The Western
30th July, 1934
Of the many plants gathered midsummer eve and included in the bonfire garland, bracken was one. Many fancied that fern seed could only be seen on St. John Eve, and this superstition increased into a fancy, that if the seed was seen and gathered by spreading a cloth under the fern to catch it as it fell, as the clock struck twelve the person who held it would be invisible.
In parts of Devon and Cornwall, it was believed that the lucky possessor was also gifted with the powers of seeing treasures in the earth, beneath his feet, and of opening any lock or bolt. Whilst money amongst which the magic seed was placed would never diminish. The Cornish miner believed that it was under the special care and protection of the Queen of the Little People.
