12. Lentiscus (a very beautiful evergreen) refuses not our climate, protected with a little shelter, amongst other exposed shrubs, by suckers and layers: It is certainly an extraordinary astringent and dryer, applicable in the hernia, strangury, and to stop fluxes; closes and cures wounds, being infus’d in red-wine, is also us’d to tinge hairs of that colour, to black and brown. Not forgetting the best tooth-pickers in the world, made of the wood; but above all, the gum for fastning loose-teeth in the gums; the mastick, gather’d from this profitable bush in the Island of Scio; beside other uses: And as the lentisc, so may the
13. Olive be admitted, tho’ it produce no other fruit than the verdure of the leaf; nor will it kindly breath our air, nor the less tender oleaster, without the indulgent winter-house take them in. But the
14. Granata [malus punica] is nothing so nice. There are of this glorious shrub three sorts, easily enough educated under any warm shelter, even to the raising hedges of them, nor indeed affects it so much heat, as plentiful watering: They supported a very severe winter in my garden, 1663, without any trouble or artifice; and if they present us their blushing double flowers for the pains of recision and well pruning, (for they must diligently be purg’d of superfluous wood) it is recompence enough; tho’ placed in a very benign aspect, they have sometimes produc’d a pretty small pome: It is a perdifolia in Winter, and growing abroad, requires no extraordinary rich earth, but that the mould be loosen’d and eas’d about the root, and hearty compost applied in Spring and Autumn: Thus cultivated, it will rise to a pretty tree, tho’ of which there is in nature none so adulterate a shrub: ’Tis best increas’d by layers, approch and inarching (as they term it) and is said to marry with laurels, the damson, ash, almond, mulberry, citron, too many I fear to hold. But after all, they do best being cas’d, the mould well mixt with rotten hogs-dung, its peculiar delight, and kept to a single stem, and treated like other plants in the Winter-shelter; they open the bud and flower, and sometimes with a pretty small fruit; the juice whereof is cooling; the rest of an astringent quality: The rind may also supply the gall for making ink, and will tan leather.
15. The syring [lilac] or pipe-tree, so easily propagated by suckers or layers; the flower of the white (emulating both colour and flavor of the orange) I am told is made use of by the perfumers; I should not else have named it among the evergreens; for it loses the leaf, tho’ not its life, however expos’d in the Winter: There are besides this the purple, by our botanists call’d the Persian julsamine, which next leads me to the other jasmines.
16. The jasmine, especially the Spanish larger flower, far exceeding all the rest, for the agreeable odor and use of the perfumer: The common white and yellow would flower plentifully in our groves, and climb about the trees, being as hardy as any of our periclimena and honey-suckles.
How ’tis increas’d by submersion and layers, every gardner skills; and were it as much employ’d for nose-gays, &c. with us, as it is in Italy and France, they might make money enough of the flowers; one sorry tree in Paris, where they abound, has been worth a poor woman near a pistol a year.
There is no small curiosity and address in obtaining the oyl, or essence (as we call it) of this delicate and evanid flower, which I leave to the chymist and the ladies who are worthy the secrets.
[290:1] Cato, Columella, Paladius.
CHAPTER VI.
Of the Arbutus, Box, Yew, Holly, Pyracanth, Laurel, Bay, &c.
1. The arbutus, (by us call’d the strawberry-tree) too much I think neglected by us; making that a rarity, which grows so common and naturally in Ireland: It is indeed with some difficulty raised by seeds, but propagated by layers, if skilfully prun’d, grows to a goodly tree, patient of our clime, unless the weather be very severe: It may be contriv’d into most beautiful palisades, is ever verdant: I am told the tree grows to a huge bulk and height in Mount Athos and other countries: Virgil reports its inoculation with the nut; and I find Bauhinus commends the coal for the goldsmiths works; and the poet