end of 13 or 14 years, that any real profit can be derived from fuch

trees.

"I am much furprifed that there fhould be no nursery for olive-trees in a district where that tree is ho, noured with more attention than in any other part of the kingdom. The prince of Francavilla had indeed established a nursery, but after his death it was fuffered to go to decay, notwithstanding he, as well as the whole country, derived the greatest benefit therefrom.

"In the propagation of the olive-tree, lefs attention is paid to the quality of the olive than ought to be fhewn to that article; for here, as amongst other kinds of fruit-trees, we fhall find feveral varieties, efpecially if we are governed by their different appellations. But befides that, almost every town has its own peculiar term for one and the fame fort; botanizers declare that the varieties are very trifling, although the nature of the climate, and the mode of cultivation, affuredly occafion fome fort of diftinction. It is certain, however, that the woods and uncultivated places produce a tree called by the peafantry Termete and Olivaftro, which entirely correfponds with the Olea Europaea, and brings forth a great quantity of fruit, which is only half the fize of that produced by an engrafted olivetree. From these wild trees, when improved by cultivation, probably fpring the numberlefs varieties, which are to be found in this kingdom, and of which Dr. Prefta mentions feveral in the quarto edition of his Memoria intorno ai Seffanta due faggi d'Oglio prefentati alla Maflà del Re di Napoli, publifhed at Naples, in 1778. Amongst them he principally diftinguifles only two kinds, called at Gallipoli, Og

liarola, and Cellina; from whofe fruit he extracted a diffimilar oil, although he at the fame time allows the difference to be inconfiderable., The former correfponds with that which the ancients termed Salentina; and its fruit is by far the best in quality, as well as the most common in the province; but the tree that bears it is fubject to the blight, or Brufca. This olive is commonly nine lines long, fix lines thick, fomewhat curved, of a brownish hue, and black when it is perfectly ripe: it weighs between 30 and 40 grains, including the tone, which is almost smooth, and weighs about fix or eight grains.

"The other fort, called Cellina, is, after the above, the most common; but it has many different appellations, as Uliva di Nardo, Cafcirolo, Mifciana, and others; and Columella is faid to mention it by the name of Oleaftellum. This olive is commonly eight lines long, fix broad, and has a very light ftone. At first it appears as if covered with a filvery fort of crape, but becomes quite black when it is ripe; it yields lefs than the foregoing, and the oil fooner turns rancid. The tree which bears this olive, is now very generally cultivated, it being lefs fubject to difeafes, and particularly to the Brufca.

The procets of cultivating the olive-tree confifts, firft, in ftirring the ground around the tree. This is done at the beginning of the year, when the earth is dug five or fix feet around the trunk of the tree, to a certain depth, and fome fine manure is put to the roots; but very judicious cultivators will not allow of the manure, and fay that it is prejudicial to the quality of the oil. Only the trees upon the hills and fallow grounds are treated as above; the earth around thofe

upon

upon the plains being fufficiently ftirred in the tillage of the land.

"Far more difficult is the next operation of pruning, which is beft understood by the inhabitants of the environs of Taranto, and efpecially by thofe of Mazafra, who are univerfally employed. Trees that do not fhoot very faft are pruned in December; and fuch as are planted in a very rich foil, undergo that operation in the fpring. The principal rule feems to be, to fuffer but few centrical branches, to let in as much air as poffible to the interior of the crown, and to form it more in breadth and rotundity than in height. But I doubt whether the true principles of pruning be understood here; and indeed, in fome parts of this province, efpecially near Lecce, the trees, being never pruned at all, attain a very unufual height, and yield but very little fruit.

Dr. Prefta tried the experiment of pruning and treating his trees like efpaliers, with confidèr

able fuccefs.

"The olive-trees ufually bloffom in June. In October the fruit begins to ripen; but does not reach its full perfection until December, when the skin, the pulp, and the furface of the ftone, becomes black. At that period they yield the best oil; and although in many places the olives are feen hanging upon the trees until the beginning of April, it is extremely detrimental to the quality of the oil, if the olives are allowed to remain upon the trees later than the clofe of December. Before the ftone is hard, which takes place in Auguft, no preffure whatever can force any oil out of the fruit. Although green in October, they are quite ripe enough for the table; and in November they affume a reddish hue,

but are ftill too acrid to produce oil of the best quality. At that time, indeed, a certain fort of oil, called Oglio Onfacino, is extracted from them, but is only used for particular purpofes. According to Diofcorides, Mat. Med. lib. i. cap. 27. this oil was likewife prepared by the ancients, who knew how to give it a white colour, its natural one being a greenith yellow. It was by them confidered as the best oil; but they muft have poffeffed a method of preparing and colouring it, which is now loft; for notwithftanding Dr. Prefta has with infinite attention tried every method of making it, the oil has always turned fharp, and been of a greenifh yellow colour. The Oleum ftrictivum of the ancients was prepared from olives, which having attained a middle state of maturity, were neither green nor black, but fpotted in a very particular manner. In fome of the environs of Taranto, they wait until the olives fall to the ground, before they gather them; fo that the harvest lasts from the end of October until the end of March. But at Taranto itfelf, where the management of this useful and profitable fruit is better understood, the olives are gathered in December with the greatest care, and heaped up in cellars, until it be convenient to prefs them. As very few individuals have an oil-prefs, and as in the baronial towns the lord has generally the exclufive right of poffeffing one, of which his fubjects are conftrained to make ufe, they are frequently obliged to wait fo long before they can extract their oil, that the olives neceffarily fall into a state of too great fermen tation, which is fucceeded by putrefaction; and this is one of the principal caufes of the general badnefs of the oil. The duke of Mar

free from that raw and acrid fort of tafte, to which the oil produced from the other mill is but too fub ject. In fhort, its numerous opponents can reproach it with nothing but being of more expenfive conftruction; for their other objections, that it yields much less oil, and that their forefathers always made use of, and were fatisfied with the common one, can have but little weight with reasonable people. And with refpect to the expence, it is indeed certain that the duke of Martina expended a large fum in the conftruction of his mills at Cafalerotto, for which he caufed the lava to be tranfported by fea from the foot of mount Vefuvius to Taranto; but it is not neceffary for

every one to follow the example of that opulent nobleman, efpecially when it is known that the neighbouring mountains of Calabria abound in ftone as proper for the purpose as lava, &c. As foon as the olives are fufficiently crufhed, the pulp is put into a cylindrical sort of straw baskets, called fifchioli, placed one upon another, under a prefs, that is worked by four or five men. When the oil is done running, warm water is thrown upon the baskets, which undergo a fecond preffure. The oil is received either in wooden or earthen veffels, out of which it is poured into a deep brick ciftern, where it is ufually well preferved."

66 N the northern counties of this

in many places divided by regular terraces, evidently artificial. Such works are first obfervable in Westmoreland and Cumberland; in Northumberland they are very numerous. It is uncertain whether they exift in Scotland, for the filence of antiquarians, who are generally bad judges of earthen works, affords no proof to the contrary. Probably, the famous parallel roads of Glenco, defcribed in the appendix to Mr. Penuant's Tour, are terraces of this kind, as they abound in the avenues of hilly and difficult countries. The extent of these works is very different; in fome places, there are not more than three or four rows of terraces, capable altogether of containing an hundred men; but in others, the terraces mount almoft to the fummits of lofty hills, and would lodge a confiderable body of troops. At the battle of Humbledon, the Scottish army is faid to have been pofted on one of these works, which is the most extenfive I remember to have obferved.

"That fuch terraces were intended for military purposes, can

they were formed, has never yet been determined.

"Mr. Wallis, in his Antiquities of Northumberland, fuppofes them to have been ftations for parading the militia; but it is improbable, that in rude times, fo much exertion fhould have been employed, in places not eafily acceffible, for a purpose, to which a level furface was much better adapted. On the contrary, their pofition, on commanding fituations, fecured by precipices, or difficult eminences on both flanks, or covered by advanced works of the fame kind, but of fmaller fize, points them out as lines of defence. I believe they are chiefly to be traced on the most acceffible parts of a high country, or rifing from the brink of a river, to defend the paffage. By what people they were raised, it is very difficult to conjecture. They differ in every particular from the British works, defcribed by Cæfar, and are probably of more recent date, for they indicate the access of the invaders to the interior, and ftronger part of the country. And no traces of the British dry walls

appear