6 JANUARY 1950, Page 22

Irish Mistletoe

SIR,—The mistletoe is not so particular about geography as Sir William Beach Thomas implies in his evergreen Country Life, in the Spectator of December 23rd. There he states that he believes that the shrub totally avoids Ireland and Scotland. In the orchard of my old home n south County Meath, less than thirty miles from Dublin, there flourished some thirty years ago a mistletoe, with an apple tree as host, and although the occupants of the house have changed twice since then I have no reason to doubt that the thrushtwig still occupies its honoured

place.—Yours truly,

44 Fitzwilliant Square, Dublin. CYRIL MURPHY.