. Eisele speaks of the miserable parasite, the mistletoe." It deserves no such appellation, for it is a very pretty plant and quite interesting. The true mistletoe of England, Viscum albas, grows sparingly anywhere. I have seen it on the apple tree, but it is mostly found on the White English Oak, and sometimes on other trees. So interesting was it considered in London,.in 1839 to 1841, when I left there, that they were cultivating it as a weeping plant, and it could be found on sale at every good nursery.

Our American mistletoe is the Phoradendron flavesens; looks very like its relative. It grows plentifully along the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada on the Evergreen Oak. Within six miles of Sacramento, at Oak Grove Tavern, you will see acres of Evergreen Oak, that are heavily loaded with it; and I can assure you, I would give much to have one of them growing in my garden.

I used to wonder what attraction these parasites had for the yellow-billed Magpie, Pica Nuttallii.

They are always found in abundance where the mistletoe grows. It may be that they are after the large acorns of the oak. Milwaukee, Wis.