4 ( 5 ! 
* 
M Y R 
of its tafte being compounded of feveral other fpices. 
Mr. Miller cultivated it in 1739. This tree begins to 
bear fruit in three years after it is planted, but does not 
arrive at maturity under feven ; it then repays very abun¬ 
dantly the patience of the planter, yielding one thoufand 
pounds weightof fruit from an acre. Theyare generally 
gathered in July, in their green Hate, by twilling off the 
twigs with the hand, or a pole cleft at one end ; and are 
laid on cloths fpread over the barbacues or terraced floors 
railed a little above the ground, inclofed with an upright 
ledge of eight or ten inches in height, and divided by 
tranfverfe partitions into four or more fquare compart¬ 
ments, that each may contain a day’s picking. During 
the firil and fecond day they are turned often, that the 
whole may be more expofed to the fun ; but, when they 
begin to dry, they are frequently winnowed, and laid in 
cloths to preferve them better from rain and dews, Hill 
expofing them to the fun every day, and removing them 
under cover every evening, till they are fufficiently dried, 
which ufually happens in ten or twelve days, and is 
known by the darknefs of their complexion, and the rat¬ 
tling of the feeds ; they appear at this time wrinkled and 
changed to a very dark brown. In this ftate, being ready 
for the market, they are flowed in bags or cafits. Some 
planters kiln-dry them with great fuccefs. Such of the 
berries as come to full maturity, like many other feeds, 
lofe that aromatic warmth for which they are efteemed, 
and acquire a tafte perfectly like that of juniper-berries; 
which renders them a very agreeable food for the birds, 
the mod induftrious planters of thefe trees. 
The berries have an agreeable aromatic fubaftringent 
tafte, which recommends them both in the kitchen and 
the druggill’s Ihop. A delicate aromatic oil is diftilled 
from them, which anfvvers all the purpofes for which the 
oils of cinnamon and cloves have been generally ufed ; 
and is thought by fome to be better than either, as it joins 
an aftringency with its warmth. All parts of the tree are 
more or lefs aromatic and fubaftringent; but the leaves 
feem to abound molt in volatile warm particles. 
Mr. Miller was informed by an eminent merchant, 
through whofe hands great quantities of the commodity 
pafled, that the Dutch purchafed all-fpice of the Englilh 
at a low price, and, grinding it, fold it again to us at an 
advanced price for powder of cloves; and, that they draw 
an oil from it, which they vend for oil of cloves. Mr. 
Miller had a phial of this oil fent him from Jamaica, which 
was fliown to fome of the belt judges of drugs in London, 
who, having tried it, declared they thought it as good as 
any oil of cloves they had feen. He fuggefts, as worthy 
of trial, to dry the fruit when firil formed, as a fucccda- 
neum for oriental cloves. 
All-fpice, which was at firil brought over for dietetic 
purpofes, has been long employed in the (hops as a fucce- 
daneum to the more coftly oriental aromatics. It is mo¬ 
derately warm, of an agreeable flavour, fomewhat refem- 
bling that of a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
Diftilled with water, it yields an elegant eflential oil, fo 
ponderous as to fink in the water; in tafte moderately 
pungent, in fmell and flavour approaching to oil of cloves, 
or rather a mixture of cloves and nutmegs. To rectified 
fpirit it imparts, by maceration or digeltion, the whole of 
its virtue : in diftillation, it gives over very little to this 
menllruum, nearly all its active power remaining con¬ 
centrated in the infpill'ated extract. Pimento can fcarcely 
be confldered as a medicine ; being, however, an agreeable 
aromatic, it is not unfrequently employed with different 
drugs, requiring Inch a grateful adjunct. In the London 
Pharmacopoeia, both an aqueous and fpirituous diftilled 
water of the berries is directed, and the powder of them is 
an ingredient in fyrup of buckthorn. The Edinburgh 
College order alfothe eflential oil. 
/ 3 . Short-leaved pimento. This variety has the leaves 
much (hotter than the preceding, of an oval and blunt 
form, more 'ike the common broad-leaved Roman myrtle. 
Vol. XVI. No. 1127. 
T U S. 
Propagation and Culture. All the varieties of the com 
mon myrtle may be propagated from cuttings, the bell 
feafon for which is the beginning of July, when you fliould 
make choice of fome of the llraighteft and moil vigorous 
young (hoots, which fliould be about fix or eight inches 
long, and the leaves on the lower part muft be (tripped off’ 
about two or three inches high, and the part twilled which 
is to be placed in the ground ; then, having filled a parcel 
of pots (in proportion to the quantity of cuttings deiigned) 
with light rich earth, you fliould plant the cuttings therein, 
at about two inches diftance from each oth6r, obferving 
to clofe the earth faff about them, and give them fome 
water to fettle it to the cuttings ; then place the pots un¬ 
der a common hot-bed frame, plunging them either into 
fome old dung or tanner’s bark, which will prevent the 
earth from drying too faff ; but you mull carefully (hade 
them with mats in the heat of the day, and give them air 
in proportion to the warmth of the feafon, not forgetting 
to water them every two or three days, as you (hall find the 
earth in the pots require it. 
With this management, in about fix weeks, the cut¬ 
tings will be rooted, and begin to (hoot, when you mult 
inure them to the open air by degrees, into which they 
fliould be removed towards the latter end of Auguft or 
the beginning of September, placing them in a fltuation 
where they may be (heltered from cold winds, in which 
place they may remain till the middle or latter end of 
October, when the pots fliould be removed into the 
green-houfe, but fliould be placed in the cooled part 
thereof, that they may have air given to them whenever 
the weather is mild ; for they require only to be protected 
fromfevere cold, except the orange-leaved and the ftriped 
nutmeg-myrtles, which are fomewhat tenderer than the 
reft, and fliould have a warmer fltuation. During the 
winter-feafon, they muft be frequently, but gently, wa¬ 
tered ; and, if any decayed leaves appear, they fliould be 
conftantly picked oft'; as alfo the pots kept clear from 
weeds, which, if permitted to grow, will foon overfprcad 
the young plants, and deftroy them. If thefe pots are 
placed under a common hot-bed frame in winter, where 
they maybe fereened from (roll, and have the free air in 
mild weather, the young plants will fucceed better than 
in a green-houfe, provided they do not receive too much 
wet, and are not keptclofely covered, which will occaflon 
their growing mouldy, and dropping their leaves. The 
fpring following, thefe plants fliould be taken out of the 
pots very carefully, prefervinga ball of earth to the roots 
of each of them, and every one fliould be put into a fe- 
parate fmall pot filled with rich light earth, obl’ervino- to 
water them well to fettle the earth to their roots, and 
place them under a frame until they have taken root; 
after which theylhould be inured to the open air, and in 
May they muft be placed abroad for the dimmer, in a 
(heltered fltuation, where they may be defended from 
ltrongwinds. During the fummer-feafon they will require 
to be plentifully watered, efpecially being in fucli lrnall 
pots, which in that feafon foon dry ; therefore you lhould 
obferve to place them where they may receive the morn¬ 
ing fun, for when they are too much expofed to the fun 
in the heat of the day, the moifture contained in the earth 
of thefe fmall pots will foon be exhaled, and the plants 
greatly retarded in their growth thereby. In Auguft 
following, you fliould examine your pots, to fee if the 
roots of the plants have not made way out through the 
hole in the bottom of the pots, which if you obferve 
you muft then drift them into pots a lize larger, filling 
them up with light rich earth, and obferve to trim the 
roots which were matted to the fide of the pots, as alfo to 
loofen the earth from the outfide of the ball with your 
hands, fome of which (houid be taken off, that the roots 
may the eafier find paflage into the frefti earth; then you 
muft water them well, and place the pots in a fltuation 
where they may be defended from ftrong winds; and at 
this time you may trim the plants, in order to reduce them 
