REMARKS ON THE HOLLY. 201 



years, from seedlings taken out of the woods. This should induce 

 us to make more frequent trials of raising fences ofthis prickly 

 plant ; and particularly on hilly situations, where it affords shelter 

 to the shepherd and his flock, against either excessive heat or 

 piercing storms. 



Old medical writers tell us, that the ripe berries are relaxing, 

 and astringent when dried ; but it is not our intention to re- 

 commend the robbing of the feathered tribe, and hurting our 

 constitutions at the same time ; nor would we willingly be deem- 

 ed credulous in noticing the old customs of our forefathers, who 

 trusted to a branch of holly for their defence against witchcraft; 

 but this precaution has become unnecessary, since old ladies have 

 lost their charming powers, and the spells of the youthful fair are 

 too agreeable to be driven from us by a rod of holly. 



The Ilex Vomitaria, commonly called the South Sea Tea, or 

 Evergreen Cassine, is a native of West Florida, Carolina, and 

 some of the warmer parts of Virginia, and principally found on the 

 sea coast. This species of holly was cultivated as long back as 

 1700, but the severe winter of 1739 destroyed most of the plants; 

 but it has since been raised from seeds, and is found to resist the 

 cold of our winters without protection, except that of neighbour- 

 ing shrubs. It rises to the height of ten or twelve feet, the flow- 

 ers are produced in close whorls at the joints of the branches, 

 near the footstalks of the leaves ; they are of a white colour, and 

 the fruit is a red berry, similar to the common holly. The tea 

 made by an infusion of these leaves, is almost the only physic used 

 by the natives of some parts of the new world. 



At a certain time of the year these people come in droves from 

 a distance of some hundred miles, to the coast for the leaves of 

 this tree ; when they make a fire on the ground, over which they 

 place a vessel of water, and throw into it a large quantity of the 

 leaves. They then seat themselves round the fire and take large 

 draughts of the infusion until it operates as an emetic. In this 

 manner they continue to physic themselves for two or three days, 

 and when their stomachs are sufficiently cleansed, every one 

 takes a bundle of the branches with him to his habitation. 



Vol. VI. No. 07. 



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