190 



OLE 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



OLE 



little protection in severe frosts, an Clive-tree may be main- 

 tained against a wall; and in Devonshire there are some of 

 these trees which have grown many years in the open air 

 without being injured by frost, though their summers are not 

 warm enough to bring their fruit to maturity. Notwithstand- 

 ing the general preference which the oil of Olives and of 

 Almonds have obtained by their fluidity, all the mild vegeta- 

 ble oils are nearly of the same nature. Oil, in various shapes, 

 forms a considerable part of our food, botli animal and vege- 

 table, and affords much nourishment; but in some constitu- 

 tions oily substances do not unite with the contents of the 

 stomach, especially where acids abound. Oil internally used 

 is supposed to correct acrimony, to lubricate and relax the 

 fibres, and hence is prescribed in coughs, catarrhal affections, 

 and erosions, in worm cases, in nephritic pains, spasms, colics, 

 constipations of the bowels, and to prevent the effects of 

 poison, &c. Externally, it has been found a useful appli- 

 cation to bites and stings of poisonous animals, to burns, 

 tumors, &c.; either applied alone, or mixed with liniments 

 and poultices. It was much used by the ancients to rub over 

 their bodies; this has been found of great service in dropsies, 

 particularly in ascites: it is said to have been successful in 

 rabies canina; but having been since resorted to in a similar 

 case, without success, little confidence can be placed 'on a 

 solitary instance. Though the effects of oil taken internally 

 extend over the primae via, yet it may be doubted whether 

 it produces any medicinal effect after having passed into the 

 blood. It is an ingredient in several officinal compositions; 

 and when united with water by the intervention of alkali, is 

 usually given in coughs, hoarseness, &c. The Olive-tree will 

 grow almost in any soil; but when it is planted in rich moist 

 ground, the tree grows larger, and makes a finer appearance, 

 than in poor land; but the oil is not so good as in a leaner 

 oil. Calcareous ground is esteemed the best for these trees, 

 the oil being finer, and keeping longer than any other. In 

 l.anguedoc and Provence, they propagate the Olive by trun- 

 cheons, split from the roots of the trees. When their tops 

 are killed by hard frost in winter, they send up several stalks 

 from the root; when these are grown pretty strong, they 

 separate them with an axe from the root, in doing which, they 

 are careful to preserve a few roots to them. These are cut 

 off in the spring, after the danger of the frost is over, and 

 planted about two feet deep in the ground, covering the sur- 

 face with litter or mulch, to prevent the sun and wind from 

 penetrating the ground and drying the roots ; when the plants 

 have taken new root, they stir the ground, and destroy the 

 weeds. In countries where the inhabitants are curious in 

 making oil, they graft their truncheons with that sort of Olive 

 which they prefer. Stubborn lands, and unkindly hills, where 

 the soil is a potter's clay mixed with pebbles, and producing 

 only bushes, are adapted to the Olive, which is a long-lived 

 slow-growing tree. That such hinds are congenial to this 

 tree, is evident from the abundance of wild olives that spring 

 in them, and the quantity of berries strewn over them. In 

 England the Olive may be propagated by laying down the 

 tender branches in the same way as for other trees, which 

 should remain undisturbed two years; in which time they 

 will have put out roots, and may then be taken off from the 

 old plants, and transplanted either into pots filled with fresh 

 light earth, or into the open ground, in a warm situation. 

 The best season for transplanting is the beginning of April, 

 when you should, if possible, take the opportunity of a moist 

 season ; and those which are planted in pots should be placed 

 in a shady part of the green-house, until they have taken root: 

 but those planted in the ground should have mulch laid about 

 flieir roots, to prevent the earth from drying; too fast, and 



be now and then refreshed with water; but you must by no 

 means let them have too much moisture, which will rot the 

 tender fibres of their roots, and destroy the trees. When the 

 plants have taken fresh root, those in the pots may be exposed 

 to the open air, with other hardy exotics, with which they 

 should be housed in winter, and treated as Myrtles, and other 

 less tender trees and shrubs; but those in the open air will 

 require no farther care until the winter following, when you 

 should mulch the ground about their roots, to prevent the 

 frost from penetrating deep into it : and if the frost should 

 prove very severe, you should cover them with mats, which- 

 will defend them from being injured thereby; but you must 

 be cautious not to let the mats continue after the frost is past, 

 lest their leaves and tender branches should turn mouldy for 

 for want of free air; which will injure them as much, if not 

 more, than if they had been exposed to the frost; for it often 

 happens that the frost only destroys the tender shoots, but the 

 body and larger branches remaining unhurt, they put out again 

 in the succeeding spring. These trees are generally brought 

 over from Italy every spring, by the importers of Orange- 

 trees, Jasmines, &c. who sell them at a reasonable price; and 

 as the trees they bring over have often stems of a size to 

 which young plants in this country would not arrive in ten 

 or twelve years, it is better to purchase of them, than to 

 undertake the tedious process of raising them by layers. 

 When you procure these steins, first soak their roots twenty- 

 four hours in water, and clean them from the filth they have 

 contracted in their passage; then plant them in pots filled 

 with fresh light sandy earth, and plunge them into a moderate 

 hot-bed, observing to screen them from the violence of the 

 sun in the heat of the day, and also to refresh them with 

 water, whenever you find the earth in the pots dry. In this 

 situation they will begin to shoot in six weeks or two months 

 after, when you should let them have air in proportion to the 

 warmth of the season, and after they make tolerably strong 

 shoots, innre them to the open air by degrees ; and place them, 

 when wholly removed into it, in a situation where they may 

 be defended from strong winds; in this place they should 

 remain till October following, when they should be removed 

 into the green-house, as before directed. Having thus 

 managed these plants until they have acquired strong roots, 

 and made tolerably good heads, you may draw them out of 

 the pots, preserving the earth to their roots, and plant them 

 in the open air in a warm situation, where you must manage 

 them as was before directed for the young ones : and these 

 will in two or three years produce flowers; and in very warm 

 seasons some fruit, provided they do well. The Lucca and 

 Box-leaved Olives are the hardiest, and of course the best 

 to plant in the open air; but the first sort produces the 

 largest trees. 



2. Olea Capensis ; Cape Olive. Leaves ovate, quite entire ; 

 racemes panicle-shaped, divaricate. This is a small shrub, 

 with a straight jointed trunk, and subhirsute bark. Corolla 

 small and white. Native of the Cape. 



3. Olea Americana; American Olive. Leaves lanceolate, 

 elliptic, quite entire; racemes narrowed; all the bractes per- 

 manent, connate, small. There are male and female flowers 

 in this species, on the same plant with the hermaphrodites. 

 Native of Carolina aud Florida. 



4. Olea Cernua; Nodding-flowered Olive. Leaves oblong 1 , 

 lanceolate, very blunt; racemes axillary, simple; flowers 

 drooping; branches round, smooth, with an ash-coloured bark, 

 and raised scattered dots, compressed a little at top; flowers 

 twice as large as in the common sort. Native of Madagascar. 



5. Olea Apetala; Apelalous Olive. Leaves elliptic; flower* 

 in racemes, apetalous; branches round at bottom, with an 



