346 MYRTUS COMMUNIS. 
But, like a girland compassed the height, 
And from their fruitful sides fresh gum did drop, 
That all the ground with precious dew bedight, 
Threw forth most dainty odours, and most sweet delight." 
And Thomson, in those beautiful lines, beginning " The lovely young Lavinia 
once had friends," &c., compares her to a myrtle. Milton places this tree in the 
bower of Eve. 
Propagation, Culture, <$fc. All the varieties of the common myrtle are readily 
propagated by cuttings; and those which ripen their fruit, as the Roman myrtle, 
come up in 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 
require 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 Myrtacese 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; because, 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 dange. 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. 
