other hand, evil-smelling trees, like the elder, were carefully cleaned
away from fruit-trees, lest they should become tainted. [4] Further
superstitions have been incidentally alluded to throughout the present
volume, necessarily associated as they are with most sections of plant
folk-lore. It should also be noticed that in the various folk-tales which
have been collected together in recent years, many curious plant
superstitions are introduced, although, to suit the surroundings of the
story, they have only too frequently been modified, or the reverse. At the
same time, embellishments of the kind are interesting, as showing how
familiar these traditionary beliefs were in olden times to the story-teller,
and how ready he was to avail himself of them.
Footnotes:
- See Baring-Gerald's "Curious Myths of the Middle Ages." 2. Ingram's "Florica
Symbolica," p. 326. - Stewart's "Popular Superstitions of the Highlanders." 4. See Ellacombe's "Plant-
lore of Shakespeare,"
p. 319.