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PERSONALITY OF PLANTS<br />
tain English counties, children <strong>of</strong> today will not<br />
pick Blackberries after a certain date, believing<br />
that the Evil One has trampled them and made<br />
them poisonous to humans. German peasants,<br />
without batting an eye, will tell you that the<br />
devil, in one form or another, has the regular<br />
habit <strong>of</strong> stealing portions <strong>of</strong> their crops.<br />
Of <strong>plants</strong> that are dedicated to Satan, or<br />
more properly, which he has appropriated,<br />
there are many hundreds. Toadstools, because<br />
<strong>of</strong> their miraculously fast growth and fantastic<br />
shape, have always been associated with the<br />
kingdom <strong>of</strong> evil. It is not quite so apparent why<br />
other more beautiful <strong>plants</strong> are also handed<br />
over to Satan, though a reason can usually be<br />
found. The most alluring and gorgeous flowers<br />
are quite apt to be poisonous.<br />
In old Bohemia, the Belladonna was a favourite<br />
<strong>of</strong> the devil. He could be enticed from<br />
it on Walpurgis Night by letting loose a black<br />
hen, after which he ran. In Russia, people shun<br />
the Sow-Thistle as a devil-plant. Some Germans<br />
believe that evil spirits lurk in Lettuce<br />
beds. To the same people, the Herban is the<br />
"Devil's Eye." Many nationalities are quite<br />
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