‘“I should imagine, from the appearance of some of the trees, that they are from one to two hundred years old; and a remarkably large one in this neighbourhood is probably at least three hundred. This individual measures 26 ft. round the trunk; at the height of three feet it branches off; the branches (one of which measures 11 ft. in circumference near the trunk) rest upon the ground, extending about 15 ft. from the trunk, and again ascend. The highest branch of this tree is not more than 16 ft. to 18 ft. from the ground, while the outer branches spread so as to give a circumference of 220 ft.: this is the largest I am aware of.
‘“The mode of propagation, in this vicinity, is mostly by seed. When sowing this, a little manure is placed with it, and it is well watered until it shoots; from which period it requires nothing further. In from three to five years after sowing it bears fruit, which ripens between May and August (according to the situation of the tree). The roots extend a great distance underground, and shoots make their appearance at intervals, which are allowed to remain, thus doing away with the necessity of transplanting or sowing. When the fruit ripens, herds of goats, sheep, and cows are driven thither; a man beats the tree with a long pole, and the fruits fall and are devoured voraciously by the cattle. In the evening they are led home, and, when comfortably settled in their yards, they commence chewing the cud and throw out the nuts, which are collected each morning as soon as the animals have departed upon their daily excursion. I have heard it remarked that the nut passes through the stomach; but this is only a casualty, and not a general rule. Large quantities of the fruit are likewise collected by women and children: they are well dried, and the hull is taken off, and stored for the camels and mules travelling in the winter, being considered very nutritious.
‘“The process of extracting the oil is very simple. The nuts are cracked by the women and children (and not a few fingers suffer at the same time, owing to the want of proper tools, for the nuts are very hard, and a stone is the only implement used); the kernels are then parched in a common earthen vessel, ground in handmills of this country, and put into a pan; a little cold water is sprinkled upon them, and they are well worked up by the hand (much the same as kneading dough) until the oil separates, when the refuse is well pressed in the hand, which completes the process. The oil is left to stand, and the sediment removed. The cake (in which a great deal of oil remains, owing to the want of a proper press) is generally given to the milch cows or goats.
‘“I never heard of any part being used as manure, but I have no doubt it would form an excellent one.
‘“Some of these Argans grow in clusters, others are in single trees.
‘“I have, &c.,
| (Signed)‘“ | Henry Grace. |
‘“To J. H. Drummond Hay, Esq., &c. &c.”’
‘Except a brief notice of the exportation into Europe of Argan oil by the Danish Councillor of State, Georges Höst, who travelled in the kingdoms of Marocco and Fez during the years 1766-1768, the only published account of the uses of the Argan is given in a very little known Danish work, published by P. K. A. Schousboe, entitled “Iagttagelser over Væxtriget i Marokko. Forste Stycke. Kiobnhavn, 1800, 4, 7 Tab.,” of which a German edition appeared in 1801, in 8vo, by J. A. Markussen. It gives an account of some Marocco plants; and, after an introductory sketch of the physical geography of Marocco, it contains descriptions of the plants of the country in Latin and German, with occasional observations in German. The account of the Argan under Retz’s name of Elæodendron Argan is long: first comes a technical description, followed by a history of its synonymy, and then the following notes (kindly translated for us by Mr. Bentham):—
‘“It is surprising that this tree should hitherto have been so little known; as it is found in a country near Europe, and visited by many travellers, who speak in their diaries and descriptions of oil of Argan and of Argan trees, these last as constituting a considerable proportion of the forests of the country. It is, however, not to be met with in the northern provinces, but only towards the south. All those persons, from whom I have sought more accurate information on the subject, are unanimous in stating that it only grows between the rivers Tansif and Sus—that is, between the 29° and 32° N. lat.—and there constitutes forests of considerable extent. It flowers in the middle of June, and the fruit remains on the tree the greater part of the year. The young fruit sets in the end of July or beginning of August, and grows slowly till the rainy season commences, towards the end of September. It now enlarges rapidly and attains its full size during that season, so as that by the middle or end of March it is ripe enough to be gathered for economical uses. Both the fruit and the wood are serviceable, but especially the former; for from the kernel an oil is extracted which is much employed for domestic purposes by the Moors, and is an important production of the country, as it saves much olive oil, which can thus be thrown into commerce, and made to bring money into the country. It is calculated that in the whole Argan region one thousand hundredweight of oil is annually consumed, thus setting free an equal quantity of olive oil for exportation to Europe. Our countryman, Höst, in his ‘Efterretninger om Marokos,’ p. 285, says that the Argan oil is exported to Europe, where it is used in manufactures. Such may have been the case in former times when it might be cheaper; but now there would be no advantage in doing so, as it costs almost as much as olive oil. At present, no Argan oil whatever is exported.