138 Oil Arganic. Tabaluhl, and Zit-el-aud;* the former is tnade from the olives when green, and nearly ripe, with which they frequently grind limes, or wild thyme. T h is oil is v e ry rich, and white, ancl not inferior to the best Lucca or Florence oil, and m ig h t , with due attention, be made a considerable article o f Commerce to this country. T he Zit-el-aud, is made from the olives when quite ripe, and after they have laid on the ground some time ; in this state they y ie ld the greatest quantity o f oil, but it has a strong, and often a rancid taste, which is not, however, disliked b y the natives. It is used in Europe in the woollen and soap manufactories. Oil Arganic is also in abundance in Suse: it is much used for frying fish,")' and burning in lamps. olive-trees in the neighbourhood, and that these pegs being left in the ground on account of some sudden cause of departure of the army, the olive-trees in question sprung up from them. I confess, while I acknowledged the ingenuity o f the idea, (for the disposition of the trees exactly resembled the arrangement o f cavalry in an encampment), I treated it as fabulous; some time afterwards, however, the following circumstance occurred, which induced me to think thè story was not only plausible, but very credible. Having occasion to send for some plants for a garden which I had at Agadeer, or Santa Cruz, the gardener brought, amongst other things, a few bits of wood without any root or leaf, ^bou-t eighteen inches long, and three in circumference, which he with a large stone knocked into the ground. Seeing the fellow thus employed, 1 asked him what he meant by trifling in that way i “ I am not trifling,” said he, “ but planting your pomegranate trees.” I began to take them out of the ground ; but some persons who were near assuring me that it was the mode in which they were always planted, and that they would (with the blessing of God) take root, and shoot forth leaves the next year, I was at length prevailed on to Ieavé a few in the ground, merely for experiment, and they certainly did take root, and were in a fair way of becoming good trees when I left Santa Cruz ! * Zit is the Arabic for oil ; Zitune for olives. When used for frying fish, a quart of it should be boiled with a large onion cut in quarters ; and when it boils, a piece of the inside of a loaf, about the size of an orange, should be put in, after which it should be taken off the fire, and le^ pilch . T h e pitch o f the A rabs, called Kitran, is obtained from the wild juniper, which abounds in the Atlas mountains, as well as in many parts o f the champaign c o u n try : the manner o f obtaining it is thus: they dig a large and deep round hole, in the side o f which, near the bottom, they excavate another in the form o f a cauldron, which they plaister ro u n d ; they then fill up the communicating aperture with stones or bricks, lea ving a small channel o f communication; the large hole is then filled with the boughs o f the wild jum p e r , which they call. Toga, broken into small pieces, after which the mouth o f the furnace is closed up, and fire set to the wood ; the sap, j h . c h forms the pitch, then oozes out o f the burning boughs, and runs into the communicating hole.; when the whole is cooled, it is taken out, and put into skins or bladders. stand to cool; and when quite cold, should be strained throngh a sieve; without S s precaution, it is supposed to possess qualities which promote leprosy. D o c
27f 39
To see the actual publication please follow the link above