o 



16 MVKTUS COMMUNIS. 



nut, like a ijirlami cdiiiikissciI ilio hcieht, 

 Ami I'riiiii tlii'ir friiill'iil siili-s frosli mini did drop, 



Tli.il all llii' i;n)iiiid with pn-'cious ilow IxMliylii, 

 Throw forth iiuist d.iluly odours, and iiuwl swoul duli/jlil." 



And Thomson, in those hcautiful hncs, beginning " The lovely^ yoinig Lavinja 

 once had friends," jSx"., compares her to a myrtle. Milton ])laees this tree in the 

 bower of Kve. 



Pro})(t<^(Ui<m, Culture, c5*c. All the varieties of the common myrtle are readily 

 propagaieil by cuttings; and those which ripen their fruit, as the Roman myrtle, 

 come up ill abundance from seeds. Cuttings may either be made of the ripe 

 wood, or of that which is in a growing state ; the latter take root the soonest, but 

 re([nire the most care, and success will be the most certain when they are planted 

 in sand, and covered with a bell-glass. The finer Varieties might be grafted on 

 the common and more hardy sorts; and perhaps something might be gained in 

 rendering the Australian Myrtaceae more hardy, by grafting them on the common 

 myrtle. Perhaps, also, something might be done in the way of cross-fecundation 

 between the genera Myrtus, Psidium, &c. Whenever the myrtle has been 

 exposed to cold, snowy, or frosty nights, it should either be dashed all over with 

 water, to thaw the frost; or covered with a mat, to prevent it from thawing 

 too suddenly by the rays of the sun. The safest mode in such weather is, to 

 cover the plants with mats at night; becausrf, though frost may not kill them, yet 

 it will always injure the foliage. 



Properties and Uses. The wood of the common myrtle is very hard, and is 

 used for various purposes in turnery. The leaves and bark are aromatic and 

 slightly astringent, and are sometimes employed as a tonic or stimulant. From the 

 leaves and flowers a cosmetic is distilled, called, in France, eau (Tange. In some 

 parts of Italy, the leaves are also used in the preparation of skins. In Tuscany, 

 the berries are used as a substitute for pepper; and in Germany they serve to 

 make a slate-coloured dye. In Provence, the myrtle is employed for garnishing 

 arbours, bowers, and hedge-rows, and is not only formed into hedges, but is 

 sometimes trained as a tree with a clear stem. 



