Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-01-24

toe Not Adopted by Other States.
Mistletoe gathering in Oklahoma
was recently at its height, and every
day big crates of the beautiful para
site, with its waXy berries, were ship
ped out for eastern points, especially
from the Chickasaw nation, to form
a prominent part of the Christmas dec
Grafton in homes all over the country.
1t is generally conceded that Okla
homa mistletoe is the finest to be
found anywhere in the United States,
and it is doubtful if there is any other
locality where it is SO abundant.
1t is largely on that account that
mistletoe was chosen as the floral EN-
bem Of the territory of Oklahoma and
will probably be regarded as the EN-
blem of the new state, says Il special
dispatch from Guthrie, Okla. to the
st. Louis Republic 1t had to contest
| for the honor with the passion flower
| ut the time it was chosen. and various
! other substitutes have been suggest
ed since that time. There was Sc
rious effort during OkIahoma's con
| stitutional convention to make alfalfa
! the state flower and now q movement
| has been started III favor OF the gold
, enrod.
! The opponents of the proposed
| change point out the fact that Ala
bama, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri
! Nebraska and Pennsylvania have al
ready adopted the goldenrod ant
that it is also the national floral EN-
blem. John Golobie, editor of the
Guthrie State Register, who led the
, fight for the original adoption OF the
mistletoe is strongly opposed to the
godenrod idea and wants the present
emblem retained,
"!As far as the nativity of the golden
| rod in Oklahoma is concerned ht
said, '.it came here with civilization, as
did the sunhower to Kansas. In fact
the sunflower is as native here as IL
Kansas and, to the grief of farmers
is as numerous and prolific. Why no
choose the sunflOwer, since we would
at least have to share its worship will
only one state instead of half dozen
with the United States thrown int
..It is different with the mistletoe
The mistletoe does not grow every
where and cannot be made to grow
where 1t does not choose to grow.
is native wherever it grows, There
are few places in the United States. II
|" fact. in the world. where the Whit
berried kind grows. 1t is conceded b.
scientists that the Oklahoma mistleto
is of rare quality and the finest in tn
world.
."rhe same argument used for tn
| mistletoe as the floral emblem OF Okla
homa territory holds good for the stat
of Oklahoma. The matter was al
thrashed out by the papers at ina
time The opponents of the mlstieto
nut IN the passion flower against II
Rut It was clearly shown that an I'M
norted flower with the sentimentai a.
legory attached that II sprang from
drop of blood from the pierced woun
of Christ on Calvary was not EN-
blematic of any specific quality pos
sessed by Oklahoma not possesses
elsewhere. But the mistletoe possesse
such specific qualities native to Okla
hOma or 1t wouldn't have been her
before the white man was.
.Besides the mistletoe has the ful
ther claim that it has not been adopte
by any other states, and in spite or l!
parasite growth it has appealed to ID
heart of humanity with greater af1et
ton than any other purely ornaments
fora that grows, not even the laure