Mr. Eisele speaks of " this miserable parasite," as if it were to be dreaded here as in the apple orchards of the old world. It has been on a hackberry tree on my grounds, for more than twenty-five years, has not spread to any other tree that I know of, and has even confined itself closely to the branches where it first began. I should, indeed, be sorry to have it removed, as it is one of the interesting plants in my collection. I really intend its propagation, for sale as an ornamental plant, well becoming many grounds. How tastes vary !

During the winter, 1864-65, in Lavaca Co., Texas, I came across a grove of what we call Black Jack (a variety of oak), that I think had mistletoe on quite every tree for several acres. I have been in Southern Texas for thirty-five years, have traveled considerably over it, and this was the only considerable patch I have yet seen, although there are scattering individual samples all over the region - mostly upon Black Jack and hack-berry trees. I have seen it once or twice on Post oak, but probably never on Live oak.

There was much about this great collection of mistletoe, that would have interested almost any observer. The fruit of some was of a dull white, of others a waxy white, of others a clear pearl white. The berries of some were as opaque as wax balls, some were so nearly transparent that the seeds were quite as plainly visible as if they were not really enclosed at all, and there was in the fruit of the thousands of different plants, almost every degree of transparency. In one or two instances, the berries were pyriform. There were also many different sizes in both fruit and foliage, in this general collection.

Making allowances for the possibly different stages of maturity, and the differing vigor of the plants, I could not reconcile the variety of appearance with the idea of only one variety of the mistletoe. It seemed to me that these differences in the specimens justified a conclusion that this parasite varied quite as freely as many fruits and flowers. Nursery, Texas, July, 1886.

[The facts contributed by our correspondent show how much there is to be learnt about even the commonest things. We are quite sure others in the regions where mistletoe grows, could furnish much that would still be new in relation to this curious plant. It seems almost certain from what has been already brought out by correspondence in our magazine, that the mistletoe has no special favoritism for any plant; and yet there are localities where it is found on a plant which it seems to avoid in others. And the explanation of this seems to be, that it is the circumstances that exist at the time of the maturity or germination of the seed, as they may affect distribution or germination that accounts for these differences. More facts, as to the host plants of the mistletoe in different localities are needed, however, before these and other questions are definitely determined. It would certainly be worth noting whether it has has ever been known to grow on the Live oak. No doubt it does in some localities. - Ed. G. M].