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greatly more circumstantial. " There are two methods (he 

 says, ill the letter above-mentioned.) according to which my 

 friend plants his ohve ground {oUvetum.) The one is, by 

 removing trees of a large size, and making the plantation 

 at once : the other is, by planting sets of which the progress 

 is necessarily much slower. According to the former mode, 

 the first thing to be done is, to cut off all the branches, to the 

 distance of a foot from the trunk. The next thing is, to do 

 the same by the lateral roots, leaving nothing entire, except 

 the body of the root, from which the fibres issue. The tree 

 is next placed in the pit, with a sufficient quantity of manure, 

 and mould is thrown in and consolidated, by the most assi- 

 duous pressure, and firm treading with the foot. Nothing, 

 as my friend conceives, is more efficacious, than this way of 

 giving solidity and consistency to the earth round the stem. 

 It excludes both cold and drought, and preserves the tree 

 from the ill effects of wind ; as it is obvious, that the slightest 

 agitation has a tendency to strain the tender fibres, and pre- 

 vent them from striking properly in the ground, and going 

 forth in search of their food. Last of all, before filling in the 

 earth, he scrapes or cleans that part of the root, which is 

 nearest the surface ; because his idea is, that, from every 

 part so treated and laid bare, new growths and fibres are 

 immediately sent out. By the above process, as there are 

 only three or four feet of the stem standing above ground, 

 it is soon covered from top to bottom with new shoots ; and 

 no part of it appears stunted or hidebound, as such trees 

 usually are, in old olive plantations. 



" The other method of planting is, by means of sets, which 

 are formed of stout branches, and put into the pits, in a 

 manner similar to that above described. In selecting these, 

 however, care must be taken, that they are covered with fresh 

 and tender bark, such as young trees generally produce. It 

 is true (as he observes,) the sets require much more time than 

 entire trees, to arrive at maturity ; but they become, in the 



