Welsh Journals

106 BYE-GONES. Dec, 1872. Oswestry Advertizer, Dec. 4, 1872. NOTES. FOLK-LORE—TREES AND PLANTS.—To the Bird Folk-lore contributed by Ffraid, the f Dllowing con¬ nected with the vegetable world have been collected on the Borders:—The Maple is the subject of a riddle : it is said to be the warmest tree in the wood, and the coldest of trees on the fire, and that a Pentewyn (fire brand) of this wood will contain fire for twelve mon'hs. I'he Fern is said to have t e initial letters of our Lord in its root.* The Daisy is the harbinger of spring. " If you can put your foot on three blossoms at once then is the winter passed and gone." The farm labourer's heart leaps with joy as he presses these flowers with his foot, for the season is now in his favour, bringing with it long days and advance of hire. The Mountain Ash is believed to have been the tree on which our Saviour was crucified; supernaturHl powers are therefore supposed to remain in this tree : its berries make a drink of great medioinal virtue. A small band or ring made of the younger shoots, if placed under the churn or dairy vessels, not only facilitates dairy opera¬ tions, but also is effectual m preventing witchcraft, an evil milk is very subject to. A portion of the inner or white bark of the tree was very effectual in keeping danger and evil spirits away. Any person traveling after night was not only doing as bis forefathers did, but was acting rightly and advisedly if he took the precaution of having this safeguard about his person. Bodies carried for interment were rested under the shadow of this tree. (See Mo\t : Coll : vol iv.. page 131.) The Feithinen, or Bard's wooden book, was made of the Mountain Ash ; the Cowydd, or elegy, being cut on the staves of the Peitkinen in the ancient angular letters of Coelbren y Beirdd. The B azle*, or nut tree, was the favourite wood for walk¬ ing sticks, and especially so was one from the neighbour¬ hood of Dolgellau (the meadow of the Bazle dell). A Ffon o Gytt y GemVwyd (a staff from the Ganllwyd Hazles) was quite an heirioom and often formed a parting gift from friend to fiiend. A person having lost his or her lover through the succes-ful suit of a more favoured rival was piesented with a small Hazl° stick, having the bark cleanly taken off and well decorated with white ribbons. Bhoi ffon wen t'r un a gollodd ei gariad (to give a white stick to the one who had lost a sweetheart) became quite a rule to be observed, and the phrase a significant proverb. A double nut was much coveted and valued Abundance of nuts denotes the birth of many children during the year. The Yew Tree, although growing in burying grounds generally, is never used for dressing the graves on Easter Sunday ; friends of the dead being very averse to the use of it. No reason is assigned. Thb Box is invariably used to decorate the graves. The Primrose having six petals was much looked for by young ladies, and when found, one would pluck it with her left hand and carefully place it near her heart, and the initial letters of the name of the first person she met would be the initial letters of her future husband. The Ash L^af having equal leaves each side the petiole, was considered equally sure as a fortune teller; on plucking the leaf it was usual to recite the following doggrel:— Fforch onen, ffbrch o en Fforch onen r'wy'n ei dori Ac yn fy mrest r'wy'n ei rhoddi. A'r cyntaf gyfarfyddai f» ngwr i a fydd. Forked ash leaf, forked ash leaf. I'll pluck the forked leaf from the ash tree- Near my heart will I place thee, And the omen snail be, That the first I shall meet My sweetheart hell be. A Pea Pod having nine peas in it was used for pur¬ poses of foretelling future events, more especially in love matters, the pod being placed ahove the door and the first person passing undcneath would bear the same name as the future pai tner of the enquiring one. If the pod were thrown out through the window at nine o'clock at night, the lady's future husband would pass under that window at the same time. It was not considered safe to eat boiled dry peas before Lent, as they would choke the person partaking of them. The Four-leaved Clover is much sought, and when found is hivhly valued, more on account of its rarity than otherwise. The Bitch was the tree from which sprigs were taken to form a wreath to decorate the brows of the successful bard for his love song. The last poet to my knowledge who was thus honoured with the Cae bedw (birchen wreath) was our friend Ceibiog, when he carried the palm Bedw— with his love song, " Myfanwy Fychan," at the Great Eisteddfod held at Llangollen, 1858. But I must not forget that Ceiriog's cae bedw was of silver, and not of the natural sprigs. Where Strawberries abound many ser¬ pents are to be seen. As we have it in the Welsh proverb; "Ami y mefus ami y neidr." LlysiauW Owenyn are essential in the cultuie of bees ; for ere the swarm is hived, the hee hive should he properly dressed with these leaves. The Eye Grass is appealed to by the lads to know if there is " Good luck or bad luck" awaiting them, or if there is chastisement in store. The rye grass in seed is taken, and as you pass up the seeds from one to the other, " Good luck—bad luck" is repeated alternately, as each seed is passed; whilst the offender, being Welsh, asks each alternate seed, " a'i dtrwg? ca i ddim?" in the hopes that the last seed will respond '* Ca i ddim !" The Holly is in great demand at Christmas time for the decorating of dwelling houses and churches. The last in bed on the morning of St. Stephen's-day was beaten therefrom with a bunch of holly, nnd the title of Tapster was at the same time given to the sluggard; and during the remainder of the year he had to do the biddings of the wnole family ! Holly will not grow, pa being transplanted, unless it is so planted that it shall present the same side sunwards as when it first grew ere it was removed. The Rosemary hursts into blossom on the morning of Christmas Day. The Misletoe ig well known, as also the custom of "kissing under the bough." The vulgar swain believes he may kiss the highest lady in the land under the misletoe bough, without fear of either pain or penalty of law. The Gorse has a common saying attached to it, that— Kissing is in favour When the Gorse is in flower. Turnips are not considered wholesome in the Spring; or, as the Welsh have it— "Maip y Gwanwyn yn waeth na gwenwvn." * It is a'so said of the Fern that if you cut its root you will see the figure of the ak tree in which King Charles IL sheltered.—Ed. Bye-gones. (To be continued.) CURRENT NOTES. The Marquis ef Londonderry died on Monday, Novem¬ ber 25th, at St. Leonard's, in his sixty-eigth year. His lordship was a junior Lord of the Admiralty in 1828, and afterwards Vice-Chamberlain to William IV. in 1834. He was appointed lord-lieutenant of the County Down in 1845, but was compelled by mental malady to relinquish that post in 1864. The Marquisate and the other Irish and English honours devolve on his half brother, Earl Vane, the Earldom of Vane being a title conferred upon his father in 1823, with a special remainder in favour of the issue of his second wife, Lady Frances Anne Vane-Tempest,