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Estate Agents,
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HCISCO, CAL.
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714088
055
Au Olive "Tnliprliunco.
7
An tlinn cheaper.
stocK. and alt. r a croSe" look nt many parts , , ...th :t • r-ic i *
of it, never see a single weed, evra by the T**6" ™th ll' 's UOt that of a careful
" an'
o , never see a sne wee, vra y e rr, .
olive (-rove is a b.-ttcr inheritance roadside. That was a mil surprise; b«t " 2?, ,an' lne Patlel>ce of the plan- fi life-insurance policy, and much the astonishing thini; to see -was his olive ter ll' Je amP'y compensated by the _____ f. jr. A grove of ten acres of seven- ovchurd. of about 50 acres, all the tr.es knowledge that each olive tree, even if it ytor-oltl trees will produce a net annual in- dean, hi nlthy mid stnmg growers, the Wl1' n.(>t J'ield much tribute to him who come of not less thun $2,500, or mi average bpuiches bendi '
. ngwith th'i -'mormons weight 8^ve it the first care, is a monument of
of $250 per acre, as has been fully demon- 0| the fruit, many of ;tb<- seven-year tiees his love for his descendants, who wi 1 strated by Mr. Elwood Coejper. of Sauta hiving a full barrel to the tree, the larger probably after many generations, when Barbara, and by the lessee of the WolfskiH nine ,lluj ten-yt at-okl trees having on them he will have lieen forgotten, unwittingly [grove, in Solano county. Strange as it two barrels of olives apuco. On the other enjoy his bounty. Need a modest man's may seem, but few pa-sous have yet given ihani, in S;<nta U;nbara, trees much oldei ambition go further? Or is it manly to any serious attention to the subject of olive, ! will not produce a hatful to the tree, ami l,)ok only to immediate pay for one's acts 0 Uture. It is not because there is any un- simply because thy are not kept free from of merit> DistH!lt as we are from ,„„,,„ c.itaiuty about the growth of the tree, for the black scale, uor properly pruned a»<J wnere th(J o,ive t has f thousands ,)f
rape laud, cultivated, lor example, near Mayor t\j» • ., ... . . ..
/because nald's ou the ,outh, is a block with .t«v * ^ '^n a familiar sight and part of three acr.s o' oliv.> trees .on it, ww» o the wealth of generations, working to- ground on which *ey stand is a <• ' I'getherin the same line with nations in tur, ; the, tre' s are fruit U :ss and wo^L?!"t climates tlwt>like ours, allow them to and near the lighthouse m-^re than ' K beneflt from *lie privilege of growing tre -s, about ten years old., have just beet °'*ve8' Do we march in line with them,
r _.. dug up finel cut into ftrewood. All (j,;, or are we remaining behind? The profits
olive oil of commerce, and California is the ntg ect and d structlou around Santa Bur- Spain, Italy, France uiid other countries only portion of the United States adapted bara would ">><• ixce>dir.gly discouragejng are derivinst from the fruit of the olive to the growth of the olive. The demand | ha 1 not Mr. Elwood Cooper couragousls tree amount 'f6 hundreds of millions of always exceeds the supply of both olive oil set hinmi li to work to destroy the scale bun doHars annually . Algiers, that country and piakled olives. The market can never inst -:.d of the tree, and lie is now rewarded In which SJench vintners reconstruct be over-stocked, and with the advance of with the astonishing orop hanging 011, h» their forties, jeopardized or lost by that
i constantly > •, and just ivady for th, oil mill. dreadful anAny of the vines, where viti- '
ity can b« O.ir renders ,-re aware that abanvl of olives „„!,,„ ,p«,k *
it grows like a willpw on good grape and without irrigation; nor is it the market is uncertain, nor the managi meut of the crop difficult. The price is steady and always remunerative, and the producer has the world for a market. 3 >u;hern Fraaca, Italy, Spain and Asia Minor now produce about all tho olives and
civilization, the consumption is increasing. No greater security given for the investment of money, in any enterprise, tnan olive culture affoids in Culiforuia. It is, therefore, well worth while to call the attention of the patrons of the Ktsourees of California to this most attractive and promising industry.
Laud can be purchased iu a dozen dif- fi r, nt counties in this State, which is per-
will produce about four "i worth five dollars a gnllon, or i lars to the Well ladeu tree seven
, .
. '
;s culture 1 Ippest has only begun, has 'slo grapes in a dozen years i- than we have done in thirty. Spain and '"*"' Italy are beginning to realize the rivalry
years old. As Mr. Cooper has published that in Algiers has sprung up as to the in th se columns his method of dealiuf cultivation of olives. So much so that a wiih the great enemy of the' olive, thl crisis is feared in the great producing black scale, it is only necessary to say hero countries named, for official statemeats
f-ctly adapted to tbe olive tree, for if HO to that he uses a force pump fixed on a box give us the fact that of the eight million $100 an acre. Cuttings cau be obtained at _placed in a wagon, to throw a strong decoc. dollars' worth of the product of the olive $10 a hundred, or $100 for ten acres, sine.- tion of tobacco into the tops of his trees, tree which Prance annually requires from
the ground ne,d not exc.ed $5 an acre, and in the most substantial manner,' whi b in the background-
To sum up the coat of t.n acr, s. we have is capable of reducing 4,000 pounds of olives W,f P"?Se8S tllC J neces,9ary elements in
laud$l,OJO; cuttings $100; plowing and every tweuty-four hours, wili be run day Callfornla to produce olives, and every
planting, $100; total expenditure $1,200 and night for a week at a time, until his one knows. tllat for .purity and good,
tor the ten acres. In four years the crop will crop for tba year has been turned into oil.
pay nil e-xpen.ses of lillug • and harvesting, Let olive skeptics go and see the olives and
and the tilth year a profit of at least :j>lo pliye trees at Elwood.
an acre. Thus we only need to provide for VINEYARD AND ORCHARD.
the cost of tillage the second and third years,
which is ?5 an acre each year, or $100 for This department will be dnvotcd to the inter-
the two years; and hence the actual outlay «it? nf th" Vn.-iiiu.riftg and Horticulturists of
before auvreturns are available will be but £™i^. 'cJrV^de^ 'oWtt*
$130 anacTPrefcf 1,300 for an olive grove jecl IB united. Address all corre-spondence
of ten acre's. The incomo lor the fifth yeal in care of THE REPUBLICAN. Xnr«ery and seeds-
will average $25 an acre above all expenses, me^wonld favor 11
or $250 for ten acres; and for the sixth i+- /i*Asi\it
year more than twice that sum, or more w oi.rvK-an
than $50 an acre. ' In other -rords, in sin The writer shares the opinion of the
owiSO I* CALIFORNIA.
sound quality our olive oil is an article of commerce eagerly sought after and preferred to importations often suspected and always so charged with duty and ex- penses that it is inaccessible to the small purchaser. On the merits of olive oil as part of our diet I need not dwell. Once accustomed to it for certain table par poses, it will become a necessity to many, and even if with the abundance of nour- ishing and good fatty substances which Providence has provided the United States with, not called to become the staple which oliye oil is in Southern
years the ten-acre olive grove will pay fo» immense importance of olive-culture with ,
its.lf and leave a surplus of one-half the lneu W,IO „£, far better authority than Europe, it will b,- evident to every one original cost; and the crop of the seventh mygelf ,„ the matttr. The late Mr.Red- that when produced in quantities in Call- year, as before stated, will give a net profit ^ ]eft tQ UaliforDiang the patriotic fornla- lt W1'l fl°d numerous buyers and of *250 an acre, or $2,500 for the ten acres. cxh= nation to ]ook abom them /or prop. consumers, i he present high price, of The crop of the eighth year will largely in- . , . , . , ., i _ . * . course, need not be counted Uj)on m the crouse over tbat of thosevemfc^^d will M -* f#i i ^OUS run» ^ut where it is produceil, there gradually increase from year to^ea?^ gentleman s_ hopes of t h= i .tree _ and i , » • where P -
;««, *^^ », r, /M- fifteen vpnr« more ' iruit becoming in no distant tuture as . <=
alter lor ten or nueeii yturb iuvic. e, ,„ .. anted the farni s value is enhance'!
Could a better or safer inheritance for] rich a source of income, and surely a not the children of a man in moderate circumj less solid one than the vine and its grape, stancis be named, even in the rich Statei -will be fulfilled. We can be certain of it. of California? mind that I There are < b:1 over twel
l^lfraiteve !'ftT±!a/1SSJ!S^^^^'%^ — "r ,<"•<
Mr. 6^e^v^ard. we can Uke for granted V not every ^^^g^to*
oug wlio puts olive plants into the grouno .
The Santa Barbara Press gives in. fol- will, in tne few yLs generaHy said to ^^ f" ^ ^ °^ ^^
is
There are many kinds of olive trees, the subject shoulel be studied which variety turns out to be best adapted to
The Santa aarDara J. » M»- will, in tlie tew years generally si u . pj
lowing interesting statement, concerning e[apse uutil the commencement of bear- j. the operations of Ehvood Cooper's olive in- inf^ reap theretrom as abundant crops £ ^ Q ^ ( [;
B. M. to E.wood, Mr. Cooper', ^^.S1?^. ^ JlV'^fiSSSto ™<U^ of ^^
, ...„ .„.. planters On a recont tvtp to Uwood, Mr. Coop< f iiria, twelve miles west of Santa Barbara, a general surprise .awaited us. There could be no room for doubt that Mr. Cooper . - had Veenv.ry euccess'ul in the manage,- attention « meut. of his farm of 2,000 acres, as the four- the climate 1, ,,, wa.-on-loaels of KnKl,sh valnuts ana the matter thought and alu.oods«oming into town recently from a proportionate number his place «avu abundant cvidenj*; tut we or roots, were it only onjhe i ladside 01
such
trei
in
period.
derived by the olive after the grape has been turned into must and fermented into winu will render it. pretty safe to ripen, Hllhou<rh the winter rains and lower tem-
less hurtful to the ifuneral varieties of
olive trees than to the vine, and there is "case ol a tree who*e existence is so very hardly any danger from that source, long and the rearing of wh'ch requires The loots of the olive tree, like those of years, would prove disastrous. the vine, should be able to extract sufli- Whatever doubts may arise as to the cient moisture from the sub-soil, Irriga- practicability of trials of giving room in tion, except on soil that is not naturally one's farm to a certain number of olive adapted to their culture, where there is trees, do not despise it. Set out a few,
Agricultural Information from , , Lower California.
^ H^^&^. d^ ^fa
ouvr.s.
Mv trees «r" of rooted cuttings and stubs of branches from o'ive-'ree* of
-
great scarcity of liquid nutriment, is not for it will in any case be a pleasont thing j ,icinity exco t tllose plantml in necessary; on the contrary you may give to rear the salad 01 and pickle .your 188() hi« -
-
£ * ? » f
ftn ftj)(1 Uw!W B1Jrojlts w,,re *>.•.. In former Y* aw
are «aM to Lave riilded *™ loca e
the hea
Tboy ro^v " '
. (. ^ from Loret(>i and ttp.
the olive trees space on hillsides where olives for your own household. A him- rel);1 of t.U common kind growing the surface is apparently poor if there is dred years ago foreign priests set a splen- V t; ^ California Slissious. In only nourishment deeper down. In any did example in trying to acclimatize the ]f<70 } f «£, ()n th(j 0<t.ltc twfilve tn%es case, we should get our plants from parts olive trees in California. We are enjoy- , hundred years, which
that are similar ;m their namr, to our own. ing the fruit of the few plantations at & . j, t fi ui ( f -t
When I mentioned, hut over-production the Mismons It was a slmme t:,at the^™1^ ^^ Ono Rt
or want of an outlet might bring about successors of the Mission fathers did not a crisis -in southern European olive-pro- imitate those early arrivals and that "< ducing countries, the advice to propapate hundreds of olive orchards did not salute the o,?ve tree, and without fe.r of over- those who came over thirty years ago t ,, doing it, might appear rattier hazardous. |0.,k for something different from fri.it> ! Hut ft seems that there is hardly a greater of the tree. Bin it is not to be excused danger in that respect than there is in tlmt the intelligent grape fanner, whn overdoing grape-growing. A m-rchan- tlas seen his efforts with that fruit crownd f '"• dise that constitute* a daily necessity with splendid success should n-fflect » may hardly be over-produced, or dele fruit of equal rank, of equal productive- riorate, or lose its chance of >eing sold. ne«s and profit. Do not let .your grand- 'j. ;, The greater fear may !>•; a lower and un- children smile at vour indifference to- .•;,.<.; remulierable price. It may be delayed wards a fruit tllllt fc sure to yield mil- J ^ "° J' in being sold, and next it wou,d be con- lio,s to future Californians. ±^,W and
sidered a great loss it a geueralN remu- To finish up let me tell you that the , d t!,ore is ROUlrk fruit Qf 7Q
uerative price sl.oald be reduced to one value of a full grown olive orchard say >I:vated in 1880 oniy eleven came into
1(10 i)l-iiiti>d' in 1881 onlv ton l" ! ' " ' ' "
U
91 Tto ^re i» 20 fee?
uH,,tpt\ 30 oii"e. of gfmmated, and
«h " *
rational creation
>:v
much lower. Economy in the cost ot after the trees are a dozen years old, HI };f
production would be the next protection southern Europe ranges from $10 to *1G »«* But, like wine, oil hus the property of per tree. Should iu value be less in *& keeping and imoroviau Wi*h ago. We California if the plantation is well con- * 1»' are not immediately -affected by a aecliue ditioncd? A thousand trees not occupy- '' "e inthe priSe of olive oil, for, having a ing aMjiiM^t^bji! protective duty_on foreign oil, as long as year) Ba a hundred will be a the law .imposing it is vigorous y en- addition to a property and its forced there will be no great tear ot being probably not regretted. undersold in the United States. And as f^~ The Hardy Olive. the number of consumers will not dim- ****«1* uish fifty millions of inhabitants will have among them millions of consumers of olive oi?, had we plenty to supply the:- with. Xot many years ago, when ,,etr. >om the United States began
toappC southern Eurouean ports and
by reason., its cheapness at once drove
, rx) dd
Inve , f« ,to ilt'.rnate v an
a a ,,i "o The root o * l
low a:id they present rather tho aspect of s'mii'H than of trees, having branch- es at ;\ Mnall liight above the ground. Tlie strong northerly winds of tho
A St. Holena'oorraspon'ToBt Ttlio is winter souson Io<i ino to keep the trees with oliva culture in Europe, i" that way. The cuitinps planted in to the <'all as follows: tlie last year hurt a lonuth of 15 inches,
view of tho expectation that olives those from- J*irct.o of 20 inches. I do- in a few yeitrs form an important-prived, Vjimng ^trcc*, from the roore 1 in our production--, a few facts Vuttin/jso1 f'flieir tvigs !• seems to have in relation to their market rr.lne mar b«-Mi an injurious proceeding, as
the common illuminating oil out of the Pro™ 'ntor^tinsr. The real Tala. of those on winch the branches were kitchen and parlor lamp, an alarm spread «ood «" '«r.f*' °1™» oil. by the car- K*l*««l. do well
. nlive irrowers who reasonably K° or in considerable quantities for ei- Mr. F. P. informs Dr. Eron Borstal ^^^^ri^^^\^^t%9^^'^»V». *!*> to *200 per that according to Kllwood Cooper's p,odnce That t ley em *-l es after a J°». wi'i> «»!», *™ <?" bo,rd. 'Ibis rule, none of the shoots of first year's
proou *."~J'T7. .=,..... :.... briri.j* the pound of olive oil to about grov. th should be disturbed, as
nine cents, if place;! in competition bv taking tliein awuv the growth r with oil producing countries. ' About of the roots will be affected. I .ton pounds .of o&vos bmng required for Cuttings from my neighboi-- ^ ona of oil, tho value of one pound of hood planted by "me brought 'olives is less thin one csnt. CV.cuUt- forth leaver; these dried up, began to
coal oil, did not diminish the consumer
dropping of the value of the latter, expected surplus, the reality of over
>nvj v^yuv. V^.«1O H 1<»U~ lOilll IBikV tSO | V1H3O13 **4 »••*• **i J >'»-pjM"
^r pro. inS ; values by the price of the imported! grow strain and died again. I planted
duction never took place, and I have the ftrt'*c'e arriving in bottles, being gur- in Deoemi'er and January; probably
* "•- - - , (* jl&r^Afl V.*l f.l» (1 It f "9 f Yt\'. *rl\f «/1«\", m 'innl s-.n fi _ i .1 ... . — ,1 V .-..- .«.-, 1 . .,- li-.iTl 1 A \1 O \- «
word ot a man forit whohas beendoincr e!l*r£«d with duty , freight, commission, October and November would have an export business in olive oil for many ®to-!and. 1>einK ta«T>i'iee governing the been tl10- nlore Hin>roPriate l'lnnti"g years in Greece, that the conjunctures of »°rniA market, the result is much months. My olives grow on even land the world's markets for that article have m°r? * •t'^.'ctory than the producer. of manifold 'formations, mostly of al- for a dozen or more years never allowed , ' making up the bmigf-i for the luvium from tho monntains. The the accumulation of the crops of more u-11',?' *,Cil ari'.'Tlni? at tlle figure* eA mountains consist of horizontal strata than one year An article seems pretty 1 , w p»on»bly toll it Of saii.lstc me and calcareous formations.
solid in the commercial world which ' a when we have to depend /en Quite near i« found plastic loam, and
finds a de.aand equal to the supply for a ' market, planters, will asi tlie BOJI nml.,. the coast strongly iinpl-eg.
period of several veurs. Practical growers wba' ". Devalue of olive oil iu the ,,^0.1 with salt. The placed land con-
saipping centar* of Europe, and sists ,nrtKtly of light soiL sometimes at what is the lowsat prioe_^i_jikwib it a j,,-,.- depth having a solid crust of
«nrth. uu other places at - or. 3 feet
ractical g
will bo able to inform us if even one-half the present price ol California olive oil would not be remunerative. I should say that - ven one-third the present price, -ewiU be greater WiJeso .«. .,,:ed will pay the economical .farmei, rided he ha., taken heed to 'plant the proper variety of trees that ' yield Hinia sure crop. There may not bf fortunes in the article it prices go to their proper level. But then the expense of the cultivation of the olive tree is but slight, and it may not be recessary to do things on a scale of many hundreds of 'acres; quite tlie contrary, the time of (experimenting with the many varieties of olive plants, which may extend over a generation, should rather be employed in moderate planting on the part of many, in fact by every one who can, in order to avoid mistakes, which in the
, ' P "
Liac« at i or
" '1'PtU l»y«" of sand and stone. At 10 J» l 10 ipth under stone and li.no fwmations and clay sand with
Bto"ci? watt'r ls foun'1' the (1ept,h lts «race varying aceord-
and other
;>low: ;hat tU • trees require litlla culti- ,
vation; that the oil is an article that.? , -.,
can I.- stored and become morn T;llll. i»g to the distance from the sea. N (-ar- able with age Thus boiii" fi-ea fromipr to tlie SC1V thc nlasslve tinlst- pobab- the inconvenience that attend or. b' i^"t«'»l with hard-pan is more dinary fruits, oil is a safe investment pronounced. In the interior of onr " produced in superabundance, L'e",lrt!" ?,„ ™* _"" .^MJ?,"* .^
I
that
States and consumers "are rapidly "liven nre more sncc(>SMfully grown in growing in nuuii ' s°il containing salt than in soil f-ee of
online contents.
Home years ago I received some oil grown at Muleji, which according to tho opinion of experts was of very goo^'
wh«n produced in iuperabimdaao* l>ftn»»» oves are sa no o antj ovor production is out of the quea- wel1- wuile llt L°rcto !1»<1 Mulegi ther tion, esptfoiftlly in a counter where pop- are trees tiiat bear abundant fruit, uhition increases as in the United nm-v l^eiluce from my observations tha
quuLty. Varieties that require little moisluro and yield »i good oil, as well as such that produce plenty nnd big fruit for uiekling will bo desirable for here.
In Coiijinondio there are olivo tre«8 Rrown, brft only in one pardon do they yield fruit. I have hoard of one tree in that grove that produce* minimally Home 800 gnllons (?) of olives of small
CALIFQF.WA OLIVE Oil.
How it if »J :.<!,. ,it Sants, 1tnrl,n i-a, nnel
tlie World ApinrrUiU' rsaiita Barbara Cor. St. Louis Globe-
• • "it* .1 • * • -i-iv/.i, in j J^%L»UVJ illllH'JH
RITA, probably of Accbnche variety. 4,ooo walnut, the :i,500 (.live the i
In San Ygnncio tiie olive tiees do not fr°,?Vr^,; !c, odi! 1'uli.(Ire<^ of
yield fruit. Is this a mistake in the encalf^us^ree'to^^lifonita^nd11
variety planted or is tho soil their growth, or for tha growtl olives?
Both olivo and date trees experience a considerab Yogotativc inipnlHo in winter than in other seasons hero, The male palm trees show their full blossom's already in Jimuarv.
••#
200 lie, the other fruits, Introduce the has seven
USanctS 01 (1
well bewildered willi gre
:r all that there is of practical interests there are down the ' Hol- tlie lima the the ranch from
. -aised 24,000 poundslrojn sixteen acres! a third one raising 2,600 from one acre real- ized 8187 for that small crop, it mlabt beasJ sinned th,-,t they all three knew beans, and at Car- penteria beans almost usurp the place of the
Kr^r.plnBSlranto%irn™ gi'ove in full bearing, although the trees are mere
AGRICULTURAL.
Olive Oils.
San Francisco Grocer aud Cauner.
Enough has been done by Cooper of
Santa Barbara, tho Kimballsof San Diego,
md tho Wolfskills of Solano, in the culti-
. in point ,.. a.'je t.. some, of the cen- ,
tiu-y-old olive trees in Italy and tlie south of B011IO Tilings Obtained fi'Olll I France. Jo tlie inexperienced an olive
tree looks very much like a willow tree save " ""' lr-1--- ' - "•"•- T-
that the leaf is darker and the under side
' Of" Yaliie t« the farme
r.
green r»iinge
vation of tho olive, to demonstrate that £
the tree thrive* wnll in California -mrl OHIWII from a cutting. It blooms about the first uee inriyes Tveu in caiiiornia, ana of May. and the fruit ripens from November to hence to establish the fact that it is a January. The olives for nicking are gathered in profitable tree to cultivate. The trees be- 'September or October, before they are fully
to U:e jasmine family; lias an ever- Olive Culture.— H?he -levelling Fvollfic ge; produces fruit In seven years when
Grape— Slanting- Trees.
OLIVE CULTURE.
the trees, and the tUtaw for tlie five years !*^masu.r ll:!lld :,hd u ^Tani (.ve are detected previous, and with good care, the increase ,,„, r.vel.v si(|e. The. oi! is made in a wooden is large from year to year for a century : blinding back of the residence house, and the ex- longer. Indeed, there are olive trees in qnisite neatness and cleanliness of the place is
ic ten
tree prqtecte,(l by corus^ras or tor n;)rr« terlttl. 'ilmwftiot smjj&edecl .with CuttiugM. and a half f uc t : •• any in-tince; nor hi J, iJjlll -IlilpJrWuUs-trTO^laining cfitT / twenty incBes deep. I have had nothing tut
Olive cultivation thus offers different from any other profitable
crop in California, and these cond
favor tho cultivation of plantations ofK "ft, js" thrown into tanks, olives in thousand-aero tracts, or in sec- followed to settle, and then tions of six hundred and forty acres, sub- oM, strained three times through Uoth, once divided into ten-acre holdings, costinji ithrqi eh paper, and fluaUy l)otUe4. about «tril Ml 01- -SV) an -icro will, the 'tr..,£ '<ju;<lil> of the oil Is pin up in long quart bottles doout Jfoou, 01 500 an .u 1 1., v, ith _ tne trees J5eavi ' ti ., maker's i:an,c on cork and glass. V cry flye years oM and in full bearing. Tins ,,lttle „•?,•„,,., eond QiialitV oil. resulting from tlie would require an annual payment of SI 0(1 second pn sing of the pulp, is made; but when i on each ten-acre- tni'-t, or a semi-annual |l» prepared 'or the market it is put up iu pint payment of Sod. The crop of the sixth bottles and dn, is seco
VI-MI-, as demonstrated by theolive growers above ™med, will pay' for the enti^
lay at 500 an acic, and « hen eight jeais saflle're(] .1,1
old tbe trees will produce not less than «ir)il an acre net income, or si^dl) net for a ten-acre tract. A plantation of 640 acres could therefore be rented, with profit to the manager, at SfciOO an acre, or £2,W<i f»r ten acres, as it would give him an income .of !ji50 aji acre, or SoOO on each len acres, making a total income of s:!^,00(l from a mlanttffion of CM acres. But there are [plenty of men well able lo manage such plantations who would be happy enough to lie able to make one-sixth of that sum, or .s".,000 a year, and there are many others with a small income, such as clerk-;, teachers, bookkeepers, and all persons on small salaries, who would be independent with an annual income of £1,0(10, or *lnO an acre from a ten-acre tract, with :i cer- tain assurance that the income will in- crease from year to y"a> for several generations. In a pamphlet published by Kllwood Cooper of .Santa Barbara, the statement is made that some of his best trees, eialit years old, produced two thous- and gallons'of berries to the aere, and the Huropean standard is eight gallons of berries for one gallou. of oil, which gives a product of t\vo hundred and lifly gal- lons of oil per acre*. The oil finds a ready market at s,"> per gallon, which gives an income (.f Sl,i",0 an acre for the best eight- year-old trees In an exceptionally good year. The net iin-ome from such a crop wo-.ild not be less than si, 000 an acre, and there can be no doubt that Mr. Cooper's statement is correct, for lie lias no motive fur deception, and is of such probity "f character that his word is never ques- tioned. But the estimates we have made are based up. m an income of but HIOII an acre, or one-tenth the sum actually real- ized by Mr. Cooper from bis U'st oight-
vear trees. Here is a sub.jo.-i certainly "worth v the attention ..f fruit mo'.u-rs.
stone Avhecls. Following hat, top end, which had become, dry, and about fl1 shimmed Bame fr°™ &* bottonj^lfBUji had roll
planted the balance-ait" unu;;r around, auc gov good trees. I havcr'tried ill lengths ff tinge, from three feet domtetajLeii j,nc"ut-> would rather nave* thenj*]|Wl8£bt« loat than inoreasecr"t(), ..twelve "/niches, but : inches. For starting jn tmrsery J» plant the" cuttinfs 'with-ithBh»-.ttops an ini!i or t^o^^giit of •tite^feuadiif fad aboiitV-Mrty inches between tffe r'aws-^fhe. earth throbn tip In m.aliing the tr^ncliesjlior ft/igation wtHfcover' Tlie olives are ihe tops. For orctrtro: planting, nuke r tusin plant''-.! vvitu :- to the acre. The av- jabout two feet m diameter^and say three "aclie.s
•Jelu (.f '.'ne tire ill T if
eallons of olr. n. tmn vdiioli three nallc are n;;:de. 'i ),e oil is sold at, Wholesale
and co""tiuR ^ilt1Ili*i¥'ea*«goo toiir irrigations dHiiug'tbe summer, w!i the Jiii-ins this last winter Icarth finely pulverjzed after' each irj&tMai l'i 000 "bottles" of oii were made on [There is no reason way at least 90 j tlie Cooper place. Y,"hen one begins |gnould not grow. Pack the earth ver
about olive oil an endless subject is opened by trampins; it, with tlie feet while bei<>- iiUed , ji.id ibe fviiiuls and adulterations of wines are in aroun(j tne cutting, "begmnin? at theoogpm nsatan in coinparlsou to me Wckeij ii and ^^^ tothe top. i think there daneer
Pnve olive oil is almost unattainable
i poited f
'Mr.
in the, t isiade a s;it:i.-i .1
t thSV '.er comes to (he. \
really pure olive oil is
Paris; wliil.-
Zroin olive oii is i ! Isuflicient in: 'whhoiit effort, aii'l cpir-
pre^sioii when they tail-
•irst. time. Several ot
n.ii'.bly the Union and
Mtli.
for the next' iased closely -ottom, Cut-
help'ed-pick elcveneallons .
naltaJuaWe in
made
•i-nia oil : atic ex- a foi' tbe ., S' 'i-k -!ubs,
...u ^....... ^nfri": a\'enue
cl- "iis'^order their'oii 'di'i- '.er to beat-old tree wMcfii-had T^"*
prevent any doubt about its genuir.-nesi, ami Vith it» The mojt I haye inc! . even t!ie Somerset Club sets the supreme seai of jcpai.oid tree was tii'eeRaU005- Boston's approval on tlie Santa Barba.a oil. -'-- - ~*-«<
THKIiE IS A SOUKY JOliK
On a certain Chicago club, whose steward Iiear- ing of tflfcgtays of tbe preat Kaslcrn clubs, or- Idercd a cas*iif this oil. Tlie members of the club not belli;; connoisseiii-s, rojucted ilieir salads, ' sniffed at ibe oil in tbe cruets, accused the cook i ,ol nsin<r some l.ase luliriciitor and returned to their lard and the spurious articles under Bor- ilcn.ix and Lucco labels. To tbe champion salad- lakers and the avtisls in rnayoniiaise it is aston- hing how little real olive oil will make a deli-
i dressing, the proportion between it and tbe
m-sced pi-oducts bi inff as one-ball. Til.-. ( ' |Mr. Co
.nds arc gathered by
n ii:ose lands of the iiact "witn a ipade/ preseing'flie /
' fv 1:V-e'enC1'e >s -ed *he )ast one in making the openii(
n fc s lur tfefa bmtuotl tbe earth is Nme °SSSIf Kd the cuttings from top to -Jffviota ; -me of genuine lings well planted ana well tak i, and that bear fruit enough-Ike fourth
" cnltivftti»n. Many trees w« ,
ye»r, and I have never seen af wellf Arcd tor tree that did- uot bear some/troit tha fourt \y ear. T»ea transplaAtuj,.taiii ,n"rs«r^ ai j? .x° ears old ^?ijl geldotn bear fbf fouewing y( ,\ itshould bear well th«l«ccfcd Kar. L U«VB " fruSlrorova four- keu
n i [M^y*" fciv^ TT «u jf».» -" n- — .
Eg noTitber tree eate^cious ofr Or cfhich will respond to good *o valuable^ cjcoti o- a ziven-
»us dressing, tne proportion u? ivy ecu u uno uio
.1 jii-oduets bi inff ;is one-half. ..sand the oil are only one branch of i r Cooper's interests, and his walnuts and his monds are catlicrcu by the ton and sold i'or tbe
-*an Blo^
grower of National City, San
writes as follows: In your u young "•«»» °
questions of your Fresno e^rrrepondsut in!"' ^e tl)C ^sf; Are they planted thei
the issue of October 20th I note several *ame aspcacu and other fruit trees and how
things which do not correspond with my long berorc they will bear?
experience, aud as experience is an excel- olive trees will grow in sandy so:
lent schoolmaster, I may be able to correct land or gravelly loam or cla 'T.wamoMS
Frank A. Kimball Relates perience-A Good Shov^
-.„„. .- the slightest degree, nor have I seen the tends rest tiee protected by corn stalks or any other material. I have not succeeded with cuttings two and a half feet long in any instance, nor have I had good results from planting cuttings twenty inches deep.
I have had nothing but failure where the earth was filled in loosely around the cut-) ting. I hjl> planted olive cuttings every year sinceTB70. I began' with cuttings three feet long, and finding no signs, oi growth at the proper time, dug, thr»^ ,p and sawed about one-third of the IF. h from the top end, which tad become ury, and about the same from the bottom, which had rotted, and planted the balance all un- derground and got good trees.
I have tribd.«**1engths for cuttings, from three fe.-t down to ten,^nches, and would rather have them eigprf incfies long than in- creased to twerva'TncheB, *oit prefer ten inohi f i //
For starting in nursery. I plant the cut-; tings with" their tops aifin^h or two out of the ground and about thirty inches between the rows. The earth thrown up in making) the trenches for irrigation will cover the tops. \
For orchard "plantin^aake a basin about two feet iu diameter ana say three inches deep, with the cuttiugin the center and about le*il with the^TotTtom of the basin, coveringVhe top three or'tour inches \v;th earth anil give threu or four irrigations dur- ing the sunnier, with "Hie earth finely pul-j verized aft* each irrigation. There in no reason wbylat least 90 per c«ut should n< ' grow
o e is ,nore ha^y ,than ^
fJ^hcasS the tree should K by cornstalks, which permit a ci,
eVrst year onl
les, out uiu-j tiiu m<j<- ~.- --j r- • ," . mittines about two and ahalt ieet in le.-c,-— These are set in the earth iu a hole made '>y a sharp iron bar to a depth of about 'went* inches Alter the cutting is piaceu iii hole trie latter should be tilled with water.- which fits the earth completely around the foot of the cutting. The hole i* then to be ruled uu loosely and MJjOund of earth pi led up loosely around the cutting nearly to the top and kept there the firaUyear. It some- times happens that the cuttings will no grow the Hrst year at all, but wul s arl lout the second year quite vigorously. The tree needs but little moisture where there are copious winter rains. In dry climates about four times a year would be often enough to irrigate the olive plant. The trees do not bear transportation very well aud many < t them die in consequence of removal; but the cutting is hardy and is not troubled by
LUIlueJuraii iivw i"
any other material. I have
gophers.
it trees are planted they wiU need several Irrigations during the first summer. They , are planted like other trees. But their roots tee extremely sensitive aud need special care waile being transplanted from the nur- sery to the orchard. The tree bears usually in from live to seven years after planting from the cutting and in from four to six| years from planted trees. In regard to tno, cost of trees the latter will be referred to nurserymen to respond. The Herald is not favorlnu any particular dealer, but during the winter will contain the advertisements of the leading nurserymen who have trees and nuttings for sale. If the cuttings are' large the top should be protected by a coat-; iniroi'wax or clay to prevent being dried out by the sunshine. The tree will bear for 2000 years or more and the fruit is very
Mirror: 111" "•• "r <'ni; Kinaldo's olive trees exhibit
since 1870. Tlirpo foot lolli!, ana mining ••" «"n — —
^SthISSoffeE
iHStfSr ESS
which had rotted and planted the balances all under ground, and got good tiees. h ve tried°all lengths for cuttings tarn three feet down to ten inches, and won II rather have them eight inches long than increased to twelve inches, but preter ten i,,,.hos. For starting in nursery I plant the cuttings with their tops an inch or tw o out of the top of tno ground, and about thirty inches between the rows, earth thrown up in making the trenches for irrigation will cover the tops orchard planting make a basin about two fe"t in diameter, and .say three inches deep, with the cutting m *«.cenler,a about level with the bottom of the basin covering the top three or four inches with '•tl arid three or four irrigations during '-. "' -ti. »!,„ north tinplv mil-
th
P.* the iarth very closely by tom^^**rf*^rt^iw£& *™«£ it with the i^et while being filled iu around negs.
ooutiuue to
I think thtir
tings in nursery by simply mating a noin ., name in me t*>» • e
with an iron bar, as there is likely to be a ,;maldo what attention am c "^ ™ £ vacant space at the bottom of the cutting. Olive trees. ' 'What .do ,> ou _vlc I have seen many failures by this practice.; reply was: "All :
I plant wilih a spade, pressing the earth «i;,r«<, ,,tl againstAhe last one in making the openi for the next. By this method th» earth closed :losely around tha cutting from
to bottdn. «m*
Cuttfcgs well planted and well tiken car
of should bear fruit enough the fourth ye-
to pay '.for cultivation. Many trees w
lirar the third year, and I have never seen
a well cared for tree that did not bear some
the'summe'r, with the earth i verized after each irrigation. *•• — • t reason whv at least 90 per cent, shou d not • the earth very closely i>v
i.- 1 , i 1 r. Via t no* tl . .„ „
... the
think
II U.< ' 1 JH |^itvi»n*"& •" rn'
simply making a hole with an iron bar, as there is likely to be a vacant space, pressing the eartb against the las
raiisp- anted from nursery at two years
llc*"-l . _ .1 4^.1) Avirtnrv *'rtd r
fruit the loath year. >ts traisplauted old wil seldom bear the
u .
Trees traisplauted from nursery at twu
fol
_______
bnt elnnld bear well the
llowing second
year, year.
I have hekgd pick eleven gallons ol fruit from a far-year-old tree, which had no extra -painbtaken with it. The most I
three gallons,
I think there is no other tree so Unacious of life as the olive, or which will respond to good cultivation with so valuable a crop on a given area.— Los '-—'-1
i showed _ ilevicc for pricking wlliell
sjxviny •«« — -- whereby each olive wa «f-naratelv.
LJIVQ."&; ' - oitl Wl:
ndred gallons a day. ,)llt >L
meu and tiv:-s are America. So now. arc in "'I''
^
;ed
tree ;li!y n-iturali/.i'il, ;t-
\'vr,iit, tl) (lo ill
Olive St. f-iP
Tiie e>
successfully cultivated ori sland, Ga., and oil made; -is been prot, innced by i.i'»'vs not inferior to thei ^ns of France or Spain. fenl in olive trees lias ^.. — . ' iy made, and trees have yielded regular crops since 1835. The1 oil crop from these islands is annually sold at from six dollars to eight dol- lars per gallon.
This is an i.nJustry that can be fol-1 lowed with [ "it in California, all that is lacking . the mills to reduce the fruit to oil.
i'ell the second year.
; OKI tedious process, J^'g "nol I)G(I , pic-k elcve,. gallons o handled and sliced fruit from a four-year-o Id tree, ; whi c h .1 ad no extra pains taken with it. Ihe most l have picked from a three-year-ohl tree, •V, three gallons. I think there is no. other tree so tenacious of life as the olive, or which will respond to good cultivation vith so valuable a crop on a given area.
FRANK A. KIMBALL. Nati,,nal City, California, October i^
THE OLIVE BOOM.
>r the last few weeks no little competition b.een goini! ou between large buyers of
.met and several local proprietors who have uilvo trees available have been besieged by
i .„ — . -pjim-jpaia O£ future olive
after load of tlie beautiful green lassed through town, soino to shipped away, others to con- be rooteti 'and thence trans- it, coring places. The Santa ^ D by the/ olive branches intended for that place, -wUt be a great prodacing; country for fruit and oil in years to come, and
',,. .. o-.n lil-c lii the elaborate preparations being made at Suuol, jcasionaly aelhnjj.lf0] !gau< ww u. Alamida county, acd the thousands of witlings .,..,,,,, it, (loi^ in i : -ui'ii' i;, ,'•'•''.'"'>' ''" beinp sfippad tbere would indicate that much
may ••* expected of that place when time .fruition. The main source pf supply of .lie-. iufinge is several ol^l places about town
Ht:\t(v. and the. nun.
,.„ .„ "is southing marvelous as xJ
,, customary to place a small plate pickled olives beside each person ['dinner. Being C.ali!ormaft, they !asai.iat.t<-rof,'.-Hrs,', twice the ^ Inary si/.c, aftd very juicy aijdjresh HI fl.iv\,r "Ti.c .'live crop Is v, TV pemuuerltive, th- ft-uit of on« t,,,.
sionaly selling for • orange, it. <!<•• •:;v '
to fouili' lime
;te tlu.ii. wliolc cur.- to aim growing; one ^-ntlfniMu at , ISiirlKti-a, cultivutv ,;53,00
almoni
iuc •- UVHU14B 10 bcvciiu o places about town jiJ near here. The prices range from eight !ve dollars per thousand, with a lively de- a-. mirL— Mantel llti ;7iai'a Tnilanfntle.nf.
W1E
tj
While spme ^
county -ieve that, owing to the E D R Bianciardi contributes lin large acreages of new vines planted article entitled "Under the Olives' each year, not only here but in all ,Q wllicu the cu]ture of that tree and portions of the State, there will result ^ manufaoture of olive oil in Oaii. in a few years an overproduction tl it ^^ ^ ^^ favorably noticed. will make the business unremunora- ^ t exhibition of oliye oil by
tivo, still the large majonty are o r ^ f
toJ5-2?5l SI vs^h! f^ Los Angeles ha ^ in this fertile valley. Be jeot more prom
may there is a wide field tion of the put: -m the vari-
or the cultivation of the soil to other ous accounts it ,to, that the oul- prolucts and in a diversity of pro- Nation of the olive in those regions lacts is the assurance of a country's adapted to it promises the largest welfare. Napa county presents a and most long continued profits ol splendid opportunity for the culture anything that can be grown. There of the olive, an industry that is meet- ,8 an old Tuscan proverb which says ing with great success in the central "Plant a vineyard for jourself. an and southern portions of the State, iorange orchard for your children though yet in its infancy. To the nd an Ouve orchard for your grand- query whether the tree will grow here Children. " But in California the the answer can be made that it flour- .pjanter of an oiive orchard may rea- ishes in ^ilM '"jail anf00f easts' |sonably expect to reap the benefit of H" t iTniay be successfully cultivated it himself and then leave it for his here ^.t the banking house of Jaa. ghjidren and successors for many H. Goodman & Co. ^^io^fMl generations. , Olive trees grown branch frorn *"i^egV6j[e^a^ grown at from seed do not bear for many th^residence of Geo. N. Cornwell^at jeal.s> but from cuttings, sprouts,
roots come into bearing in from to eight years, and continue to
'a'nd'set'thetrTout in the yard". The ^row through centuries. Mr. Bian- next year he started several others .^^ ^^ of Qne neur Nice> tllat is
pTanted^thTordinary soil, wVo'ne known to be over one thousand years exception received no unusual care, bid, and in a single year produces were exposed to heat and frost with- 500 oun(ls of oji. The tree is
the resence o . . ,
the head of Seminary street. Mr.
the flower-garden and hence received region south of Monterey, and irrigation and cultivation, making a Luia 0bjspo \la,a ;,,,0.-. known as the little stronger growth than the others Tree „ The
Th« trees have borne quite a number
of excellent olivea this year, being the Spanish missionaries knew the value
fifth year from the slip and seed. o{ ^s tree an(j planted it at an early
iQne of. the trees P.la°^ "^f^g*. date, but Americans know little of it in six inches m diameter, lur. uori
well has no doubt that the cultivation and the groves of the missions have of the olive could be made in a few'been negiected until they are value- t'llY JSS^SpSKS °S*£i 1- « tave been destroyed. La, There i< f no waste in working up the terly more attention has been paid olives. They make a delightful table to tueir valuable products and it is article when pickled and in this form bable that ero manv years olive
rl'f "m \SW^WlStaS S culture and oil manufacture will be Ithe article for table use. The pulp is ^ong the leading industries of the heated by steam and a lubricating oil ^ coast From the reports
UUl.ll !•>-» *i*B«»fcw *- — x _
pound, when used as hog-teed, any other sji'^tanco kno"' i •
Oliv^Dulture ia \n]>n.
It ha/oei
xt no.* been^retty well demonstrat- 0_- ed that all fruits, flowers and trees ,'"
profitable business the farmer could engage in. At a late meeting of the State Horticultural Society it was stated that an olive farm yielded Mr. Ellwood
will prosper in this county. Happen- ing up at Napa Soda Springs yester- day we found the practical florist and gardener of the place, Mr. Law- rence O'Toole, busily occupied iu set- ting out and transplanting a large lot of olive trees that have come from the now famous olive ranch of Col. W. W« Hollister near Santa Barbara. These trees are three years old, trimmed to about eight feet high, and i igorouii, healthy and attractive ly fresh in both bark and leaf. This experiment of an olive orchard in this county will bn wVitohBd here with a great deal of interest ;*r besides be- ing a beautiful tree torfohade and o- nament the olive is a v»y profitab production as an artiola^f commerce.
Cooper of Santa Barbara issued a pamphlet in which he stated that in an orchard of four years growth he had inhered over two "allons of berries tror • trees. In 1880, the trees
then ug eight years old, some of 1 5 and fullest trees bore forty gallons of olives. One hundred trees per acre at such rates would pro "'uce 40,000 gallons, and five gallon.' olives will produce one gallon oi oil, and one gallon of oil will mat tivo bottles which usually sell <• SI. 25 per bottle. This of course ; an enormous result, and a fourth o it would be a great profit. The fig ure? of Mr. Cooper are very favot able, and should be so enoouragiu; t i .rmers as to induce .the genera Anting of olive tree0
The Los 'Ancles Henti •: publishes a letter from Frank a./i^ _ of National City, on olive culture. As Mr. KimbaH has been very successful in the cultivation of the olive. • ex-
perience may be of benefit S^KKrs. we reproduce the letter in full. Ho writes :
KmTOB HBKAI.U: In your auswer to the questions of your FnM.o correspond- ent—issue of October 20th— 1 note seve ral things which do not cot-respond witl my experience, ana as experience is an ex- cellent schoolmaster. I may be able to cor- rect some impressions which your article may leave on the minds of persons wish 1 ing to investigate the olive question. • have never seen the olive injured by in the slighter : legree; nor have I seen t>..- vnderest tt protected by cornstalks or any .other „ ceriai, I nave not suc- ceeded with cuttings tw.> and a half feet long in any instance: nor have I had good results from planting cuttings twentv inches deep. I have had nothing but failure where the earth was filled in loosely around the cutting. I have planted olive cuttings every year since 1870. I began with cuttings three teet long, and finding no signs of growth at the proper time, dug, threw up and sawed about one third of the length from the top end, which h*d become dry, and about the same from the bottom, which had rotted and planted the balance, ail under ground, and got good trees. I have tried all lengths for uttings. from three feet down to ten inches, and would rather have them eight inches long than increased tc twelve inches, but prefer ten inches. For starting in nursery I plant thb cuttings with their tops an iuch or two out of the tops of the ground, and about thirty inches between the rows. % The ea- thrown up iu making the trenches for ir- rigation will cover the tops. For orchard planting make « basin about two feet in diameter, and say three inch»s deep, witl the cutting in the center, and about Ieve. | with the bof-Jtn of the baaia, covering ttu j top three or four inches w ith earth, and three or four irrigations during the ainn- i m< .T. witu the earth finely pulverized after each irrigation. There is no reason why i at least 9(1 per cent should not grow. Pack the earth very closely by tramping it with the feet while being filled iu around the cuttings, beginning at the bottom and continue tc. the top. I think tkere is dan- s/er in planting cuttings in nursery by i simply making a hole with an iron bar, as theVe is likely to be a vacant sp;i< the bottom of the cutting. I have seen many failures by this practice. I plant with a spade, pressing the earth against the last one in making the opening for the next; by this method the earth is closed closely around the cutting from top to bottom, (.'uttings well planted ami well taken cars of should bear fruit enough the fourtii year to pa}' f'jr cultivation. Many trees will bear the thirl year and I never have seen a well ci.^ *or tree tha*- not b.-.-jr some fruit the f.mrth year. ,
transplanted from nursery at twi old will seldom bear tee follow but should bear well the secoiu- have helped pick eleven gallons " from a four year old tree, which extra pains taken with it. The have picked from -a three year <>M tree, was tin -e gallons. I think there is nc other tree so tenacious of life as the oliye, or which will resp'ond to good cultivation witii so valuable a crop on a given area.
Fn VNK A. Kr' National. Citv, CaL, Oct. 20.
NOTES ON OLIVE CULTURE.
HOT T^Ar /6/ $
»•* Article Number 2.
Frank A. Kimball in National City Record.
way equal to f"wasF7 i earth for the they w<
let the trees grow asl Mil now reaping the re-
tn:> climate ami soil evcry
the most favored spot on earth for the they w< , i(jd
production of these three great staples, ward of • ci-eduiity-i nave mu required and demanded by every nation away more wood than now makes i of the earth, then our lands will be culti- of the tree-of course not all at once. I vated, and but a short time will elapse be- in th'-. venae. now fore California will stand in the front rank ( ' <$tw!es compel me to neglec
Compare this price to that which IS now producing the largest returns W\ . in pruning, but m gene > .
..ii,»H in ,h,«<We. where eveiyci ,1- frQm the 'smaHest irfvestme,H:0f capkol o:; v-v i vesult was low Wtality
•ii-p-i of I'lnd tr^aUf*Xti* litt ' *rHkto resist the scale insect ana
o* tl ic s olive treewUl bedis 3to> ; 3^* wl«'le orchard became in- the oliva^ee. wjjjj b, .,1,,^ sm,^ tQ ^^ an extent that mUe growtl
was made during the past season, and
: 1'i.iv;: ci r/ruRK. almost no fruit this year. I have now
Considerable attention is beingpaicl t. mastered the scale and smulby „'"« aPP1'; ... .... cation of whale-oil soap, applied \utn a
lie cultivation ot the olive in yanoib jorce puinp through a spray nozzle. parts of the conntv. There are aboui The time required for spraying is coni- ,, . i mrativplv little, and the cost of soap but
,00 trees in the county now bearing, ^mal, chargo i',ov tre,, -.he whole opera- tion in no w •• "o • ._ Afte cultivation , if a c "*•
t*- Tht . * -, -t least we can
think ahead to the tune when the plant ! or tree which will produce the greatest
trees at ten years old. jn Syria it isnoi t(, ten in number on the- place. Anothei amount of food on the smallest area of uncommon for snow *o fall to the depth of , , laud will he sought for, and with the
two feet before " V'kinSseason beSins' ':r"V1' "' "lm's Is t"1""1 "n *'"' "lli greatest care cultivated-a fact historically and the snow has to be trodden down with i liovanhii place near Forestville, where true in all countries where the olive is one the feet to make gathering possible, and ,] , , ,, . • of the possible crops.
when gathered, tho fruit is packed on Ho,,! M. 1>. WilcVer, U. S. Commissioner
men's backs, down the mountain sides to md which this season are full of fruit, to the Paris Exposition, in his report to the homes of the gatherers. A. mistake was made in planting the-e'llie Senate of the United States, says of
It has been urged that the olive which B8a,ev wen- vet out more ti,.u, "live oil: "Oil in some way or other plays
has been planted in California, and be- •' II] a I11Ost important part in the domestic
come fully acclimated, is not tne best »mr feet apart. They are now fror*) economy of Europe. It is not only the
.southern crop
the quantity of oil. l can nanny consiuei m ms i umpo Kancno. i ins trees. to fail. Keal olive oil most reauuy agrees
realized in this State, where every op stance relating to the production of oil i more favorable than in Italy, if we may except the price of labor.
For instance, the tree here, will oring J paving crop at four years from plantmr the cutting, while in Italy seven years from transplanting the tree from nursery, then two or three years old, is as soon as _the tree will pay profit, pa,
Here our season for picking the fruit begins in October, usually, and may con-! '••>«
tinue for four or iiye months, making it 1 hese are found principally in the. possible for a man or boy to harvest 4,000 ma y.,iiey at Howe & Hall's ' gallons of fruit, which represents nearly ][,>,)m"r\ .,n,i ,;. , u.,..,i \ ,
500 gallons of oil, or a value of, say §2,000, '
and should be the product of two acres of , while others have a few trees, Iron, tutu trees at ten years old. In 'Syria it is not t|) k,n iu mllnl)l.1. ,,„ the- place. Anothei
from
Jiave become good sized trees before earlier or better varieties have been proven so and have become acclimated. . that was set out in this ci y
11 be,,.
thirty to i1. . >o4.
two \>ai>
And should more desirable varieties bejago lu introduced, it will occasion but temporary loss to graft the Mission olive with them, -' and will certainly place us far in advance seldoir^ of where we would be if we waited till the V( trial can be made and the hoped for result reached.
If it Is found that a little less oil is made from a certain amount of fruit, may not ' that small loss be far more than conipen-( sated for in the economy of harvesting over a long time, rather than be compelled to harvest in a short time?
The habit of the Mission olive whether
i;i to show si;,'ns ol eery slowly, nml ir from !ive U> HO en
• '.' 7.' .;lt
JN OLIVE CUI/TT" r ' Article Number 1.
Frank A. Kimball ill National City There seems still to be a great
Olive trees live far beyond the memory of man, and some indeed passed the ordi- nary limits of tradition.' At Piscio, in Italy, there is a tree which can be proved historically to be more than 700 years old. There can be but little question that trees on the Mount of Olives 2,000 years ago, are there to-day.
'ie question is often asked, " Where .1 ' Queen' olive trees he had ?" and the .lortest answer is this: There is no dis- inctive n: ae applied to any variety of llie olive— it is simply an arbitrary name niisa) adopted by packers. The prepared olives
prehension in regard to the importance < known in common as " Picholinis" are planting the olive — the impression beir not a variety of the olive, but take their
planting
general that the tree is of slow gro
and of late mauirity, so far as the
mpr of s
y severe pruning, n iiignei letters in regard to t«" I droop and shade the trunk, and tne variety of qiiastiliii.i «». : is where the Mission olive has Of tjle geneAHy received oprni age over many varieties which (.'lUlin^i^LulJU'lmitQa where
natural or the result of climatic causes _ _ j ?
since its introduction into California, is to tjoll of frl,jt ;s concerned.
branch low, and if these low limbs be re- j i,ave now on file over " -,,") 7|
moved by severe pruning, the higher letters in regard to t>-
limi>» will droop
right here i
an advantage i -r-^- — ~i .
send out their branches at an acute angle remain, and properly taken to the main stock of the tree, thus expos- planted in January, will be fro-,..-,, ing tho trunk to the desiccating influ- feet high the first year. The lic- ence of our long dry seasons, the ten- they should not be permitted to dency being to evaporate the sap which very much in height— the ends of } Nature intended should be deposited as branches should be pinched oft', wood. growth of the tree thrown into tin
I have tried the experiment and am sat- otherwise, it will grow upward ve isfied that a larger tree can be made in at the expense of the trunk at its ba five years by low branching, than in seven It is of primary importance thf years by pruning the low branches and trunk should be made strong, partic exposing the trunk. All trees trimmed on the coast where the trade win high will have coarse bark and rough, from the same direction for abou
ime from an Italian by the name of Picholini," who discovered the art of ckling the olive.
•jUrowne in his "Trees of America,"
i'ty years ago, wrote as follows: "From
value of its products, in a commercial
u of view aside from other oonsidera-
, the culture of the olive strongly
.ms the attention of the American agri-
'.turist, and the trial sould be made in
••// place where its failure is not'
ail)."
generation ago, in Italy, the market ue of the tinest olive oil was less than jhty (SO) cents per gallon to the pro- icer, and was at that date consi'V->v>d the ost desirable crop to raise, *use-
leuce of its cert" of , the
iiount of labor requi. ion, and the income per [To be (
01 , tne
lui.v . in its prodjic-.
„ , from the same direction
like the bark on old apple trees, but when months of the year; and if this tr,'.
protected by foliage, the bark remains any other, is permitted to grow a slenaer [* to' the
smooth and green. pane, it has no strength to resist this con- CouEidernble attentio
Many people are of the opinion that the slant pressure of the wind, and will have -
an inclination from the wind just in pro- portion to its strength to resist the pres-
olive tree may be planted on land which is
worthless for any other plant and, as a
general conclusion, say the olive will grow sure — my orchard is the best evideur^ of
anywhere and thrive without care. Ex- this fact.
perience in Southern California will prove
the fallacy of such conclusions and I be-
lieve it may be written down as an axiom — that every plant, to secure the best re-
With the knowledge which all .ho have planted olives have gained bv ex- perience, and whj- U .,^«ry man is and anxious to communicate to
place, while othe In number
llooper'B and General ve a lew trees, from four to teu , the place Another wove o
suits must be planted in soil adapted to its wishing to plant — no one need to make a
mistake— and what has been done by the best of us in five years can be accomplish- ed in three years.
Judicious pruning is absolutely i-
tial, and consists not in letting a great mass of limbs grow to a diameter of one, two or three inches and then cutting them oft'— thereby injuring, perhaps perman-
nature, in locations adapted to its habits, and receive such care and cu-ltirati<»i as would entitle the owner to ejjjcct satisl'ac-) tory returns.
Hundreds and perhaps thousands ol i^jrgoes of earth have been transported or vessels from tho Island of Cyprus to the Island of Malta, carried up the mouutain
. \jii MIDJTOUJ' aiijui 1 1 1 i; i j.'ci iiaj^a t*^1 iii<**<-
sUlesonlhe heads or shoulders of men ently, the vitality of the tree, and lessen- and women, and added to the poor rocky, ing 'the size of 'the tree by one or two sterile soil of the y mountains and make it years' growth — all of which would have
'
possible to produce the wonderful crops that have made that islan 1, having an area of less than six or eight miles of arable land, tho most productive of any similar area, probably, on the globe, there be-ing an annual export of from $0,000 to §10,000 in the product of the olive tree, mulberry tree and the vine.
ii.i.niuii.'iii.* VACTJ «»UIA vuv »7 ttllu JUSb \\iieic 11 SIJ
-WJjeu__thepeoplc of Southern or, for symmetrical shape.
i • • . i /-i_ i : * :_ -._.!_.. *'_
been avoided by pinching off the ends of branches which are growing too fast, thus throwing the strength of the tree into the part desired; and by rubbing oft' the sprouts, where limbs are not wanted. By; this method of pruning, no wood is made ' and thrown away— it is nil in the tree1, / and just where it should be to make a
seldom bear order rom flve to seven years. Santa Btja^Ztemoc*.' ^____-
! s the ra?etb IB season. Ey- cry year lucre is a preference for a special • Ii-uit.
that matter7~N^iTth««iX'alifornia wake up- 1<noA'iedgo of
Olive Groves' ol
[Harper'3 Magazine for January ] The longer one remains in Mentone, the stronger grows attachment to the olive j js. But they do not seem fit places e young, whose gay voices resound: gh their gray aisles; neither are they ie old, who need the cheer anil warmth But they are for th" middle-
-• are beyond tJ y^ched the peace 01 . aiembered, hard-worked middle- ,the olivea of Mentone are small, f^d only for making oil. We saw ^ athered; men were beating the vith long poles, while old women n collected the dark purple ber- ,ced them in sacks, which the ...jnkeys bore to the. mill. The oil ire venerable and picturesque little i of stone, placed in the ravin, is a
..
3 > n ' ' ^~'-
.0 ;
.;-.. will - •-' be one '. •
•V ,,f Hie Stale. The
..-.a to 860.--
000,000 annual! v. jalifoniiu can p- ,,ud \Vltll tliis p' •(llitU'i;: ui 1 hj 'll?t' ' ,,
shou.'i be s •• t tho bi^t v
tart.
Almost daily there are Inquiries rloni parts gf the country for reliable nu. -, serymeu who deal in olive trees an'' cut
whieh slimv that the people arc- steadily realizing tUe value of this most ex- cellent Iruil, ,- 'ined to be one of the £reat sources of wealth to the State. It is time to be looking around for cuttings for
ring planting in order to secure all that are needed. The MKsiou and the ijiicen olive are the principal varieties now cultivated In this part of tho country, but if other kinds arc wanted there is time en- before the planting Beaso^"*<*iJ»?H>iBXthcai from France, Hj.iviu or ' -.-•
^ HEW vAirli .ifcv
Frank A. Klmball writes me that he .finds a great difference in time of ripening in different
trees in the orchard of the old Mission)--someau_^llus= vl „„ , r
trees perfecting their fruit in October, while wnere there is a stream of water. vVe other trees are two months later. This would Baited one on the side hill: its only light indicate that according to the position and soil ,am8 from the open door, and its interior we should plant the variety adapted to it. Ma- ^ade a picture which Gerard Douw might turity seems to depend npon the power of heat well have painted. The great oil jars; th that acts upon the tree. Each kind requires a ^ hearth and oven, the earthen jQgs> different amount of heat. Unless there are anejn2 lamps with floating wicks, and distinct varieties at the Mission orchard Mr. ?"%„., re9 Of the men moving about, made Klmball speaks of, the locality and situation, "le. u= The fru{t wag first
soil, moisture and degree of heat received in f picturesque .ne. i ne ir the aggregate, by the trees maturing their frushe.l by stone rollers, th« *he™ ° fruit iu'October, should be observed, studied -irned by water-power; the pulp, sa ratea and made models of, for we should suppose •<•«. warm water, was then placed, u that all the circumstances contributing to allow t rope baskets, which were piled one
the tree a long rest, after Us season's work, will ^ tne other, and the whole subjected to be in favor of its longevity.
To mention a few of the early r varieties, which will reach our coast and, as to the share for the University
f oruia and Prof. Hilgard personally, will re- ceive due care for future practical results, there will be among them the Manzcmillo olive, re- quiring only 3,400 degrees of heat (while the Mission olive needs some 4,000 ceatigrade de- grees.) The Mamanilfo fruit reaches seven grammes of weight, is excellent for pickling and yields good oil. r ,
The Sedonvillo olive, a small fruit, but of ex- cellent qualities and requiring likewise on*' 3,400 degrees ef heat.
The Nevariilo bianco, a cop". <ns bearer >. pretty large fruit, yielding abundant and exc< I- lent oil.
The Empellre, the principal variety of the. northern Spanish provinces, multiplied chiefly ; by grafting, an excellent bearer, yielding o •£•, prime quality, resists frost, and, therefoi^n doubtless of ereat value to the coulei regions of- California.
The Gordal, as hardy a tree as our Missj.- V yielding one of the best pickling olives, whl U holds equally good oil.
The Verdejo, a tree having the same^m^ts ^
•Qir > ' '
Olives.
Cbncoiii F'
John Garcia, whop" located about two mi. growing two olive tree- . about six years ago. At th were ttfo years old. They n'- .j gallons of fruit to e(U
..eeiion increasing in yield in — .
an age of 25 or SO years. Mr. Garcia ex- periences no difficulty m their growth, believe the tree, if planted '- "
lanlities.Vould become very profitable to the farmer. Surely many of our farmers would not miss an acre of land set out m this valuable tree, the revenue from which would more than twice exceed that of gram, including their cost and the years they are not bearing. Beside the industry it wou d -°'u un if generally grown would amply •%"»e whose enterprise largely cou- iieir growth in tliia county.
ulV'K CULTURE.
of frost resistance and yielding fruit ali&e gt-ad O for preserving as for oil.
Of late maturing trees the Marvileno, ylti >J ing enormous sized olives, and some relative'
of Filtering or Clarifying
•^Chis is a simple process.
to our Corneniclo Cornicabra varieties, tnd^ D method is to hava a series of
the Picvdo, yielding ohvea twenty-five nett*.' '----- •• •-•• — —
cent larger than the xnents.
latter, will be impreve J
ano;
^.feer of different varieties will
.
j£;re or six boxes, one above the other,
Vfcb. w'ith cotton battiag in thebottorn,
It will sometimes form in the bottles like g'.obules of water, or im films set" tling to the bottom as sediment, and when shaken will give it a muldy ap' peorence, which with tho common pre- judice against all table oils that are not'perfectly clear, ^ renders it unsal- able, as consumers consult more the pye than the taste. The oil is better sjen new and fresh, and what is gains el in the appearance by its remaining a logger time in the tank, is more than lost in its freshness and delicacy of flavor.
To sum up the cost of the machinery in making of the oil, we have as fol- lows; Drier, $150; mill, 8250; two presses, $500: two tanks, $200; filterers, $50; corker, tin foiler, $50; wooden building, $400. Total, $1600.
J>ICKLiH<l.
There are different methods of pre-» paring the fruit for pickles. The one adopted in this locality is as follows; "The berries are put in fresh water, which should be changed every day, for forty or fifty days, then put in salt brine, not very strong, and after re- maining a few days, drawn off, a second brine substituted, made nearly strong enough to bear an egg. The water should be boiled. Keep the olives well covered with the brine. Great care should be taken in handling the berries not to bruise them. The easiest plan when picking from the i tree ie to drop them in water. They are usually picked when thay begin to turn a purplish color." ^ ^^f
Another meffioa," copied from the Pacific liural Press: "Pick the olives as soon as they begin to show a reddish cast and rinse them in clean water. Then t-»ke one ounce of concentrated ye and dissolve in water. One^third of this solution put in water enough to :pover one gallon of olives. After a 'day or two pour off this water.; and add The most |auofchei. ]ye of the same strength. This may be repeated once more, as five or six days are consumed in taking out the bitterness with the lye. The lye
jowl, has
T planted
ie they
"wut
We sufficient
different varieties win «>me .• . ~ , , ,
jsted, f»i't will be a, welcome la^di- ;'>,he oil passing the sixth will be )eau- g]lou-,(j ije U3e,i ur,til the fruit suits the
'Jive planters the meat*. of ,tifully ciear ana ready for market. a healthy dev-oyurent of the industry, thfei,u. " J ortance of which seems to be understood, al&use cylindrical tin 7^rff. in Press an "
Drying: Olive*.
ue berri««"are dried before crushinE/WH .. necessary to evaporate a portion of the waterT
oration has already taken place.no dryin°-. needed after picking. This late picking is\ best. If dried by the sun it requires abok. fourteen days. This plan cannot be depend"* upon, excepting jears when Irnit is earlv ~ and we have continuous sunlight, with i ately warm weather, liy artificial heat rang- ing from 110° to 130 ", the drying can be done in less man forty-eight hours. The crushiu"- and pressing should follow without delav that is, the fruit taken from the drier in morning should be crushed and pressed W same day. Long Intervals or delays in the process from picking the fruit to expressing the oil tends to rancidity. To make perfect oil re- quires a perfect system in the whole manawe- ment. The capacity j)t the press, the crusher, the drier, and the number of pickers should correspond or be about equal ; all fru!t picked during the ds- ould be in at night, cleaned the following ujornmjr, and go into the drier immediately after the previous day's dryin"- is taken out. The heat or temperature of the drier ought to be so graded as to comn'..te tue work in forty- c-isrht hours, and it is beUer that it should be under 130° thaa abo ve. E. jomy win necessitate in the business a system in the different branches of the process admitting of no delays from the beginning to the end.— £1- wooil Cooper in Santa Barltam Priss.
I
f-
vessels holding
about three gallons each, one fitting in the Bother ':• in tiers of three, with fine wire sieves in the bottom of each. On these sieves I place two or three layers of cotton batting. The oil. is passed from one tier to the other until clear. The clarify itig can be done by the sun- light, also, it can be bleached and made much ligtu .. ia 3olor, but not without injuring it. When it is adulterated artificial heat is necessary in the process. When once heated it loses a part of the nutty flavor, and is liable to become rancid when exposed to the air. It should be kept in an ordinary cool place, not exposed to sunlight or heat, neither should it be handled any more than is absolutely necessary in the filtering and bottling, and should not be shaken after bottling. The mucilage contained in the oil will not
taste. The olives are put in pure fresh water until the alkali is well removed. This can be ascertained by the color of the water and by tho taste. In salting, use the best Liverpool "coarse fine" salt, the amount* boing about ten | to the barrel of olives, wator being used to cover the fruit. Barrel up tight and keep in a cool place. All the process should be con- dujted in the dark, as the light is apt to injure the color."
Still another method, which I have copied from the work of Prof. A. Cout- ance, and translate as follows: "Take green olives and after having bruised or broken them slightly, soak in water for nine days, changing the water each
day. At the end of this time they will have lost their bitter taste and can then be put in brine. 'Hot water acts more
rapidly."
"The celebrated olives pickled after'
separate lot- a long time after the oil isf (]j0 manii / <.f Picliolini are put under ready for use, and, as it does not in-, n treatment of lye made more alkaline 'jure it, is not. therefore objectionable, by the addi'lion of quick lime. After
1 paying the olives a certain length of
froorthe seed, a con.lit pends upon the strength of the h the size of the olives; they are then washed and-put in strong brine." "In • tht south tney flavor with fennel and coriander; sometimes they substitute | in place of the seed a ancJtory and a caper cats' the olives sJjoiiUJ
small ^>ieee ol the- latter
oil!"
I 'KB.
iiireiy to be a vacanc space at tue bot- tom of the cutting. -I have seen many failures by this practice. I plant with a spade, pressing the earth against the last one in making the opening for the next ; by this method the earth is closed closely around the cutting from top to bottom. Cuttings well planted and well'takeu care of should
Santa Barbara Prett, January 8. Ellwood Cooper contributes the following on the method of clarifying olive foil: "This Is a simple process. The most com mon method is to have a series of five o._six boxes, one above the other, each with cot- ton batting in the bottom ; the oil passing the sixth will be beautifully clear and ready for market. I uso cylindrical tin vessels, holding about three gallons each, one fitting in the other in tiers of three, with fine wire sieves in the bottom ot each. On these sieves I place two or three layers of cotton batting. The oil ii passed from one tier to the other until clear. The clarifying can be done by the sunlight also; it can be bleached and made much lighter in color, but not without injuring it. When it is adulterated, artifi- cial heat is necessary in the process. When once heated it loses a part of the nutty flavor and is liable to become rancid when exposed to the air. It should be kept in an ordinarily cool place, notexposed to sunlight or heat, neither should it be handled any more than is absolute!)1 necessary in the filtering and bottling, And should not be shaken after bottling. The mucilage con- tained in the oil will not separate for a long time after the oil is ready for use, and as it does not Injure it, is not, therefore, objec- tionable. It will sometimes form in the bottles like globules of water, or in films settling to the bottom as sediment, and when shnkeii will give it a muddy appear- ance, which with the common prejudice against all table oils that are not perfectly clv\r, renders it unsalable, as consumers consult more the eye than the taste. The oil is better when new and fresh, and what is gained in the appearnncc by its remain- ing a longer time in the tank, is more than lost in its freshness and delicacy of flavor.
" To sum up-thc cost of the machinery in making of the oil we have as follows: Drier, $151); mill, $250; two presses, $500 ; two tanks. ?2OO; filterers, $50; corker, tir loiler, $50; wooJeu building, $400; tola' $1600.
"There are different methods of preparing tl'o fruit for pickles. The one adopted In this locality is as follows: The berries are put in fresh water, which should be changed every day, for 4O or 5O days, then put in salt brine, not very strong, and after re- maining a few days drawn nil', a second brine substituted, made nearly strong enough to bear an egg. The water should be boiled. Keep the olives well covered with the brine. Great care should betaken in handling the berries not to bruise tiiem. The easiest plan when picking from tne tree is to drop them in water. They are usually picked when they begin to turn a purplish color."
"Another method, copied from the Pacific Kitrul 1'mx Tick the olives as soon as they begin to show a reddish cast and rinse them in rli-an water. Then take one ounce of concentrated lye and dissolve it in water; one-third of this Bolution put in wati-r enough to cover one gallon of olives. After a day or two pour off this water and add an- other lye of th««ame strength. This may be repeated on«e more, as five or six days are consumed in taking out the bitterness with the lye. The lye should be used until the fruit suits the taste. The olives are put in pure fresh water until the alkali is well removed. This can be ascertained by the color of the water and by the taste. In salt- ing use the best Liverpool ' coarse fine' sait, the amount being about ten pounds to the barrel of olives, water enough being used to cover the fruit. Barrel up tight and keep in a cool place. All the process should be con- ducted in the dark, as the light is apt to in- jure the color.
" Ktill another method is copied from the wi.rk of I'rofessor A. Coutance and translated as follows: Take green olives, and after having bruised or broken thorn -ailaliily, 'oak in water for nine days, changing the water each dav. At the end of this time they will have lost their bitter taste and can then be pat in brine. Hot water acts more rapidly.
" The celebrated olives pickled after the manner of Picholini aro put under a treat- ment of lye made more alkaline by the ad- dition of quicklime. After leaving the olives a certain length of time, until the pulp separates easily from the seed, a condi- tion which depends upon the strengh of the lye and the size of the olives; they are then washed and put in strong brine. In the South they flavor with fennel and coriander; sometimes they substitute in place of the seed a small piece of auchovy and a caper. In the latter case the olives should be in oil."
-;i«s*f- <_- '<r
The Los Angeles Herald considers that the raising of olives is destined to be one of the great industries of the future in this State, and this be- lief is held by many who have stud- ied the subject. Napa county is as well adapted, by reason 'of soil and bear fruit enoughvtue fourth year to climate, for the cultivation of this pay for cultivatiw* Uft*UAes will , ., T , , _n,Q- beai the third year and I nave not seen
fruit, as Los Angeles or any other a well.oared-for tree that did *»t bear part of the State. We are informed some fruit the fourth yea//£Dr*es by a gentleman who has visited the transplanted from the nurserySarlcwo olive regions of Italy that the soil ? ganoid will ^^^-^ejortow- here presents the same characteris- tics as in those places were the olive is most successfully raised, lu Italy it is a maxim that the best olives are raised in localities subject to sea breezes and fogs; but not directly ex- posed to coast wiads, and those local-
lug year, but sh^iiJxf^lJear/^vell the second year. I have Wsaiftfl pick eleven gallons of fruit /frorn-'a four year old tree, whica had no extra pains taken with it. The most I have picked from a three Tear old tree, was three gallons. I think there ia no other tree so tenacious of life aa the olive, or which will respond to goor1 cultivation with so -'aluable a > >
ities are such as are situated exactly similar to Napa Valley. In Sonoma iounty there are about 1,500 bearinf it )ias been generally stated and as gen- Tees and many parties are putting erally believed that olives would not bear mt large numbers this year. The well in Southern California, back from the ianta Eosa Democrat says: ''Captain coast. A little investigation we think will J. E. Grosse has purchased 40C partially if not entirely upset this idea. jlive trees from three to four years Mr. A. S. White who has a few olive trees jldin Santa Barbara, which will be some live or six years from the cuttings set out in December. An experienced says they are just loaded with frui 3live orchardist visited this place last 1™*, a»d he had ™ olive branch m.{°wn Winter, and expressed the opinion with him a few days ago not as an em
, „ of peace, but as an evidence of friiiihilness.
"hat it was a splendid place for olive
,. .,. The same Information comes from other
culture, his expeiience betng that ^^^ Mr K w Ho]nles has a snlal! I
they thrived best in red soil on the im.lial.d of ()liye u.ees that are bearll bills, from twenty to thirty miles from fmlt allluldanUy. The olive does n ., the coast. This would imply that )l(,(,(1 as lm]ch water as ,nany ()ther kin(lH
^thiTvaHey^aml-in th^frat^hTlls^e- "f trees and it is probable that there are
'' tween here and Napa." many localities where it little water only
Isaac De Turk is another prominent can be had that the olive will prove to be
man who is entering largely into the profitable. Mr. Frank A. Kimball has the
• business. In Napa county, Chas. follmviMg to say relative to the propaga-!
Krug has put out several hundred. jy h, , , , , ..
trees on his Howell Mountain ranch
and others are experimenting with specialty at National City: £ smaller numbers. From such persons I have planted olive cuttings every yer
"""' T began with cuttings thret finding no signs of grow. >r time, dug them up and
'1 sawed about one-third of the length from in viticulture, is t also well informed on! Uifi to em, which ha(, become f, all,
the culture of the ohve. Ho has re- • abollt „„. samo ^.0/Jn the uottom which ceutly imported from opam for h.ul rotted, an<tfplanted tiic balance, all Messrs. Krag, Livermore, West andj um]er ^nmnd/aiid/gcXgdtKljU-efis. I ha\v others a number of rooted plants of tried all lengtM {aL^ifiuf f/bm three the best pickling and oil varieties. feet down to t/n inches^mVf \y_ojld rather It is said Mr. Pohndorff,through the have tliem eight inyes long than in- instrumentality of his relatives in creased to twelve incrfts, but prefer te i that country, has two young nurse- inches. For starting in nursery I plan •ies in Spain, specially planted for the cuttings with their tops an inch < r limandat his expense, with the ob- l"" mit (>1 the toP of tlle ground, and
i_ it I M 1 1 1 1 t n i rt v i n f* li os I tot WPPII t (IP rows
ect of transporting the young trees Vhe Varth throwii np hi mal in" the
0 this State when rea^y for trans- tl.enches for irrigation will cover thltoj»s. slanting. For orchard planting make a basin about THE EXPEBIENCE OF AN OLIVE GBOWEB two feet ill diameter, and say three in«-l vs
In a latenumberof tlie Los Angeles J^Pj with t^ectiumgin^he^en,, lerald was a letter from Urank A. covering the top three or four inches ui It limball, oi National City, San Diego earth, and three or four irrigationaJariftg
^i« , .oof on^nooo ''"' summer, with the earth linelv x', .vc;-- .ounty, who has made a great success ./w, after e',u.h n.rigation Ther/ is no
n cultivating the olive. The follow- reason why at least yO per cent, should ng points from his letter are of great not grow. ' Pack the earth very closelj by
tramping it with the feet while being tilled
'ftlue: in around the cuttings, beginning at the
I have never seen the olive Injured bottom and continue to (he tup. 1 )V frost in the slightest degree; nor think there LS danger in planting cuttings lave I seen the tenderest tree protect- in nursery by simply making a hole with •d bv cornstalks or any other material, a bar, as there is likely to be a vacant ; have not succeeded with cuttings space pressing the earth against the last wo and a half feet long in any in- ^"^s'rrfetho?
rom planting cuttings twenty inches ^wm^s^veUp'lMted'a'nd well taken care leep. I have tried all lengths M ,,f should bear fnlit ,,nough the fourth itittings, from three feet down tc m vear to pay for tlle cultivation. Many nches, and would rather have them frees will bear the third year, and I never iight inches long than increased tc did see a well cared for tree that did not ;welve inches, but prefer ten inches, bear some fruit the fourth year. Trees For starting in nursery I plant the transplanted from nursery at two years ••uttinffs with their tops an inch 01 old will seldom bear the following year, two out of the ground, and abou |>»t should bear well the second year. I thirty inches between the rows. The »l™ helped to pick eleven gallons of fruit ,otir,<rth»trAnph 'rom a four-year-old tree, which had no earth thrown up in making the tr ** tra pains-takell with it. The most I esfor irrigation will cover W^top* haveplckedfromathree-yeJar-oldtMewa»
1 think there is danger in planting lhree gallons x think tbere is no oth(J]. cuttings in nursery by simply makinf tl.po s<) tenacious of life as the olive, or a hole with an iron bar, as there i; which will respond to good cultivation
Olive Culture and Experiments in Southern California.
Experiments of Frank A. Kimball, National City, demonstrate cuttings "should be kept -iMint, not it-ft, too much moisture being far worse than too little." •• Cut liihbs in every month from Decem- ber to July; find little difference in re- sult"—a few cut in June last now a foot high— took 21 cuttings from a limb in full bloom — not one failed— good cuttings finely planted and well cared for should at least turn out 90 per cent.
Mr. P. Pohndorff, of N'apa county, "comparing olives grown in five counties, although an earlier degree of maturity distinguishes those of the southern coun- ties," says, "the fact seems patent that all belong to Content* Contfcabta family, and leaf-shape of fruit aud seed show au ''arity to .the »!'-" Kurujifn Ci - ... "" '", as it is called by Clemente, and Olfti AJornta by Kos; while in France it is named Liujm'se, or It Litqne.t, this latter appellation indicat- ing its origin or propagation from the Italian olive region of l.ucca. It is a a<»nl on fruit and the oil is of the best grown iu Central Spain. The tree is probably of all the genus, that which requires most de- grees of heat to ripen its fruit. It resists cold; requires good cultivation and ma- nure; loose soil ventilation. Pruning ought to be done with care and discern- ment."
In reviewing the many disadvantages and drawbacks to the above named varieties, he claims the introduction of later importations that arfr -free from all; objections mature. " works only from March to October or beginning of Novem- ber, yields a larger, liner fruit for oil or pickling, treble the si/.e of the Cvrnicabi-a, requires less time and heat for their pro- pagation and many other advantages, but ioes not specify what variety it is. Time will demonstrate."
F. A. Kimball in a letter to the Los Angeles Herald says, have -'planted olive cuttings every year since 1870: Began with cuttings three feet long; finding no signs of growth at the .proper time, dug, \ threw up, and sawed about one-third the length from top end, which had become dry, and about the same from the bottom, • which had rotted, and planted the balance , all under ground aud got good trees. Have tried all lengths for cuttings, but prefer them ten inches; plant them with tops an inch or two out of the ground and about thirty inches between rows; the "arth thrown up in making trenches will cover tops. For orchard planting make baisin about two feet in diameter and say I tl-r° inches deep, with cutting in the 1 center and about level with bottom of the I baisin, covering the top three or four inches with earth, and three or four irri- gations during the summer with'the earth finely pulverized after each irrigation."
The San Francisco (Jrocrr untl (.'unner in speaking of olive oils says: " Knough has been done by Cooper, of Santa 15ar- bara, the Kimballs, of San Diego, and the Wolfskills, of Solano, in the culture of the olive to demonstrate that the tree thrives well in California, and hence to establish the fact that it is a profitable tree to culti- vate. The trees begin to bear at three years, and when five years old will pay all expenses of tilling and harvesting, with a surplus, while the sixth year the crop will pay for the land, the trees and the tillage for the five years previous, and with good care the increase is large from year to year for a century longer. Indeed, there are trees in Asia Minor known to be 1200 years old and still in full bearing.
There are larm'i-arciix 'if land in California trees ai1'. always 1 well adapted to the growth of the olive, for this tree does not need irrigation. It demands warm land, and will not flourish in moist soil. In the pamphlet published by Kllwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara, the statement is made that some of his best trees, eight years old, produced two thou- sand gallons of berries to the acre, and
the European standard is eight gallons of istljen to berries to one of oil, which gives a 1"'°' | ot earth duct of two hundred and fifty gallons of] '
The oil finds a ready market *
first year.
bnt they an: more easily propagate'] by cuttings abont two and a half feet in length. These aw ««t in the earth in a hole made with a sharp iron bar to the depth of about tw<:aty inches. After the cutting is placed in the hole the latter should be tilled with water, which tit« the earth completely around the foot of the cutting. The hole
oil per acre.
at #o per gallon, which gives an income of
81,2.30 per acre for the best eight-year old
loosely and a moi ml •sly around the cut- ._,, and kept there the It sometimes happens that he
trees in an exceptionally good year. The ', net income from such a crop would not be i less than $1,000 per acre, and there can be j no doubt that Mr. Cooper's statement is I correct, for he has no motive for decep- tion, and is of such probity of character that his word is never questioned." • Quoting from our remarks of December ( the 8th: "It has been very generally j catting is stated and universally believed that the jg°P>>.«rs. olive would not flourish away from the coast; that the interior valleys did not furnish the climate conducive to a proflt-
cutting will not grow the first year at all, Vint will start out the second year quite
rigorously. The tree needs but Uttl moisture where there are copious winter raing. In dry climates about four times a ; year would be often enough to irrigate the | olive plant. The trees do not bear trans- i portatiou very well, and many of them jiiie in consequence of removal; but the
able fruitage of the olive, although the
tree would grow well here, and hence but
% 'pttOjten they
need several irrigations during the tirst nummer. They are planted like other trees. Hut their roots are extremely sen-
sitive and need especial care while being
tr»n«plant*a
A
fr»w tb< nursery to th« or-
few trees have been planted in Kiversido jchard. The tree Hifurs usually in from or other interior settlements. This prop- 'five to seven yearn after plantjftg tiora th^ ositlon is now being contradicted with cutting aud in from four to six years from good evidence. Olive trees in Riverside planted trees. In regard to the cost of are now getting of good age and bearing :tre«8, the latter will be referred to nur-
finely. E. W. Holmes has a good crnp of olives on his trees; so has Mr. Lockwood and some others. Mr. Holmes has pickled a quantity of olives that are flue. He puts them up in bulk. Mr. Lockwood has as yet only a small crop, but he has com- menced putting in bottles, and san ,Vrs we have seen show a finely put vip fiilit that can only be produced by skillful treatment. The olives pickled by him are superior to the imported, in that they a v not pickled so green and hence are iiii • nutritious, and yet they are green enough to retain their green color, which im- proves the market value over the riper and darker colored fruit. The Kimball olives have always stood high in the market. The olive requires less water and less care than most of other fruits. There are many places, therefore, where the olive will do well where there is not enough water for some other kinds of fruit. It takes longer to bring an olive orchard into bearing than it does the apricot, peach, grape or budded orange; it is more like the seedling orange in this
serymen to respond. If the cuttings are large the top should be protected by a coating of wax or clay to prevent being dried out by the sunshine. The tree will hear for two thousand years, or more, and
' A CHAPTER OX OLIVES. S A Hardy Plant— I>eI1cIons Oil — Ilia-
Herald, writing;
•live
tious:
"If olive trees Mil, and if a little fro*t in winfe^fllH^kill them? Will the olive grow wliere the cr- inge will not on account 'oi ths frostl Where can young trees be bought and what would be the cost? Are they planted »hes»meas peach and other fruit trees, *cd how long before they will bear?" I The Herald replies as follows: Olive trees will grow in sandy soil or rocky land, or gravelly loam, or clayey loam of a rtiff character, but do not thrive or beai well in damp noil. They bear more hf-avi ly on upland *han low land that is often covered by fog. In the latter locality the black scale-bug is likely to infest the tree. The olive is more hardy than the orange, and grows where there are quite severe frosts. In such cases the trees should be protected by cornstalks, which permit a circulation of air aud admit light, and at the same time they protoct the leaves from frost. This for the first year only. The
l i<'aftl*!» . _ .
v-"!^* i- 7 / % 4
There existed formerly in ttfese'is- lands on army of which it was said that it could "go anywhere and do anything." The olive is the living vegetable counterpart &f this extinct phenomenon. Within certain lati- tudes it will grow anywhere and serve for almost every purpose. On a dry and stony eleva'tion that would starve put a thistle the plant luxuriates; and if the sea breezes may but fan the young shoots, so much more of prom- ise is there for the olive harvest. Propagated chiefly by cuttings, the willowy looking twigs take root with a proud defiance of ordinary limita- tions, and there is a whimsically planted grove of olive trees of un- usual size and beauty near the town of Messa, in Morocco, which illus- trates this trait in a remarkable way. One of the kings of the dynasty, of Saddia, being on a military expedition, encamped here with his army. The pegs with which the cavalry picketed their horses were cut from the olives in their neighborhood, and some sudden cause of alarm leading to the aban- donment of the position, the pog.v were left in the ground, and making the best of the situation, developed into the handsomest group of olive trees in the district. ^Olives are men- tioned in the earnests records of Egypt, and their introduction into Greece took place as early as 1,500 years before our era. Thence their cultivation naturally passed into Italy, theKomans especially prizing them, while Virgil mentions three dis- tinct varieties, each of which had its own fastidious supporters in the an- cient conflict of tastes. Pliny tells ns that they also grew in the heart of Spain and France, though he awards the palm to the smaller olive oi Syria, the oil of which was at least more del- icate than that produced in the west- ern countries. So far as regards the oil of Spain, and, to <i certain extent, that of Italy, this judgment holds good to the present time, for the rea- son tluvt tho Spanish olive
parser «BI_
growers ar
delicacy yf the virgin
by the sacrifice of quality to quantity. The olive, like all generous giveis.de- niiinds that yon should "squeeze" it gently. The oil is expressed from the entire pulp and body of the fruit, and its quality inevitably stands in inverse proporiion to the quantity produced. The first pressure yields a thin, pure liquid, almost colorless; and with this even the most fastidi- ous of Englisli palates rarely makes acquaintance. As the pressure is in- <*rfi«*Bd n !r,<s delicate *\roduct is the result, while if it is still further pro- longed, a rank and unwholesome ra- siduum is obtained, wholly unfit 'or edible purposes. It should be men- tioned that the virgin oil does net re- tain its freshness for more than a few weeks without the addition of a little salt or sugar, and it is almost impos- sible for any one to realize the ex- quisite delicacy of this first expres- sion of the freshly gathered olive, un- less he has sojourned in such a dis- trict as that of which Avignon is the centre. The oil of Aramont, in Pro- j vence, was formerly supposed to have no equal in Europe. '/ . . j.A^, $j_t
Both the olives and the manuf^c- tured oil of the southeast of Franco are, indeed, still unrivalled by those of any other country. The Italians pay more respect to the commercial aspects of their production, and among them the number of olive farmers and merchants is very large. They have a proverb: "If you wish to leave a competency to your grand- children, plant an olive.'' Doubtless the advice is sound enough, for the trees often flourish for more than a century and bear heavy crops to the last. But to the peasant of southern France the olive is almost what the viH is to the English laborer. Pru- dent housewives there are as averse to the introduction of new fruit at table as their thrifty EngUsb/ sisters are of the "new" loaf. TriTilJt, jifey habitually preserve the darjcer b«n^5 for every-day use; for these not beiti'g ?o agreeable to the taste "go" much further — a necessary consideration when they oftener form the staple than the accompaniment of tho meal. Olives intended for eating are gather- ed while still green, usually in tho month of October. They are soaked for some hours in the strongest possi- ble lye to get rid of their bitterness, and are afterward allowed to stand for a fortnight in frequently-changed fresh water, in order to be perfectly purified of the lye. It only tbjfn re- mains to preserve them in ^Brnnuin salt and water, when they me •. for export. Among the Hfcman.s the olive held tho piivilea^K positiorupf being equally respeWed as a daitSy ory and an ordinary food, It was eaten at the tables of the teni- | perate and the luxurious alike, aud, while dividing tho highly flavored i ishes of their extravagant suppers; formed' a constituent oi Horace's pas- j toral meal
Of olive, endive, simple tastes,
And mallow.
At what precise date olives began t • "!1 their present office in England is not quite clear; V •• t they were plen-
THE OLIVE T
REE.
ST. HELBNA, Dec. 2, 1883. ED. GAZETTE: — Your county has for a cen- tury proved its adaptedness of many a region to the successful rearing of one of the most important trees which in climates like yours ought to be one of the foremost objects of farming, the olive tree. In your own district several years ago Mr. B. Dreyfus added a njiuni) number of olive plants to the stock of liis property, nnd thereby set an example worthy to imitate. I have from several sources the statement that quite a quantity -ol_flljyej>lants are being reared in several
districts of Los Angeles and .San BernartlTno ; ~ counties. I also see that the pressof your county capital is prominently putting the subject of olive culture before the public; discussions are going on about how to do the work, what kind to elect, and in short pub- lic attention is maturing into recognition of the significance of that fruit which is sure to be one of the chief sources of the wealth of Southern California. You will be aware that
count they are coming. This reform is time- ly and we may hope for tine results, where
' '?'
le
the propagation of those varieties, son- will take place for the benefit of the State. The University of California au_ Professor HnVard personally \till .receive collections among others. 1^/l"5l^*vv<^—V'
Do not ascribe again oondeiirna^oi'.v discouraging intentions to my inter.. iu
I
trials with better varieti there is an awakening in the whole of the j the contrary. When
State to the fact that it wuuld be unpardon- able if the possibility of rendering California an olive-oil-growing country be not t^keu advantage of. Indifference to the privilege of growing olives has been too long ruling, aud the foremost among California planters are now acting to make good aneglent which deserved reproach. Valuable experience of men, H ho like Mr. Cooper of Santa Barbara and the Messrs. Kimball of Sau Diego corn-
found by the masses practically, thtere wil: oe • the simple remedy of grafting with the Mis- eio- 1|, as there is with the acclimu'ed • ana -lOfi- Criminalized California Mission V'DLV Ti'. P." ..„,*,,
In your
municate it freely, is at the command of the . (iuotatkms f, ,m notes of min
— 1~ . . . _ \TT_1- 1... ,1 ... • . .
planter. We nave a valuable variety in the Mission olive. Very good oil from it is au absolute proof of success. Tlie cliances of at-
'1SKSS AND HORTICULTURIST! — issue January 5, which I re-
ceived through your kindness, ) -infj
olive growing. There seems to be omission, for you miss the imlic-.Uio varieties that I believe will be
> DC
icalio ,
>c an im- 1
taining success, therefore, are abundant provemeut upon our ow;i Mission olive, enough. lu the .San Francisco Merchant oc- T shall Jill the fi:ip witii a few notes about casional information, gathered trom tlie best varieties now" on their way from Spain, aud most experienced writer and practical i which will bo tried in many parts of tho grower of Spaiu, Don Jose de Hidalgo Tab- • State, and, among others in Southern < 'al- • lada, has been given on olives and I shall ifovuia, by Messrs. Kimball, Mr. .1. I"- continue to publish more of interest for the Earth Shorb-BBfl Mr. 1!. Dreyfus. Messrs.- grower in that paW. VVost aml ('ll!ls- A' XVet""»-<' wili :lls'-' reJ
palter For the guidance vf intending olive rearers
say
a few
ds here ab\)ut our
let me
ir- • i- r< i- •
Mission olive: Comparing olives grown in
,
hve counties, although aa^earher degree 01
ccive puttings and roots and those gentle- men will experiment on them in theCajon lands. The merits of our
Mission olive tree,
maturity distinguishes those of southern counties, the fact seems patent that all be-
j recogmzedasof the ConferucHo ' •>
variety, are most fortunate ones, inas- much, with its long acclimatization, it has
long to theCornezueloCormcabra family, and be(.ome ,t mUivi, already, and therefore. leaf, shape of fruit aud seed show an exact w),enf,vor it 1S desired to -raft a new- similarity to the Olea Europea Ceraticarpa V!u.jety, a most acceptable stock is Mi- variety, as it is called by Olemente, and (miid
Olea Adorata by Hos, while in France it is \Vlml net-mod to me an ineonveni' ,
named Luquoise or la Luques, this latter in the Mission olive is the lute maturing
appellation indicating its origin or propaga- of tho fruit. Your southern region has
tiou from tlie Italian olive region of Lucca. The observations on this variety are: "It is "a good oil fruit, and the oil 13 of the best "grown in Central Spaiu. The fruit matures "late; the tree is probably of all of ihe genus "olive that which requires most degrees of "heat to ripen its fruit. It resists cold. Re- "quires good cultivation and manure, loose "soil and ventilation. Young trees bear "better than old ones. Its hark contracts "warts aud nodosities, is therefore not a "clean wood. It can resist drought. Deep "loosening of soil is convenient for tliis tree, "which cannot bear amputations of large "limbs. Pruning ought to ba clone with "and discernment. " fov
With the great advantages nui olive possesses, therefore, the i ot it are also apparent. 4It rqquirei
grees of heat of all; it hears a
maturing
fruit. These two disadvantages areseriott»,for
may be different for the State, and parly
little cause of fearing the drawback of not having every olive attain full matur- ity, but the case othor districts of ripening kinds will be desirable. A Marl from tho exacting circumstance of kee>>- ing the life-power of tho Mission olive tree busy till deep into the winter, when it ought to have repose, thus overworking the plant, there in, for the expediency of diversifying our varieties, the .simple rea- son that there are many kinds in existence which have virtues our Mission olive does not possess. Mr. Frank A. Kimball writes me that hu finds a great difference in time of ripening in different trees in. the orchard of the old Mission, some tre.es perfecting their fruit in October, while other trees are. two months later. This, would indicate that according to the posi- tion and soil wo. should plant tho variety adapted to it. Maturity seems to depend
why should we have only a late maturing ; upon the power of heat that acts upon tho fruit, while a dozen or more early maturing tree. Much kind requires -,i dirVcrcnt ones from Europe, many of them superior in amount, of bra.',. I' ides.-, there, an- I,- tcery other respect, are at our command? A li'lct varieties at 1 lie Mission orchard Mr. late maturer, having need of a continued Kimball .speaks of, the locality and y.'ua- activettowof sap- from, say, the end of tion. soil, moisture and ile-ree of heat re- March to the end of December and even to •<*"•«' '» t!'e •'.ggregato, by the trees ma- the end of January, cannot be as durable a lurin« tl>c»' fruit in October, should Lo tree as one that, with perhaps 25 per cent, observed, Studied ami made models of, of degree, of heat less, works only from f"r w
Marcn to the end of October or the begin-
, .. , Ions rest, after its
mng of JNovember, and yields a finer fruit . , ' , . ,
»° »«ow tho tree a
.season s work, will lie . in favor of Us longevity.
To mention :i few of the earlv bringing forth olives of treble the size of the, vi||.i(ai(.^ whj(,h w|U ,.<„„.,, •„„,.
Cormcabra, that require kss turre and heat iholtlyt and, «fc to the BhaHl for the l.'ni
t ii :.. .1 t \x* _t._n i._ ;_ •
for their product. We shall he ill posseo-
vcrsitv <>( California and Professor Hil-
sion of collections of the best tarly varieties! ^^j p,,,>01,:l!!v. ,v;n ,.(.,.oiv(, ,u,e care for in a few months and gentlemen from south- 1 fllU|r(, p^u,,,! r,.,uilN th,.,,. will bo crn counties are among those for whose ac-i. ,„„,, n,,,m c.hn u,,,,-,,,,;!!,, olive, r. miir-
ls '.. i-'i' '!,-j:rees~e,f heat (\\hiK- i!
n oi;\e needs some -UNJO efiitiiirad derives. i The \l:in:rn>itl,-> fruit .reaches^ 7 1,-ni ION of weight, is excellent for (lie ili,. iiiul yields good nil.
' IQ J.'.'l'jni'illo olive, a small fruil, lull of \ceJlent qualities and requiring liki- M ' ou!j- ;i,400 degrees of hunt.
•itrill', /'inn,-',, a copious bearer of .,!•<. large fruit, yielding abundant anil excellent oil.
'] .i\i hmprltrc, the principal variety of tlu ri'fcthorn Spanish provinces, multi- pli'jd chiefly hy graft hr.:. au excellent IK ix-r-, yielding oil of prime qi t* res ".s ifrost and, thorofore, doub'tle - Or
I
d 1 1)
•'i p. r ilny • ci usher and press
can men b<> used either for fuel, for feed for pigs, or for making still a third quality of oil; if for the latter, it is thrown in rats, boiling water poumL OT8r it, and left to ferment, when tho
. < . i.
regions of <'ali-
gn -t 1 forma.
Tho G'onlat, as hardy a tree .is our .Mis- sion, yielding 0110 of the best pickling olives, which holds equally good oil.
Tin; 1'rnlrjo, a tree having the same merits o/ frost resistance, and yielding frui Hiiv" good for preserving us for oil.
< >r ia.r- maturing trees the Marvileno, yielding enormous sized olives, and some relative to our Corneruclo Cornifahru. va- rieties, and the ficudo, yielding olives Bo per cent larger thaji the latter, jvill he im- provements. (~s/lJJ) *<=*'/YfvV
A number of different varieties will jonio and be tested, and il will be a wel- ;ome addition, procuring the olive pjant- •rs I ho means of a healthy development >l the industry, the importance of , which looms 10 l>e understood at last. 7^L(Cmj
F. POIINIVOKKI .
Si. Helena, .Ian. a.», IS* 4.
iKING OLIVE OIL.
fi n /I- JT1 /?]
^J. .'! fi
V
Tho ITtoilu* Operiiintl as Employed at Klltvood Cooper's Plantation.
The bsrries are dried before crush-, ii'g, as it is necessary to evaporate a p rtion of the water. If, however they are left out on the tree until shrivelled, which is proof that necessary evapora- tion h isulmnly taken place, no drying is needed af-er picking. This late pick- ing is not b.-sf-, as mentioned in a pre- vious Article. If dri-id by the sun, it re qi ;r-'S iiboul f'oiii-t'-ea days. This plan u)t be depindtd upon, evoepting •s when fruit is early ripo, and we have continu >us sunlight, with moder- ately warm we ither. By artificial heat aim llu- to 13;P, the drying i le^s than 1'orty.oigiit hours. ! !i • <• nsliing and pi-es^inir ' 1 l -II 1^' wita .in d -l'iy— that tlie fruit tak-u from th.3 drier m the in ir ij,,^ sh i^ild ]} • crush- • siiino dav. Long •ty-iiitlie process from ng the fruit to expressing the oil i.Ksidi y. To m ik- perfect ,,il
.1 lu Uio -
The cap-icity of tin; ii-i1, the diier, and the 1 correspond t-«i:iil; all fruit nicked ; dnniig tdu day should ho in at night, niug, and go
taken out.
'
implctethe
i bet
•an work.
;i! method of
i-rii^i: s is by a heavy
sinuc, cimilar '-' a mill Hione, which is
rolled roiin i Ige in a deep
- -Hive or trough, and by its
cru-.iiitig. A i' li the eye of the stone, ai'd working "n a journal in the center of the circle wiih a horse attached to the outer eud of the beam, is th • sim- plest way to do the work, and the plan that, I have adopted. The circumfer- ence of the trough depends somewhat on the si/,e of the stone. The one I um using is f,i ir feet high, six inches ihick, and the diameter of the trough in which it works, six feet; the length of the beam lit'teeu feet, This crusher is amply sufficient for an orchard of one thousand trees, but too small for my purpose. It cost about 50 dollars. £T
A stone five feet in di feet thick would a sufficient quantity 1UO gallons of oil, a! night aiid day, the crop (ft ten /thou- sand trees. It would be bettef , how ever, to have two stanes half me thick- ness of the above, one following the oi her in the same groove. The horse should work on the outside of the i building containing the crusher.
To uiukt 100 gallons of oil each day would require two good presses. The one boVt adapted for the purpose ap far as I have seen, is that used for mak- ing oleomargarine. Such presses conld with very little expense be work- ed by the horsa power used for crush- ing the berries, so that one man could do all the crushing and pressing.
The press I am using is an old fashioned wooden beam press, such as used in the New liiigland and Middle States for making cider. The beam is •2(i feet long, and with a heavy box tilled with rock suspended at the ex- treme enii, the power can be incre to 150 tons. Th • press with the differ- ential ouileys cost ubout §150. Such -scunnot bo improved upon for expressing the oil, but the additional labor, mid the time lost in changing is so much greaiei- than what would be . required for the oleomargarine inven* I (ion, that the latter would facilitate the work, and be cheaper in.tne end, be- ilv.ng up so much less room.
The crushed olives are put in the preeafn cheeses about three feet square, and three inches thick, -with wooden. slats between each cheo-a. Ten or more cheeses can be put ia at each pressing. I use coarse linen clath to contain the crushed olives.
The fluid that is expressed is put in lurge tanks, and l^ft for sixty to ninety days, when the oil will separate, aud lining lighter will rise to the top. where it can be drawn off The pumaee after the first pressing ia re-crushed, and by pouring hot wa*ter over it, a second quality of oil is expressed. The refuse
oil still remaining will be liberated and riB« to the top. fa ? #,
'/j;j<' ELLWOOD COOPKK.
THE OL.IVU.
Snre of Success In California-Ther- mal Conditions Necessary--Thc Olive in \:ii>a Count
.
EDITOR REGISTER. — Sirf-Dr. JM. B.
Po&d having expressed his and your desire to see a few lines on the sub- ject of olive cultivation in your col- umns, and chiefly in connection with the sweeping conclusions of the Los Angeles Herald, reprinted in the Liv- ermore HeraH, that our efforts to acr- clirnatize new foreign varieties in Cal- ifornia will be sterile, I send you the following notes :
The Herald obtains from the calcu- lation of his, of 3,500 centigrade de- grees of heat necessary for maturing the Colchonudo olive.an average heat of 93° F., impossible to obtain in Los Angeles county, and adding some other similar objections, despairs of our being able to do here what is pos- sible in Spain and Italy. Then, be- cause in Spain there are many parts where the tree cannot mature its fruit because in the season there is not heat enough supplied by the sun, the Herald, becomes alarmed again.
Now, in condensing the notes pub- lished by me in the S. F. Merchant last year, partly from those of a man eminently acquainted with the cul- ture of the olive tree in Spain, the in- dications about the calculations of heat necgssary for the life of the tree could not, of course, allow nie to write or translate a whole book. But suggestive enough to any one who would give the subject a less hurried thought than the alarmist of Los An- geles may be able to dedicate to it, were those indications to reckon for himself and in the right way, begin- ning where the heat in his own dis- trict causes sprouting and continuing until the sun's faculty to act upon the tree is stopped by freezing de- grees. In Valiadolid, where the Summer is too short in that elevated district to yield ripe olives, because nearly 1,4.00' of heat more than can be got there is wanting, olive culture is out of the question. This fact seems to be of in^uence in the Her- alifs ideas for Los Angeles. Let him be calm. There is more area in Spain where the olive tree will not grow, than the reverse, just as in California there is not every acre of ground fit for that tree; • nay, nor for the vine either.
On the other hand I may here re- mark that in Aragou, in the Monca;"> region of the Pyrr^r s, I found 2,000 feet high, or more, in villages snowed in in January, oil grown ac that ele- vation. That oil was the best I have ever seen or eaten in Spain. The amount of sun heat in that district, then extremely cold, with the ground frozen, must have been sufficient in the warm period of the year to allow the olives to mature. The oil was of the Empeltre olive tree. The in- stances adduced in my article in May, ISL'S, published in the S' F. Merchant, of heat-degrees for maturing the fruit on the olive tree were prefaced by a remark on the propriety of using the scale of Celsius, which is in real per cent s. I quoted the tables used by Don Jose de Hidalgo Tablada and put the instance of Seville, in which the heat generated in six months, averaging 27.3 degrees, or by Fahren-
heit 81 '.yields 4,974 "Wntigrade de- grees, while 3,978 degrees only are re- quired, equal to 21.84° Cent., or about 71° F. Tne latter amount being ac- cumulated up to the first days of Oc-1 tober, the early ripening of the olive is accounted tor there.
This amount of heat will take more time in California in general, but the action of the sun iu April will allow our calculations to begin a month earlier, and we may add a part of No- vember where necessary, having prob- ably nearly 8 months, instead of the mean temperature in Seville furnish- ed in about 5 months and a fraction.
The comparisons of Seville mean heat would be :
31 days in May 23.8? Celsius 75" Fah.
80 ' -June ,\ 24.1 IVi "
31 " July 29.2 " 84'/, "
31 " Aug, 30.1 " 88 "
SO " Sep. 29.3 " 88!-5 "
31 " Oct. 27.3 " 81 "
27.3° Celsius equals 81' Fahrenheit, mean temperature.
That of Barcelona would be : 30 days in June
July
Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
23.7" Celsius 23.2 24.3 22.5 21.1 13 8.2
75« I 74
78
72K
70
55!i
10 days of May
30 June
31 " July 31 " Aug. 80 '• Sept. 31 " Oct. 30 " Nov. '31 " Dec.
87= Fah.
77 "
79
7!)
68 "
58
50
42
Mean temperature 19.6° Gel. equals 67' Fah., the fruit ripening in Decem- ber, i LA>U\. v{<Cq. //Wuf
Six leagues distant from Madrid in an olive region, viz., Morata de Ta- juna in
19.2° Celsius
25,2 "
26.3
28.1 "
2U.2
U.3
10.1 5.7 "
having thus mean temperature 18.4 3 Cel. equals 65 ' Fah., equals 4,195 , to ripen the olives in December.
Both the regions ol Zaragoza and Salamanca are not hot enough to ma- ture the Cornicabrce, our California Minion olive, the former generating from the middle of June to last of December, 3,264% the latter, 3,260, for Salamanca has its temperature in December below freezing point, but the Empcltre variety jlourinl' •* there, ripeumg late, but perfectly.
These examples will illustrate suf- ficiently how the heat calculations should be applied, the period of the 3omiug forth of blossoms varying in aach district, being taken iu account as the beginning of the period and the months of late Autumn and early Winter whose warmth degrees nature utilizes in the olive tree, is also to be included. That in regions of one
(..Unto fia i" u — ""
fsjlives ripen as early as the end of Oc- tober, others growing near ripening two months later, as Mr. Kimball informs me happens on his own es- tate, will have its explanation, be- sides the greater amount of food sup- plied by the soil to earlier fruit or other favorable circumstances, chiefly iu the greater amount and more direct action of heat on the trees supplying that fruit — except it be a variety dis- tinct from that yielding ripe fruit la ter of which I am not informed.
That the tables cited from Span- ish localities are our infallible guides, I must not assert. Persons better versed in the matter and who have more time to spare than myself, may argue about it. Proper calcula- tions applied to different sections in our State may easily be made, taking the Spanish instances for pattern; the latter are rough onesjand averaging not scrupulously exact ones. True calculations, based on recorded ob- servations in California, will show re- sults that may easily dissipate the doubts raised by the 'Herald.
There is no reason to doubt Califor- nian capability of growing every for- eign variety of olives, be the amount of heat according to the examples of tables in the Herald's mind impossi- ble to reach or not, for if the Califor- nia Minion olive is the Cornicabra Cor- nezuelo variety, then this variety being exactly that which requires more heat
fhnrLnnn f,fjifr whir f.».ir iipmT *5~pn- "Cuttings weli planted and well taken care
man any otMr, wnat tear neea we en Qf snould ,,t,lr frult enough the fourth year
tertain not to succeed with any other to pay t-or cultivation. Many trees will bear new introduction? Is not the Mis- the third year, and I have neverseeu a well sion olive of Spanish origin? Then f^eftu™,jr?c° „""" dld not bear some frmt why should not all other Spanish va- Tree9 transplanted from nursery at two rieties, most of them less exigent years old will seldom bear the following «,,«. onvmllw nrnsiipr' Of ?<*•*• Dut should bear well the second year. than ours, equally prosper . v J r have helped pick eleven gallons of fruit course the right conditions Ol Soil.po- from a four-year-old tree, which had no sition and atmospheric circumstances extra pains taken witn it. The most I have Should be well weighed before going Pjctod from a three-year-old tree was three to determine varieties to experiment i think there is no other tree so tenacious With. The people of the district ol>f ilrc as theoKve , orwhlsh will respond to the Herald need not be discouragedsood cultivation with so valuaoie a crop on by superficial remarks, for have not? Klv they the living testimony of a centu- ry of success in the most exacting of olive trees befor their eyes. And as to the region of the REGISTER those who in this and adjacent counties wish to better their property by planting olive trees, have no reason to be afraid o! undertaking a hazardous thing, for better than the pen can tell •them the success with trees yielding well.as I have been told by Mr. Estee
i and Henry Hagen on their properties,
! as well as on other ranches in the Na- Napa Valley, will persuade and teach them. The circumstances of locality, soil, exposure and shelter in parts where the pioneer olive trees in the Napa district thrive may serve also best to illustrate how and where best
*r. VAlanf nlivps Xfl doubt that if me uis* ut MiuL-niiii^ tuese auu onier vi
to plant Olives. r>o uouut iu»t 11 (JeS| jn llu,snapcof roou,d lauts from somewhat tardier m growtti tlian in m0st reliable nursery of Spaltf, and, as the southern counties, the tree Will be informs us, will be able to include in hi
wolnoVilc rvna in fViia pnrmtv and orders up to the end uf October some more a very valuable one m tms county ana on the £rt Qf tlcmeu who mi ht desire
the neighboring ones. Mr. Onarles to obtain some. It is not a matter of profit Krug does not hesitate to plant this with Mr. Pohndorff, who will import the season many thousands iof blive trees. fiS^iSSlS5aSShS,Sf SSm'eS"^
and he Will give due attention to jfpr- Of tho nicklinir and th.pe of th
eign varieties, knowing ho~" a hardy and reliable stock
the Mission olive, that win „».„.. — iuunaiuuifi— 11™ .- „..*.„. „. .„„„,.,-
advancing at the proper season grafts cral pickling olive trees of Seville and a „,!,„(• tV,o fnrrn-A will show as constant bearer of the second lamest olives from What the future Will s known. Its fruit ripens early and is as use- adapted or superior. I leave It to ful foroil of good quality as'for eating. It the contemplation of every intending requires only :wqa degrees of heat. The i r,r,h tV,o imiinrrnnce of picking of the fruit whilegrecn, for pickling. planter to weigh the impprl - fs of great advantage to tfie bearing power possessing in pur valley chieny^ early Onhe tree. ;it ims( to be ( trimmed annually.
Olives. Clovt-rtlfite .S'
That olive growing and grape culture are or ought to be sister industries has been urged upon us by disinterested, honest writers. That with one, two or three van- ties of olive trees now iu the course of a century Califormaliized, we have only n
>me a fact in California.
For the central counties of California, of Bourse always selecting slopes, not the plains, the following-named varieties will be good for trials and definite planting: The principal reason for considering these valuable, is the early maturing of their fruit, most of these trees requiring only 3100 degrees of heat in the growing sea-
son, and some of
g sea-
, f them being very little
susceptible, to the influencedf frost. r. PoUn- dorfl'ofSt Helena has taken upon himself the task of procuring these and other varie-
he his
possessing m our valley chiefly early Of the tree. It has to be trimmed annually. maturine varieties, tor our Mission llendondilla-- Its fruit, weighing about
turee grammes (that of the Manauiillo
olive belongs to the late ones.
F. PDFF.
8t. Helena, Jan. 30th, 1884. San
-- ,
turee grammes (that of the Manauiillo
wciglls sevcl], ,3 \ good for eatjng ]>ur poses and also yields good oil. It re^isi-
Fi-an
grower of Natinal City, San county, writes as follows: answer to the questions of y correspondent in the issue of Octo- ber 2Oth I note several things which do not correspond with my experience, and as ex- perience is an excellent schoolmaster, I mas- he able to correct some impressions which your article aiay leave on the minds of per- sons wishing to investigate the olive ques- tion.
I have never seen the olive Injured by frost In the slightest degree, nor have I seen the tenderest tree protected by corn-stalks Or any other material. I have not succeeded
prolific bearer. N
g a
vj|gp JUKI wild mree-ieuLiis grammes, is excellent Fresno early ripening and valuable for oil. Ii. "-• Provence, France, this tree is as highlj .•steemed as in Spain.
— This is one of the number recoe
lined In the northern provinces of Spain, •\M- slope of the Pyrenees, us the best-bearing varieties, resisting snow and Ice. needing but 340O degrees of heat and beginning to ears after being taken from the requires care, good soil and
u egrees
bear a few years after being taken from the nursery. It requires care, good soil and manuring. In Morata, Madrid, both in dry
nuu auuui. ILIU same iroiii n:e uoi ,
baa rotted, and planted- the balance all un- derground and got good trees.
I have tried all lengths for cuttings, from three feet down to ten inches, and would rather have fnem eight inches long than in- creased to twelve inches, but prefer ten inches.
For starting in nursery I plant the cut- tings with ihelr tops an inch or two out of the ground and about thirty inches between the rows' The earth thrown up in milking the trenches lor irrigation will cover the tops.
For orchard planting make a basin about two feet iu diameter and say three inches deep, with the cutting -in the center and about level witn the bottom of the basin covering- the top three or four inches with earth and give three or four irrigationsdnring
the summer, with the earth finely pulver- ized after each irrigation. There is no reason why at least 90 per cent should not grow.
Pack the earth very closely by tramping it with the feet while being filled in around the cutting, beginning at the bottom and continue to the top.
1 think there is danger in planting cut- tings iu nursery by simply making a hole with nn iron bar, as there is likely to be a vacant space at the bottom of the cutting. I have seen many failures by this practice.
1 plant with a spade, pressing the earth against the last one in making the opening for the next. By this method the earth is
elOfipd dosplv Armmrl fllo pnltlnir frntn t.i.
. , ,
calcareous and irrigated soil, this tree has for fifteen years given Iruit with regularity and in abundance.
Kneimal (Bwxmoti, BduteMcin, aotimvunne, Bibien or RaiiuiuUe) -This tree belongs to the earliest maturing varieties and its fruit weighs three and sevetWteutha grammes. The tree is not damageable by Irost, but its oil is notof prime quality.*
Varal negro (C'u.vu'i, Naatt or Alamcno}— This is a hard wooded tree, but will not re- sist frost, wherefore it must be planted in sheltered locations. The fruit ripens early.
Gordal (Oo«(, Roil, RnjM)— This is one ol the tallest olive tree?, grows quickly, is little r.j ny insects and u-hen wounded ^MHTBp in a readily formed wart. It is not identical with the Seiullano.also called (Joi- dal, which latter yields a diflcrent fruit of three and seven-tenths grammes weight while the Goraal real olive weighs four and two-tenths grammes. It is mostly used-for pickling, but also yicrfls*good oil. The fruit is early maturing and resists frosts. Good soil is a requiHt" to its successful culture.
Vordfjo (Verdnl, \'t.rclial, }'iri'litlu)—'i'bis tixe is one of the most esteemed varieties, requires fertile soil or manuring and resists frost. Its fruit, weighs three and seven- tonths grammes and is good tor eating or Oil.
The following-named late maturing varie- ties are rcconnncndable:
Madriteno ( l["riinl, u;rn Ettroprn Maxima} — Its fruit is of lar^e size, weighing up to twelve grammes. It is easy to grow, but does not yield oil according to the propor- tion of tile pulp.
Piendo (Ttludiki)— Its fruits weigh five and two tenths grammes.
Nevmiillo Negro — Its Iruit weighs four and and three-tenths graniijiOo and its yield is abundant.
Tliesi' late varieties require about 4000 degrees of heat.
The sii'all, pi'-king olive, I'iclioliu (Lrrln'n, i general ac-
, -.'i^hs one and throe-tenths ' :ie tice ri-si.-,is frostsond matures its fruit early, but require- proaf ram.
4t .. Olive Growing. - \
^T f 1 * /» *V \ \) I ~L I \ f \
The following extract from a letter oil olive- trees, by Frank A. Kimball, of National City San Diego Co., who has had several years of experience, and has been very successful, will read witli interest:
'The habit of the Mission olive whether I latural or the result of climatic causes, since its introduction into California, is to branch low, and if these low limbs be removed by severe pruning, the higher limbs will droop and shade the trunk, and right hereis where the 'Mission' olive has an advantage over many varieties which send out their branches at an acute angle to the main stock of the tree, thus expos- ing the trunk to the desiccating influence of our ong dry seasons, the tendency being to evapor- ate the sap which nature intended should be lepoeited as wood.
' 'I have tried the experiment and am satisfied
hat a larger tree can be made in five years by
ow branches, than in seven years by pruning
he low branches and exposing the trunk. All
;rees trimmed high will have coarse bark and
rough, like the bark on old apple trees, but
when protected by foliage, the hark remains
smooth and green.
"Many people are of the opinion that the Mive tree may be planted on land which is worth- less for any other plant, ami as a general con- blusiou say, the olive will grow anywhere and thrive without care. Kxpericnce in Southern California will prove the falla'cy of such con- clusions and I believe it may be written down as an axiom — that every plant, to secure the
; <.i.ov. r\<; i> f'Krs.vo." "^STthe trr..-.k, and as Ions ago as 1516 was said to TV/ Yh / -£ / V '- *"> an °'d trea. A celebrated tree at Peseio is
last issue of th<K JOhcBANT known to be over 700 years old. There are sev- in Mr. Pohndoiff's most valuable ir cral kln(ls of trecs- Tlle long-leaveU is eliieHy tide on o'ivp mvm. " "Ultivated in France and the broad-leaved in
e glowing, a mistake m re- Spain. Mr. Ellwood Cooper, who has given the sprouting of my olive trim- subject considerable attention, calls all his trees
uhtous has cr; pt in.
I that so far none have sprouted. I am happy to say that already.six weeks or two
' ^* J t'»cniUj (/»-» OCUUlC CUU
pest results must be planted in soil adapted to its nature, in locations adapted to its habits, and receive such care and cultivation as would [entitle the owner to expect satisfactory returns. "Hundreds and perhaps thousands of cargoes 'of earth have been transported on vessels from the Island of Cyprus to the Island of Malta, carried up the mountain sides on the heads or
months ago | of shoots,
which to-day measure two feet or more in height. If of these shoots only one had I'een H,iff,-ivd to remain, I have no doubt I would now have trees of five to six f-et in leigflt; hut as I wanted all the shoots for propagation it was my policy to allow all remain. 1 see no difference in growth m the two varieties, " Manzanillo" and "Xevadillo bianco,'' and I have every rea- son to believe they will prove, as much at home here as in Seville. The spot selected for the olive orchard is a sandy hill sixteen feet high, the "sand" being" rather stiff and containing an abundance of "lime," so necessary to the success of the olive. According to Professor Hilgard, the quan- tity of lime is as much as 1.760, which cu-tainly is an abundance. Besides these varieties I raise the Picholint, which I will
Afi- p,,i, ,,,!/, ff !l)y one name, the Mission Olive, because they
ff says are the growth of cuttings secured from (he Catholic Missions of this State. The Olive was introduced into the Southern part of the United States over 200 years ago from Portugal and the
use as stock for grafting, aud some plants
of the Missions. Tb.3 former seems to do well, is easily grown and transplanted, but consider as less valuable
the Mission I
The first year when transplanted it gener- ally looses all its leaves. It grows only _„ Z8MO
very poorly from cuttings, something like 1866 16>228
*u., A !•_. .!• *^ 1867.... ...2ft.02ri
shoulders of men and women, and added to the " f J v-»iuujjs, sumeinmg uue
poor rocky sterile soil of the mount tins and the Aestivalis grapes, and bears only when make it possible to produce the wonderful crops j six to seven years old. A good maiiv nl that have made that island, having an area of! trees are situated »11 n™ less than six or eight miles of arable land the f & °Ver OUr county. but
most productive of any similar area, probably, - the globe, there being an annual export of
26,025
1868 18,418
1869 20,278
1870 21,670
"876
,
23,854 15,251
15,615
from s(i,000 to £10,000 in the product ilberry tree and the vine."
TH!5
•ould be glad to i formation in regard to any experiments that have been made in the cultivation of the olive in Northern California. All persons who own or know of any bear- ing olive trees in any portion of the State north of San Francisco are ear- nestly requested to communicate with this office. The BEE desires to collect !data bearing upon the culture of this , tree in the northern half of the State, 'and to present the facts to its readers. Olive culture is successful and profit- able in Southern California, and we know of no reason why it should not become a leading industry in this half of the State. But we want facts. No northern county can show to the world a better proof of its salubrity and gen- eral adaptability to fruit growing than an olive tree in profitable bearing. We trust the press of Northern California will aid to bring the splendid possibil- ities of olive growing into prominence. | There are millions in olives, if the trees are grown under suitable conditions.
too young. A few i-ars ago quite an excitement was started
lure in regard to olives. Miss Austin lec- tured on the same and many olives were planted. But they were all of the Mis- sion variety, lost as' soon as transplanted ( their leaves and the first season did not grow much or any. This was taken as a sign of failure .and the trees were mostly dug up. Those, however, which remained are now bearing fruit. Our vintners do inot injure the trees and everything points towards the success of olives in Fresno
GUSTAV PI
1872 7,37711882." '.'.'. '.'.'.'.&',m
1873 ... 23,666 i 1883 10.619
In reply to the conditions of consumption in this State, a French importer told us he thought there had been but little if any increase in the past dec- ade, beyond that naturally expected from a Jarger population now than we had ten years ago. So far as the above figures can be relied upon, they indicate a slight decrease in the consumptive wants of the coast as supplied from San Fran- cisco, the imports for the whole period being di- vided between the first and second decades as follows: /<•'/_•
J2£-S-CS &*&*•«*»£ MM*
387M3 .™
Total 301,935
Direct imports at Oregon in the last few years, together with the California product, may more Wian make good the difference.
• is imporiea direct trom France, Italy or Snain
^ive-^fiT-one oE the oldest trees of the Theie are those still in-business in this city who The Bible makes frequent mention of it, have been importing this oil regularly for twenty
to twenty-five years. The proportion of really choice salad oils is not large. It is claimed that
lombardy. Formerly it used to be imported ex- clusively in bottles, requiring great care in pack- ing ana transportation. This is still tne favorite of importation for salad descriptions. ias been, however, more or less imported »u HMO in the last ten years. The Italians and French use it quite commonly in cooking in place "* butter or lard. Under the old law, there was $1 per gallon regardless of
— - 3 that tariff operated in favor
the best grades. The law of 1882 changed the
both as a tree for fruit and shade. It was evi- dently one of the trees in the Garden of Eden. It is of record that the dove released from Noah's Ark brought an olive leaf on its return. The olive branch has ever been regarded as a symbol of peace. Olive oil formed an important feature in the religious services of the Jews. The prophet Zechariah calls attention to two olive tree in the sanctuary, and subsequently asks : '• What, be there two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out ot themselves?" The Catholic Church to ' ., s.,e(,juC this day uses Olive oil in some portions of its ' services. Tins article receives conscientious at-
.
tention from the members of that church. Great \ stress is laid on baling a pure article for this pur- ± UnTadvSem hx w,ShPnf g "
To this end provision is made by the! I SfthlS '»*« »f course is the
e | ^
. » • f v/»Jv»*t(Eie>v«><!«* \\\& At tiio residence of II. M. Albery, it; Co!usa, there arc a couple ot olive "trees, planted by ilon. A. J,. Hart when he owned"' the place, which are very prolific bearers fue suggestion ti<st the olive bo planted in yards e.:n( uari'.eus is a good one. Tliny are as IOIIJT lived nstho pine — perhaps lunger. There are. irees in Asi'i Minor kfcown to be OT> T aooo yours old ond a single trco will support a iamil;,-. The ojiler Hie iree the greater Its value Cor fruH. No man who Plants an olive tree may expect to live to see i: reach fuil maturity, but in eight or ten yeara t.he tree will become valuable and j itu»vitlue will keep increasing.
pose. To this end provision 13 maae i>y tne
ehurch for the cultivation of the trees and for the , California has been doing something In prepartion of pure oil from the fruit of the same. ftlvatlon of the Olive during the S few Tears It is presumed that it was m this way that the Whvood foonpr wist
tree was introduced into California. It is known ! £"" MAtom I tellisent bn si, P H" '" that the Catholic Missions have cultivated the jnencedro 1872m Santo Barbara p ml- olive ever since their establishment in California, he has now an orchard of 60 acrps i The missions that do not cultivate the trees are 6 000 trees many o( t'tiem in be-in e i supplied with oil from those that do. The only years. The cuttings were set out 20 feet i I olive trees now in California were raised from each wav Thpcrni>i« ti,» !<,,., cuttings obtainedfrom the Catholic Missions. ££ ^, ^£S££Z SS?rtS5*fe
The Olive is a branchy evergreen tree, and ]SS2 (lirt nnt ri
sometimes attains a height of 30 feet. The cul- ftlwell. Mr Ser nfad^^S h'^f " ^f tivaled Olive is supposed to have been introduced &'?. J .I?'0™ bottles of Oil
into Spain and Italy from Asia. The fruit is a I fom the MOD of l^t R^ Bett20'000h 1)oUlcs smooth oval plum of a green or violet color, con- K°fl ±ls^, '?.,?,,„ ?, „ ?i I T "i" tf re;
tnlmng a hard nut. The trees thrive 'best near ^ e t..^ T mull, this LM» cultivation of the sea. In the Holy Land and in some parts of " M""s >». the light year for
Kyria there are some very old trees. They begin .^11" parties and could nrob"hT o'i • er"
o bear when 2 or 3 years old, but are not very|jja(| (jlem 'jiQistof the pruuin^'Sa' •! '^ productive until about 0 years A tree at Nice is d „„ in' t, y ft ^ « • * ^ "r reached a circumference of 38 feet, at the bottom ,hc sm!lllestj a/the cuttmgs are then tue health-
jest ;iml strontrftst.
rrera n: * 1, ,,1 i ^uu years ago irom .rornigai anil tne
sent up a bunch Bermudas. More or less success has attended strong and lienHhy, many of tl)e efforts of those engaged in the cultivation of
the same in Georgia and Florida.
The principal consumers of Olive Oil are the Italians, French and Spanish, it is also used to a greater or less extent bv all the civilized na- tions of the earth. The tree is cultivated ouite ex- tensively in Italy, and the numerous and large Ol- ive orchards are a feature in the agricultural land- scape of that country. There are two or more va- rieties of Olive Oil. The first pressing is gener- ally used for salad and medicinal purposes. This is known as virgin Oil. The second pressing is used for illuminating and lubricating purposes The imports of Olive Oil into the United States for the ten tiscal years ending June 30, 1883, were as follows :
, — Salad Oil. — ,, , — other Oil — , Gallons. Value. Gallons. Vulue
1S73-J 139,241 $261,22-4 118,453 $84,551
1874-5 176,119 335,918 173,688 127 "40
JJ75-6 178.232 328.357 93,675 60^087
18J6-7 194.069 376,731 154,639 114650
1877-8 217,017 414.435 49,531 44345
1878-9 192.326 354.582 143.242 97620
"J£«> 264,762 442,935 118,369 83,543
1880-1 234,362 378,280 160,051 102403
1881-2 264,838 478,747 243,190 151067
1882-3 257,375 459,759 279i374 wa,Si
These figuies will give an idea of the extent and value of the trade. It will be noticed that the Oil for salad purposes is appraised at a value of SI 75 to $2 per gallon, while the residue from the second and third pressings is much cheaper, be- ing used for more common purposes.
The imports of Olive Oil at San Francisco for the past twenty years have been as follows:
1874, CS 18,023
1878 n,485
The manufacture of Olive Oil Is a simple process and yet one that requires intelligence, care and great cleanliness. The fruit is picked by hand. To allow it to drop would result in a bruise, thus exposing the juice to take on the odor of what- ever the fruit conic in contact with. The Olives are first partially dried by artificial heat for 24 hours. In Europe this drying is done by the sun, and takes about two weeks. The Olives are then crushed in a trough by heavy stones which pass over them edgewise. The pulp resulting from this process resembles blackberry jam. Tne pul- verized material is placed in cloth and put in the presses. The tluiu which results from this oper- ation is mixed with a substance which the French call lye. It is then ruu into tanks, where it is allowed to remain for 90 to 120 days. The lye being the heaviest liquid, settles to the bot- tom of the tanks, and the Oil is drawn off from the top, filtered and classified, and is then ready for bottling. The refuse from the presses is sub- ject to a second pressing, but the product is not its good as the first.
Mr. Cooper puts up bis Oil in quart land pint bottles of the same size as those used by tbe French. The quarts jtre sold at $12 per dozen at the ranch, which is about 30 to 40 per cent, less than the foreign product. There is a demand for all that has been made. This demand comes from New York and the Northwestern States, and also from California and the Pacific States. About one-half of the California product from the first pressing is supposed to be used for med- icinal purposes and tbe other half for salads. For upwards of 2,006 years the intelligent races of the world have been in the habit of using Olive Oil for medicinal purposes, but for the past 20 or 30 years, owing to the great adulterations prac- ticed in foreign kinds, this use has fallen off ma- terially. The medical profession has always endorsed pure Olive Oil in its practice. The Oil made by Mr. Cooper is not only pure, but its man- ufacture is attended throughout with the most scrupulous regard for cleanliness, as an import- ant factor in attaining the, highest degree of purity. . "}. 'i>AV.M
The Italian Government has adopted stringent laws against the sale of any adulterated Olive Oil for home consumption. Olive Oil is said to be the best lubricant In existence, as it is not of a 'oWer'deiTcate machinery. Mr. Cooper 'sayl? .«"»* cheaper at 82 BO per gallon than other lubricants are at 75c, because of its clean and staying quali- ties. It is also used for the washing of Wools in- tcndeil for the finest grades of underwear, as it gives such ikmnels a soft and spongy character, which character is as pronounced after washing i,. re. Good housewives have noticed that some flannels have a stiff and sticking feeling after washing, which shows that the Wool was wasl'.ed iu some other than Olive Oil. There is al.=o a considerable consumption of pickled UIi\es. Mr. Cooper has not done much in that line at present, beyond preparing a few for his own use. The French pickle their Olives while •green. The process, when rightly performed, is slow, and requires great care to avoid bruises and impurities. They are only perfect Olives that make good pickles.
A VALUABLE PRODUCT.
The Reward of Intelligent Perseverance— A
Generous Hint to the Farmers of this
State— How to Get Bich.
The name of Ehvood Cooper Is held in high cs
teem by all lion vii-rurn. for to his intelligent per-
• nice they owe one of the rarest of table
delicacies. 1'ure Olive oil Had almost ceased lo
exist as a marketable article when he established
his noted ranch in Santa ISarhitra Comity, but at
the present day it can always be had— if one can
. afford lo pay for it. To this gentleman the Stnte
of California owes a debt of gratitude, in thai lie
:arted and brought to assured success an y thai promises to bu ouo of the mast val- uable, mi tins coast. So superior is the California olive oil manufactured by Klwood Co»per that I! commands a price far in excess of the best for- eign importation, while "its sale Is limited only by the amount of production. The choicest olive Franco and Italy, after they have passed from the manufacturer tlirouuh the hands of nu- merous middlemen, and after they have paid the cost of transportation and customs duties, sell for from :;o to 40 cents per bottl- less than the oil that is produced at our doors— because the latter is the acknowledged Maudard oi purity and palatalilene.ss. This statement Is no "adver- tising pull," for il is impossible to puff an article for which the demand is Infinitely greater than
•'Pply, and the object of this writhier is simply to call the attention of California farmers to a valuable and too much neglected product of '• . • v enillL' a iciiorter of I Hi
illy nt oil during the winter ot 'TB-7, ana mnru !;ir"e crop in the following year, In ninny ln«tau- lering as many as titty gallons or berries f i om a .-ingle tree. In my early experiments, with old-fashioned machinery copied from Eu- rope, it requited sixteen pounds of berries to SMte one pound of first-class oil, while now, MB new machinery of my own invention, it re- quires only ten pounds of berries to one of oil, by far the most favoiable result ever leached. French cultivators give the quantity of oil con- tained in a given quantity of fruit as one -eighth, and in weight • one-tenth; that is, eight gallons of berries to one gallon of oil, and about fifty i omuls of beities to one gallon of oil. Taking the aver- age quantity of the production in Kurope from a mature oicbaid, we have in oil, per tree, two to two-and-a-half gallons every second year. This result is obtained by thorough fertilizing, with- out which the berries would yield but little oil. Xhfc newness and richness of the soil will prob- ' ably give, the first fifty years, double the best re- sults given in those countries where oil-making has been the business for so many generations. Our climate is congenial to the habit of the tree; it blooms from the 1st to the loth of May, and the fruit forms from the 1st to the loth of June. At this season we have our best weather, free from extremes of either cold or heat. Mowhtre in the world are all the conditions so favorable tot'ie perfect fruit-bearing.
THIS EXTRACTION OF THE OIL.
The olive usually ripens here In the latter part of November, though at limes it is earlier, and in very wet seasons, such as 1880, was not ready for picking until the middle of January. The fruit should be gathered as soon as it turns pur- ple, and before it is fully ripe, as the oil will be lighter iu color and more fragrant, although somewhat less in quantity. The berries are di led before crushing, as It is necessary to evap- orate a portion of Hie water. If dried by the sun it ' requires about fourteen idays. Tbis plan cannot be depended upon, excepting in years when the t'rnit is early ripe and we have continuous sunlight, vv iih moderately warm weather, liy artificial heat, ranging from 11O° to 130°, the drying can be done in less than forty-eight hours. The crush- ing and pressing should follow without delay- that is, the fruit taken from Hie dryer in the morning should be crushed and pressed the same day, Long intervals or delay- in the process Iriiin picking the fruit to expiessing the oil tends to rancidity. To malic perfect oil requires a pet- feel system in tbe whole management. The capacity of the press, the crusher, the dryer, ami the whole number of pickers should correspond
'imf removed irom the sea or be about equal; all f nut picked during the 'v?..so.me*LmL^!n.!:. ,..,;,.„„.;:,.' day should be in at night, cleaned the following
morning, and go into the dryer Immediately after
met Mr. Cooper in the uok House, and asked him for an account of his experience as an olive- grower and a inanutactuier of olive oil. A. lengthy conversation ensued, and the gist, ot it is here giveu for the benefit of those who may prolit by il. Avoiding the form of a dialogue, the substance of Mr. Cooper's remarks was as follows, portions of them here and there being scraps that he read from his brochure on olive culture;
THE F1KST PRACTICAL OLIVE-OROWrNT,.
" f lirst came to California in 18UH." said Mr. Cooper, " and was at thai time merely travelling for pleasure. Much tiiat 1 saw here delighted me, and-I was especially charmed with the cli- mate of Stiiita Barbara. There the idea struck me that I would like to live there it 1 could only strike upon some interesting and remunerative occupation. At each -*f the missions visited I' found a few thrifty olive, trees, and the possibility of becoming an olive-grower struck me favora- bly. 1 knew nothing of the plant or its culture, nor of the manufacture of oil, but 1 did liin>w Unit it was a valuable product of Southern Eu- rope, and felt that with equally good soil and climate an American ought to do as well as an European. At that lime the only experiments made here in olive-growing had been at lit;- Cath- olic missions, Uees having been planted at each of these missions for tbe sole pui pose of supi ly- ing the absolutely pure oil necessary lor the I chinch service. In this connection f may remark I that all the oil now used in tbe Catholic churches out here is grown and manufactured at the Mission San Jose. On returning Kast the new project survived the journey, ami 1 al once gol together all the literature 1 could that bore on the subject. After long and careful reading I reached tiie decision, which subsequent experience has proved to he lute, that no part of lite world was betler suited to olivc-growiug than a large belt in California. The olive bell of the wot Id isyeiy limited, as the tree will stand neither excessive beat nor cold, nor any great amount of moisture wltete there is a high degree oi temperature. In oilier words, It is only to be found in those parts of the almost semi-tropics, where severe frosts are unknown, and where tbe atmosphere is comparatively ihy, although tempered by a certain amount of mop-l- ure from the sea. It may be said Unit nice! of California extends from tbe lower part of Shasta County on the north, to the Mexican line on the
south, and tuns east to the base of the foothills. The hot season in the foothills of the Sierras is too long and dry. It is generally best to hare your ol'ive grove, somewhat removed from the sea, but the tree will thrive directly on the coast, where it is not exposed to the severe northwest trade winds. I may say here that a rich olive belt is also to be found all along the southeastern coast of Australia; as good a one. as. anywhere in the world, probably. . , ,- ' '"''Jjti
OLIVES, ALMONDS AND WALNUTS- S*
In 1809-70 some other parties conceived the idea of planting olive orchards in this State, but did not study the subject, sufficiently, and the re- sult was thai all then trees were either destroyed or practically ruined by insects. By 1870 my plans were all laid, and in that year f purchased
lite previous day's drying is taken out. The fluid pressed from the fruit is kept in tanks for from ninety to one hundred and twenty days, at the end of which time the oil separates 1'ioin the other fluids and rises to the top. It is drawn off, and after careful filtering is ready for bottling.
HOW THE OIL IS TREATED.
The clarifying can be done by the sunlight, also. It can be bleached and made much lighter in color, but not without injuring it. When His adulterated artificial beat Is necessary in the When once heated it loses a part of the
.'•.:- ' '^t f M7 Ehvood Cooper on the Olive Oil
of California.
1 mane only one grade of oil, and after the first pressing use the pomace for feeding pigs, but in
France three grades nre- made. "'After tbe first pressing there, the pomace is dumped oul into a heap and lies there until the end of the season. Then this pomace, which Iu the meantime h;is moulded and fermented, Is reground and re- pressed, the result beiug the second grade of table oil. Then the pomace is placed in
.,,,., ,,v..^...- , - - vats and water poured over it. Kermea-
preferred. They should be planted In pennant-Hi tat|<,n agru: -"'I the "il that es-
sites from Februaiy 2oih to March 20th, depend- c js ,*„<, fol.
hi/.*j itiiu value < •» nnj i,iuj«
preferred method is to plant the cuttings, taken- from the growing trees of sound wood, trom three-quarters of an inch in diameter to one and a half inches, and from fourteen to sixteen inches long. These cuttings should be taken from tit trees during the months of December and Janu- ary, neatly trimmed, without bruising, and care- fully trenched in loose sandy soil. A shady place
siles from Februaiy ,
lug upon the season. The ground should be well prepared and sufficiently dry, so that there is no mud while the weather mu-st be warm, in hania Barbara near t he coa .1 no irrigation is necessary, but very frequent .stirring of the ton soil with a hoe or iron rake for a considerably chsiance around the cuttings is necessary during the spring and summer. About, three-fourths of all that are well i.lanted will grow. My plan is to set
capes is used for burning and lubricating. My investment has proved so nrofltaDiethat 1 cannot allot d to Impair It by making a common grade of table oil, and it wouldn't pay ine to make lubri- cating OIL -Gc '
. At first it was necessary to ship the majority of the oil East, but it gained so rapidly in to Htatlon that the demand for it on this coast soon outstripped my ims.sihiliiics ni manufacture,
seven lo' thirty-three feet apart,
has proved that such distances aie not
here.
. present ]u
bottles pel annum, 'and I wish to gradual^ in- crease this tot lOO.ffoo boHles, which will leas large Ui amount as ! shall oaie to handle. The
PLANTING IN 1'ATROPK. demand for Mich oil is so cnoiniously in o.ress of
Some orchards in Europe are planted In the, supply that 1 have no [.ossibtecompetiUou t?
"threes," that is, three ttees In each place plant it jcar. so long as I produce nothing -but a pure
in the foim of a triangle, and three or four Icet arlicle, and therenic 1 (to not hesitate to urge
HI, ait. This method would require the rnwstu open other land-owners in Ihh State the advis.v
bn thirty-three to thirty-live feet distant, and bihty of their e.\i,ei imenUng in the same Inci a-
would give the same number of trees to the acre tjve clircction. A uood maiket will always be
as by planting at twenty feet, one tree In each found for i\ -class oil \
pVice It is claimed that by planting In this way here, wbile the olive crop is more certain ami
no staking is required, the trees protect one an- in,,ie remunerative than other classes of oichai
ii \j j i «»v •">•-, tv «.;..i,,,,i. TI. , ., ^-i ,11-11 if 1 ha
bther f rom the most violent \vimi triintning is simpllflei"
ICIIL \> out oioiiu.s. the pioduct. and less care and labor are
.rtl
The people in Uie southern counties j'.ist beginning to plant the
is required in the cultivation. largely, luil up to tbe present time 1 am the
In 1875 1 had nvy first return; only a lewj?allons ol,iy p,.1M,n on the co:-.st who matiiifaeture oil
of ml. tobesu're.aiidpreiaiedlnt 1,1,1 tin- n-siiU convince'.! me tba
to, 'the Co i t,,, i
itnerclal market. Asihehiui should la'tl rounl.lv. as il must he used within
pli-kiii);. and as it win i anil sin. : en vv itliout
.1 and fei nieination, it Is of c !iat an oil mill sii,,iikl ho established in the • of each locality vvlicie olive orchards are planted.
THJ
Insects'- Yes. that i ut should lie
touched upon hi any an; culture, tor
no orcbara will amount to anything unless those jiesls are thoroughly cleaused Irom tlie trees. Allcr a lomr sei ies oi c.\i eiinii-iiN i ' practically e.. mined myseli to i ie one clieaii article Iliat seeius to l;e al>.»ciliiiciv ett'eeiive. <>i course notliin ell • than concentrated lye,
Inn it Is too tobacco seems to
answer the i well, while wnale
< tnaily on small trees at
a very elieau cost. A ilecoeiie-n of tobacco Is sniii'ie, me\ - I, U- properly applied, an
ettectual remedy foi every class ol insect pests that 1 have come in contact with. Forly pounds of good, strong leaf luhacco, Uuirouglify boiled ill water, will make about eighty gallon's. 'Ihis can bt; thrown nj.on ii:. a (lowerlul
garden syringe, but it is nefeessary tliat the de- i should be Kept, wliile n-iin:> it, at the imiioini icinijeiatnie of ]3u to i-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Hotter than this will destroy tho embryo fruit; less hot, less etleetnal. I would recommend lour api-lieation-i each year, until the orchards were entirely free from in- t'nen. if Hie neighborhood was free, and the proper i.recaiuions taken, vvuli prnuin-; alone it could he kept free lot KCIICI aliens to come. "iclianlist must grow his own toliaeco, wllkll be can do in a small way. if lie attends to it properly, at a cost ot two cents the pound— . pi educe 4.0OO pounds.) We have, two Callous oi the decoction to a live for each application, the I'ollowhiK cost: One pound of tobacco, two cents. Two men can boll the tobacco and syringe too trees dully— $1 25 lor each man, and boaid. would ue §V 50 — ' Ol' two and a hail cents ti.c tree, which, witn the '.', ii cenls), equals per tree foul- halt ceitls— lotu times each > ear, eighteen On olive trees producing titty gallons of four cents me pound), the :on<!h cleansing would be less •nda naif | er cent ol each yearly ero'e. On orange, lemon .and lime trees, about the same.
AI>I I/II-:J;A i ION or OIL.
;- I find this decoction of tobacco equally service- able on domicile fruits and other deciduous trees,
but 111 such cases it milM be only applied once ill
ihe vvlnier, when the leaves aie gone and the sap Her sue. an application I . found my iices enlirely fiee from in- -liiitiK. 'i he laet tuat I use Uii.oiiO a year is the pest proof that I e-y. It is lime for me to go, now. bu; iu conclu.-ion let me say that ihe ndul- leiation o£ olive oil probably surpasses* your misgivings, \\hile I was engaged In the mess in New York. one him icceivcd h order lor a thousand tierces of ^otlb- Mediterranean to adulterate oil, and a single year's exports oi cotton seed oil iroiu New Orleans, seni to the Mediter- ranean lor a like pnipo,e, was -nllicient in quan- tity to lill Wleen million ordinal y oil bottles, the cost of the oil in each bottle being less than ten cents."
'!'li« Olive Culture.
EDS. GAZETTE; There is one industry in our State that is bound to be of par- amount importance, which has not yet attracted the attention it deserves, and that ie ths olive culture. To-day south- ern Europe supplies the world with olives. The importance of this culture we people of the United States do not appreciate. In Italy at present the olive crop is worth $40,000,000 annually. California to-day produces not more than 35,000,000 bushels of wheat, which is worth less than $30,000,000. go we see the olive culture of Italy brings in far more money to that country than the wheat industry in our State. That the olive will flourish in our State has already been proven. K. B. Kedding demonstrated this years ago. In the old Mission near the Bawson farm in Los Angeles county there is a splendid grove of olive trees. On the State University grounds at Berkeley there is an olive tree which bore this year over 100 pounds of fruit, which sold for $4 upon the grounds. The olive begins to bear in the sixth year aud coptinues to increase its yield till it reaches its thirtieth year. It flourishes best where the soil is a little rooky. In Italy every hill side and rugged ridge is covered with olive trees.
Senator Stanford is about to plant a largo olive grove near his large vine- yard at Vina, Tehama county. In some
i IK/ iiiivo ministry.
places tho soil ia so rooky that small
charges of dynamite will be required ,,„„ Kamou Manjanes is UK' director of 3 blast tho surface of the rook so that the School of Industrial Engineers of Bar- the trees may be planted. On such j cclorm, Spain. He has always taken a land as this it requires a longer period i lively interest iu the important Spanish in- aud more oare before the trees begin to i dustry of growing and manufacturing olive
/T
bear, but then the quality of the fruit is superior. The olive culture cannot well be overdone. In Italy when the olive crop is bountiful, the people are
oil. Having progress in thut branch at heart and recognizing the many defective antiquated methods prevailing iu that industry which are kept up iu his country,
contented. It is asserted on good an- u" llHS simultaneously, with the Oecouom- inoiity that with broad and olives the 'icnl Socie'y of Friends of the country of
inhabitants are contented to do six months without meat of any kind. Then tho olive oil is an article of com- merce, the importance of which cannot well be over estimated.
the province of Seville, conceived, and tin- society has taken steps to execute, the idea of au international conference ou all mat- ters appertaining to the olive oil industry. Au exhibition of olive oils from all parta 3 will be connected with that conference, to
grove is a success, and tho indications ,,„. ,U!ld in St,ville It ig t) be h ^ be, we may expect to tlu! int,.r(.st tllkl.u iu thllt concoursei which see th6 sunny slopes of Contra Costa is hdd to bo of vast consequence for im- produoing not only the vine ahd frnit provernent in the olive oil industry j» Spain, trees but also tho olive. Then more will be a vivid one, and the project become happy homes will dot our vales and the a fact.
lot of the farmer Will be one of less The programme is an extensive one, and toil and tribulation. B. |we think it ofiuterest to our readers, many
kna. 1st. 1885. |°f whom
Northern California
<?if.A Rlv-'l of the Olive.
^ <ta*ro.mmtontt. r/,j/g>r-
'<• plant known as sesame b; to become a formidable rival of the oh ye. 1 1 is lately grown in India and lima. It is an annual, inalurin- in three months from the time of planting, and two cn.ps .MIV grown eaeh year' "ds are very small, ten of them Jfeigbing only a grain. They contain •«> per cent oPoil, by weight, while the '• ol the olive has but :;0 per cent. ''"I""'1 oe.I into France
unt to 70,600 or 80,000 tons per an- num. The oil is- much used to adulter- ate-olive oil, which it closely rcsnibles. 'I lie ••liriiish Encyclopedia" says that '•»M-].ressed sesame oil is P-M,,,] in ovory respecttothe finest olive oil for table ; '"I « by many preferred to ul on account of its piquant j attempts should be <made to cul- tivate this valuable plant in < 'aliforma t might prove m<,re profitable than the olive. The man who plants the olive must wait half a dozen wars for fruit, while the sesame yields two i n a single season. Just as ken nas driven whale oil out of the market so the sesame may supplant the olive.' Ifce olive, however, has such nn estab- lished hold on the markets of the world that to displace it by any other natural product must be slow work. Still it is notorious that a large proportion of the so-called olive oil of commerce is com- posed of other substances. Cotton-seed oil sesame oil, peanut oil, and even lard oil, are largely used as adulterants for olive oil. To what extent these adulterants are employed is a -mater for conjecture, but thepercentageof adul- teration must be large. Our Consuls in Italy and France say that no pure olive oil is exported from these coun- tries. Ho well, is this fact recognized in California that in spite of the popular prejudice in favor of imported poods n certain California brand of olive oil, whose purity is above suspicion, brings a higher price than any imported brand. While sesame oil. so far as we know has not been .squarely put on the mar- ket as a food oil in competition with olive oil, it may yet stand upon its Tncr- its instead of masquerading under the name of the olive. The great advant- age of the sesame in such a competi- tion is its comparative cheapness. As it has no tendency to rancidity, the oil of the olive has no preference in that respect. Sesame seed is used as food in China and India, as the olive is wherever it is grown. Even the cake from sesame-seed mills is said to. be eaten by the poorer classes of India.
of whom niay wish to learn -is much as possible of a/branch, which for California!! agriculture /s.iuoiueutous, to give it in its
•entirety:
FIliST UllOUl'— CULTIVATION OF THK OLIVE.
1. Uocks ASS geological collections of
oliviferous soils.
2. Samples of olive grafts. Green and dry branches.- Fresh and preserved olive fruit.
3. Tools and appliances for the special cultivation of the olive tree.
4. Diseases of the olive tree. Means em- 'ploycd to subdue them. Apparatus for applying these remedies.
5. Special manure for the olive grove.
SKCOND GBOUP — OLIVE HAltVKSTINd.
6. Apparatus and uteusils for gathering ithe olive crop.
7. Carts, baskets, etc., aud transporting uteusils.
8. Models and systems of housing the Icrop until pressing.
T11I1SD OKOUP— -EXTRACTION OP THE OIL.
9. Apparatus for washing and lifting olives.
10. Olive mills.
11. Apparatus for freeing tho pulp from the stoiie.
12. Presses.
lit. Desmufiecadoras.
14. Matting for holding the pulp under the press and moans to substitute mat- ting.
15. Pumps and appurtenances.
10. Samples of olive oils freshly extract- ed and without having undergone any other preparation.
I'OUHTH CiliOUP— CLAKIFCATION AND EEFIN- INO.
17. Systems of filters.
18. Stoves, reservoirs aud other utensils and apparatus for refilling aud clarifying oil.
IU. Clarified and refined olive oils and methods employed.
Fll-TH <il;oi;i'— COMMKKCIAL PAUT.
20. Depots, jars and casks of irou, till, zinc, earthenware, wood, glass, skin, itc, for storage.
21. Corks, capsules, wax, labels and other accessories.
'2'2. Machines for washing, corking and capsuling bottles.
23. Collections of commercial olive oils
'-'I. i;,:,-, nses, nfpSrSTus a. ,,1 '"''D" >lociiltv alul auitude. The doctor re- to MOertain adulteration of olive oil. Olecjar(]g success as assured and with very
meters, Khieciomctcrs, etc.
sxcellent reasons for his belief. Mr. L. ^ Could, whoee place is about two SIXTH UKOUP— KEKIDDES OF OIL AND TiiKiinjleg north Q{ Auburn, has demonstrated APPLICATION. lie fact practically this winter by maun-
25. Tnrbids, aceitonesandle, , floras Curing, oil from ^gro^n ^n^ deposited. aoisaeurs to be strictly first-class in all
26. Alpechi:!, bitter and acid elcniciitsrestjeets. The doctor's trees are yet too
27. Pomace or husks of olives.
.... we said already, only a year ago. But
38. Products extracted or fabncatcithey are lookiDg extremely thrifty. They from residues. were chiefly from root-cuttings pud were
f'tr Hi" most cart three years old. Only BICTINTH OBOUP-MOTOBS. ^""x per cent, have bsen lost by
29. Steam engines. transplanting, the "usual average of loss
30. Gas engines, compressed air ma beiug something like ten per cbiuery.
31. Apparatus for moving by horse power (malacutes).
.OLIVE CULTURE. .
'/ Z- live Gro
EIGHTH GEOUP — OILS FBOM GKAIN AND SEEDS.
Oleaginous grains and seeds.
Oils therefrom both crude and re-
32. 33.
tilled.
33. Pomace and other residue from oleaginous grains and seeds.
3-i. Apparatus for fabricating oil from them.
NINTH GUOUP — LITEUATUKK.
36. Books written and printed, treating
.
'he Question of Profit in
Sacramento Bee.
The Italians have a proverb that an olive grove is a "gold mine on the surface of the earth." > Throughout Italy and many portions of Europe olive oil is to the people what butter is to Americans. Pure olive oil, which not one American in ten1
only ,6 gallons per acre. In Sj.ain tile best net annual income from the finest olive proves is placed at S5S per acre.
In conclusion, this quotation from the report of Felix A. Matthews, United States Consul at Tangier, Morroco, in Africa where the olive is extensively grown, may be presented as expressing not too sanguine a view of the possibili- ties of olive culture in California. He says. "The great value and importance of the olive tree is that it will thrive and prosper in soils where nothing else of value would grow. Those dry soils of arid aspect in many parts of California are the genuine lauds for raising the most I productive forests of olives, worth in due time and at no distant period, millions of j money. In Africa, in Greece, and in ] ; some parts of Spain, lands once abandoned ( J for their sterility are now the source bfi inB wealth and revenue to communities and to
a^XUm.rnThfln± "
TJ TlfE OLIVE.
Varieties , Culture, Miinut'n .and Discuses.
1 7 , Y" f n v~ (ft Wo. Ltd-nat— DL//I/ , /i
An^lo-American Times. ' ///* 9
thousand has tasted, is a most delicious Olives attain to their highest culture irj
and healthful food, superior to butter for Spain and Italy in sheltered and suitable most purposes of cookery. The prejudice spots along the Mediterranean. The tree" against olive oil is destined to die away, is semi-tropical, and can only reach per- and in time the consumption of it in this lection in favored spots in Europe, though
country must enormously increase. There
J./B«fB. Afn following
of cultivation, synonyms, manufacture of olive oil, clarification, commerce and sta- tistics of oil.
37. Memoirs and mouographies.
38. Designs of plants and oleaginous fruit.
39. Plans and projects of installations, storage, etc
(O
DR.
The Placer ArgS..
vbout the large fruit farm in that county ,wnedbyDr. Agard, of Oakland: We .aid a brief visit to Dr. Agard's olive •aiich the other day, and we found much to interest us, and alao the general pub- tjc, in the work that is there being poshed forward. He has several men smployed plowing, planting, building flpcee, etc. His place, bought about aighteen months ago, comprises some forty-six aero?, part of which, iccUidiuj a very eligible building spot, shaded and
protected by pines, is on a very sightly
knoll oveilcck'Qg on one side the rail- Wad, the town, »nd the Sacramento
Valley while on the other it commands than any imported oil. It is quoted in u'tiful view of the eternal snow- "San Francisco prices current at $13 50 per ned Sierras in the distance. During 3ozen flirts. A simple calculation ~:>
show that the present yield of his tre<
the past year the Doctor has the quoted rate) would be over §56i0yo or
about 1,000 olive treee, some 300 peach aeariy $1>0()0 per acre, although many of
need scarcely be any fear that the Ameri- can market will ever get overstocked. ID Italy alone two and a quarter million acres are devoted to the olive, and the anunal yield of oil is about ninety millior gallons. One Italian Consul writes tha' no unadulterated olive oil is exported fron Italy, and statistics show that not enougl genuine olive oil, fit for table use, is pro duced to supply the wants of the world Much that is sold as olive oil is the oil from the cotton seed or sesame seed. Hog's lard is shipped to Italy from Amer- ica and comes back in bottles labeled "Olive Oil." These facts have an impor- tant bearing upon the question of future profits from olive groves in California.
The profit in olive culture for oil de- pends greatly upon the quality of the pro- duct. In California the best known and
a bardy plant. It does not thrive with extremes of temperature; a climate too hot and dry or too cold and moist is not favorable to its growth. It thrives on the sea coast or on the hillsides; in a favorable climate and soi' the tree grows quickly, and is developed, strong and leafy. In Tuscany the diameter of the tree measures from 10 to 16 inches, and it ranges in height from 16 to 22J4, while there are trees which grow much higher, indeed up to 38 feet. The tree remains fruitful from two to three hundred years, and if after this term of life they do not bear, young shoots are produced which become fruitful, so that actually they may be said never to die.
As a rule, soil adapted to the vine is suited to the olive. The characteristics of such a soil are looseness and fair per- meability. The soil and active subsoil
most successful olive grower is Elwood should have a depth of at least one metre
Cooper, of Santa Barbara. He began
;welve years ago by planting a thousand
trees. «Now he has ^ 6,009 trees, covering
sixty acres, and they are nearly all in
bearing. He turns out 50,000 bottles of
oil annually, which brings a higher price
trees, and from 500 to GOO French and Hungarian prunes— mostly the former. He has also plant.d a num-, ber of nut trees, pecans, 1 erts, and several varieties of the prce.par- turiens Euglish walnuts. He intends as soon as possible to put in an assortment
his trees liave just come into bearing. Mr. Cooper fears no competition, and warmly advocates olive culture in California. \V. A. Hayne of Santa Barbara county, has this year planted 50,000 cuttings, whieh would be enough for 500 acres. It has been fouad that in California the
of plums Coe's Golden,Drop, Columbia, olive tree yields a much larger quantity of
Washicgton, and a new, rare and ex- berries, ' and that here they furnish a
cel'.ent variety known as Kelsey's much better quality of oil, than in Europe.
Japanese p'um. He is alao planting a Some of Mr. Cooper's trees produced as
cherry orchard, about 150 trees of which much as tup gallons of berries at the age
are already set out. Around his house, of four ^ars. A few trees came into
which though snug and commodious bearing the third year. When eight
enough for any bachelor, is destined years old a number yielded forty gallons of
soon to give way to a larger and more berries each. The olive tree matures slow-
elegant structure on the knoll above ]y, and may be expected to steadily in-
menticned, he has a nice orchard of crease its product until at least twenty
>ears apple?, etc. The ranch is irri- years of age. It bears for centuries. Its
">tcd'by means of a huge cistern which habits is to give a large crop every second
holds 12,000 or 13,000 gallons of watel year.
placed high eucugh up to common.? According to the consular reports, a everv rod of the ground. The water d gallon of berries weighs about eight obtained from a pool, distant a few hui^ pounds, and yields from a pint to a quart dred yards. From there it is pumpe< of oil. The reports vary greatly in their up into the tank by the aid of a steal) estimates of the profit of olirt culture eutrine and pump which occupy covere! abroad. It is Very meager compared to quarters between the pool and the tank the returns in California. In Tuscany the But one thing of paramount interes value of the average innual yield of to fruit growers and the general publi mature trees is given at ,02 per acre. In is the experiment of olive culture in th Sardinia tlie.vield of berries is reckoned at
A soil which contains much carbonate of lime is good, especially in the south, though too cold in northern countries, as their white coloring prevents absorption of heat. Magnesia and sulphate of lime are efficient substitutes for carbonates of lime, and some sulphate may be applied with advantage in the manure. Oil pro- duced in soils poor in these ingredients has usually a greenish tiugo and is not as limpid as oils from soils containing them. A tendency to exuberant flowering and aborting of the fruit shows a deficiency of phosphate in the soil which must be remedied fot good yields. In Spain it is held that a good soil to be well adapted to the olive tree should retain its loose- ness after a rain of 48 hours duration, and that during the hot season it should con- tain ten per cent of its weight in water. The yield of oil from a given weight of fresh fruit varies from sixteen to twentv- tive per cent. The latter figure is not of- ten reached even with the best oil-yield- ing varieties and the most approved pro- cesses. Consul Oppenheim has obtained data showing a higher percentage, but the figures express the proportion of oil to a given weight of olives which, as is usual in Andalusia, had been lying up on the ! mill floors for several woeksr. Olive oil1 Is a staple of which any quantity can be disposed of in Europe roadjly for cash. The pickled fruit is looked upon more in| the light of a fancy article, the sale of. which, though brisk for the moment, mav
; change on any vagary'of W or fashion. In well-.lispose.l Cordova and Seville are the localities irare planted at a distance of from Spain most favorable to tbo growth o)
olivo trees 4 to 0
metres (13 to 19 feet 4 inches) one from tho other. The number of trees in generally
the olive. Malaga, Sovilla, Valentia and '
Barcelona are the cities whence the oil U from 40° to (i°° per ho"taro (~A acres') exported; but nine-tenth., of the product1 Pruni»« in tbe best conducted orchai is consumed in Spain. Oormany take, consists in well clearing out the center of most of the Spanish export- then ]<•„« tho lree in order that a" the branches land; then France; but Italy is the eoun Baring may have plenty of light, sun try of the finest oils, and' Tuscany thc and air> The trees are P^ned every two Province, the very best coming from or threa yeal>S- Any dying or dead bran- Lucca. The following interesting infor- clies Ur° take" °ff as SO°n aS noticed- mation is from the report of Consul Every year tbo soil is turned with the
Welsh of Florence.
spado and every other year manured. It
Among the olives trees the following is thought by 8cientists tliat Pining is are the better known in Tuscany carried to too great an extent. Columellft,
Jn/rantoio—tlt for the press-one of the the anciellt agriculturist, who greatly ad-
most dulicate cold.
and very susceptible to
Olivastro— dark brown olive— found on ;he hills; hardy, but not very productive.
M^raiolo— resembling the mulberry— lardy, ripening early, and fairly produc-
Razzo or Goossaio— large and lucent — '• much appreciated for the size and abun-| lance of its olives and tho good quality of its oil.
Correogiola— resembling the crucible
rom its lowering branches— susceptible1
o cold weather, and consequently not
adapted to high localities, but still grow-
ng with northern exposure.
Gremignolu—a. coarse description of ol- ve— ripening in March or April, and ound in the Pisan Mountains.
Leccino— holm-oak — coarser, but very lardy, and not susceptible to cold.
Qtitrcetimo — resembling the oak — de- iviug its name from Querceta, a small )lace iu tho Lucchoso, where it is largely ullirated, owing to its strong constitu- ion and resistance to sea winds. Inlolcitoio — tender and sweet — whose ruit, larger than other varieties, but with little oil, is eaten fresh after having been for some time well soaked.
The varieties mostly used in Tuscany are:
The Infi antoio, with favorable expo- sure, and the Moraiulo elsewhere. The liifrantoio grows well in sheltered places and on hillocks. This plant is very sus- ceptible to exposure or to changes of weather. The Muraiolo, cultivated in a meager and arid soil is very hardy and bears well.
Olive trees are generally reproduced, from ligneous excrescences of the stock of roots, in the form of half an egg, from \ which they are called uovoli, cut in the" Spring, placed in holes made in a plowed soil, covered with fine earth and watered according to the exigencies of the season. Olive trees commence to bear one year after being planted, and farmers antici- ' pate tho amonnt and increase of tho crop from the date thereof, relying upon the Tuscan sayings, viz:
Se mitjnola d'Aprilc, vacci col barile — bearing in April; look for a barrelful; — abundant crop.
Se mignoli di Maggia, vaeci colsaggio \ bearing in May, hope for the best; scarce
•mignoli d> Giugno, vacci col pugno — bearing in June, expect a handful; poor I crop— which are confirmed by the follow- ing:
Laprima oliva e oro— the first olive is gold.
La seconda argento—tho second is sil ver.
L'lterzaval niente— the third is of no value.
That is to say that the tree precocious in its bearing produces best; less sure are those flourisniug later, and the produce of those bearing last is of little or no value.
vanced oil culture, says of this plant tnat "the plowing of ground is a request, the manuring is a prayer, aud the pruning is an order to produce fruit.'1
The best orchards in Lucchesse may produce each two years 180 hectoliters (510 bushels) of olives per hectare (Z]4 acres), from which quantity there can be had 2'100 kilograms of oil (4,701.33 pounds) or about 24J4 hectoliters (040 gallons.)
It is calculated that one hectoliter (2.83, bushels) of olives gives 12 kilograms ol oil (26 Y: pounds), and Domenico Capponi in his treatise on olive oils, considers fairly remunerative the production of from 10 to 12 kilograms (22 to 33 pounds) per hectoliter of olives (2.83 bushels).
The average biennial product is estima ted at 120 hectoliters per hectare (3401-2 bushels 2J4 acres), equal to 1440 kilograms of oil (3,174.02 pounds), or about \&/t nec- tolitei'.s (430 gallons). The olive tree in Tuscany produces an average of 1188 kil- ograms of oil (2 pounds) per year. Such results, however, are given, but in good years and considering the fluctuation of tho product, the biennial average is re- duced to 11 hectoliters (290 gallons) of oil per hectare (2K aeres), at the price of 130 lire (§27.20) per hectoliter (20.417 gallons,
before fermentation
In SOUK! places hot water is used to fa- | cilitate the pressing. The best rules for ( extracting the oil are the following, viz: ]
1. To expedite the careful gathering of olives already fallen from the tree.
2. To harvest the olives as soon as ripe, ' plucking the fruit by hand or whipping the trees gently.
3. To press olives
and to dispose them in small strata in the baskets.
4. To press slowly, and at a cold ten' perature.
5 To have all machinery and recipienl very clean, as well as to insist on tli cleanliness of the laborer. Crushir presses of old system are used, and tl quantity of olives submitted to eac, pressure varies from 150 to 230 liters (4] to 7 bushels), but not over.
Olives must be well pressed and groun for about one hour, after which they ai- red uced to a paste and placed in fraili- submitted to presses, aud then mixei with cold water for a second pressure and even a third pressure, but with hoi water in that case. Tbe oil produced by a first gentle pressure is the virgin oil; the other is mixed, and constitutes a sec- ond quality,usually called olio mangiable (table oil); a third quality is derived from the deposit of oil, and used by colonists for burning.
Olive oil is preserved in jars varnished inside, containing from 50 to 300 liters 1 aud over (13,200 to 79,251 gallons). Olive husks crushed and pressed again give an inferior oil for lubricating purposes. The , clarification of oil must not bo too cold 1 or too hot. The temperature is not to vary from 10 degrees to 12 degrees centri- grade (54 degrees Fahrenheit), in order i that the oil fluid be such as to facilitate the deposit of heterogeneous substance.'-.
Olives for oil are to be picked when thoroughly ripe, which is clearly si o .'n by the bright black color, and also by tho
ls being tho average price for the last sl*j» fact tbat ftt such tjm(j their pulp ig easi|y years, giving the gross amount of 748 lire severed from the nut and nas a violet
tho
per annum. To that is added tho value of olive busks, from 1 lire to 2 50 lire per quintal, and of fagots derived from the pruning, which amount to 64 lire every two years, making a gross amount of 780 lire per hectare and per year if 156 from
The following statement will show about the expenses of working a hectare of olive trees aud tho approximate net re- ceipts :
LIKK.
Working the ground 20 00
Pruning 3f> °°
Manuring 300 00
Plucking olives 40 00
Pressing olives 7 20
Interest at 5 per cent per annum 20 20
color. Its compounds are:
Pulp .'-56 02
Water 14 38
Skin 9 38
Nut 20 10
Oil from tho nut 00
Total 10000
From experiments made it results that one hectoliter (2.83 bushels) contains from 48,000 to 50,000 olives, the difference being ascribed to the variety, according to soil, climate and season. Olives accumulated forsome weeks might number 54, 000 or 50,000 per hectoliter (2.83 bushels.)
The "queen olives of commerce" are considered in Tuscany as the selected fruit of the common olive.
There js no system of artificial irriga- tion in use for culture in Tuscany.
The annual rainfall in this district is about 1.067 minimum equal to about 42
423 40
Which, deducted from the gross amount of 780 lire, leave 350.10 lire net.
It is generally calculated that the ex- inches.
penses of an orchard represent one-third Official statistics show that the follow- \ of the actual value of the produce, and ing countries import olivo oil from Italy, I that estimate is made as an average. The 'ranking in importance as to quantity of expenses, however, exceed by far said oil as named: Franco, England, Austria, • figure, as the above estimate shows. The Russia, South America, United Slates, olive culture is sometimes managed by -Netherlands, Turkey, Sweden, and Nor- what is railed auxzeria, or a system when Way, Denmark, Portugal Belgium, Switz-
half the net profits are paid to laborers, all the expense but that of pressing the olives being borne by the owner.
Tuscan oils from Lucca, Caloi and Buti are esteemed as the first oils of tho world.
reach that
orlaiul, Greece, Kgypt, Brazil, Algiers, !tc. Barrels, bottles or tin cans arc used to hold the oil.
In Tuscany there are three prevailing diseases which seriously att'ect tho olivo [tree, viz:
Not all Tuscan oils, however,
degreeof perfection, but even judging in; Lupa, meaning literally, wolf, lint :<«(-
mass, they are considered the best. For; ually being a description of uVul rot, pro-
lara past Tuscany has not pro- duced very often by excessive pruning.
for burning or :' abrication, all To cure this the all'ci:ted parts urc gouged attention being given to the production "Ut anil ;t hardening liquid preparation A f salad and cooking oil
twen duoe
l the circuTaHoiTor sap may
r
^o^-U-eoiivefly TUisin
sect lays the eggs on the olive swell, ai :fwaro ircu reproducod lu .u^nca. : •wheu the deposit is discovered the eggs ,for.. ^ ,ranifer to another L g.thLdTm^ediately. Shouia the ^, ^ — i;, ^±5^^ eggs be allowed to remain the fruit I* •^j^ f10 8HVSbis !lL,-e given rather much deteriorated if not ruined. The csr^s than R tran,latlon. Ho says that although ™'H nml tl»-r 'foreeasily discovered. lthe 0;ivc was introduced into California by are led, and tl» 3 ..... This tte Spaniards more than a century ago It H
/Jmco <te« oJ»'«-tho oln e ITJ ub. jtte .pani^ ^ .
insect is the mo 10
olive treo here
•• ihefounda- urch in
..... This tte Spaniards more than a century
»'«-tho oln e ITJ ub. jtte .pani^ ^ ^ ^ .^^
ost dangerous enemy U 10 vcrc brongllt b>. ,,0se do W
, consuming, tl.o s«P ami ',1779, somi after winch its cu
first aives in
When discovered the tree pans ouhl runed, the folia
to the I
ltmrisl)C(1| ,hat is, in propo ovud, and ; ted ,,(,,,nl,lliou of California, .until 1
l .,.• i.m-i.
l nwavfrom tho plantation
'•
, of a series ol letters from our ^respondent, Albert Sutlille, on fruit southern Kurope. The fruit "bJcu form* tbe subject of tho flrst letters is tho olive, v I'.ich Mr. SuUifie lias patiently studying for the past three four months in Spain, France, Italy and Algeria. As the olive is destined to be one of th» most important products of Cali- fornia, land owners will consult their interest b<- reading with care Mr. Butltffes 'remarks ;on the rules which govern its cultivation in countries where it has flour- ;,,r centuries, on the toils which are adapted for its growth, and on the metnods i which experience lias taught are best cal- 1 Ciliated to insure a copious harvest ol / choice fruit ' I
In a large section of the littoral of the \ Mediterranean the olive takes the place ol meat. The peasant supports himself and Ills family on bread and olives. Give arv Italian or » Spaniard a handful of olives and a lump of dark bread, or a cup of olive Oil in which to steep His bread, and he will work all day under a fierce sun, performing labor which a northern man could not do without a hearty meal of meat. It may in- deed be questioned whether the man from the sunny south has not the more whole- some diet of the two. Of course so general a consumption of the olive involves its cul- tivation over a wide area. Italy now pro- duces something like forty million gallons »: olive oil in a good year; it is one of its staple and most valuable products. It has stood all through time as the special typo of peace and prosperity. We say that a peace- maker bears an olive branch, and Osar, ivat-n ho s.uv victory at hand, could not better expres* his joyous hopo than in the
woi F3s.*
The three-nooked Shall hour thi.- olive t'ra We have never done justice to the olive ta this State. The first plantations were in Unsuitable soil-ground too moist and rich, •or a tree which thrives in dry barren places, lint wo are learning. Something was taught to olive growers at the recent JneetiriB at Berkeley, and we believe since Ihen a good many young olives have been planted in spots where they are likely to thrive, and better care has been taken to aelcct varieties suited to this climate. Grow- 1 ers should now preserve Mr. Suilifle'i letters on the subject. They contain information which cannot be found in books, and which cannot fail to be of service.
THE OLIVE.
Its History from Biblical
mi «~» « n
! neapacity or want ol industry of the suc- (•esBors of the Franciscans, and almost eu- ireiy disappeared during the excitement hat' <olio\vcd the discovery- of gold in in 1800 the olive began to recover t« importance, through the efforts of some lauded proprietors in Santa Barbara county, among whom was li. '.oux, a Frenchman, They used the slips taken from sr.me hundred-year-old stumps, wl they ion id about the missions and whirl- had remained alive. Between 1800 and l.s-.i more than 1O.UOO olive trees were planted in Santa Barbara county, all com- ing irora the same source-. The variety almost universally used Is the JV called according to the most recent classifi- cation, or that which late writers find most convenient, o/eooWoiifla. The fruit of this •pccics -asses from green to red and from red to black, and is characterized by it Utter taste. Must ot the proprietors pickle it and sell it in the State or in the surround- : ing counties at 50 cents a gallon. Som. efforts are being already made with the Spanish olive. A San I.eandro horticultu 1st has just imported (the report was written in 1883-S1) a large number of slips by rapid transit. One planter in California has attempted the making of olive oil. This is Eilwood Cooper, whose success will not fall to provoke many imitators. He made in 18.000 bottles of oil, which he sold for SI per bottle, bringing him in 100,000 francs for 3000 trees in full bearing. M. Goux estimates the mean product of an acre of ground planted in olives fifteen years old at 1000 gallons of olives, which will give 100 gallons of oil. There are six bottles to the gallon, of the size and shape commonly used for olive oil, which makes an acre worth $000, a most profitable In- dustry.
M. DeMean says, in closing his report, that though the product of oil in California is now small, the orchards are constantly extending, and that tho prospect is that ere long it will be more than sufficient to sup- ply the local demand and will be exported. This is meant as a word of advice and warning to the cultivators in the south of France.
THE PAST Ol' THE OLIVE.
No tree in \!>e history of the world has been so highly esteemed and honored as the olive. It is one of the first and one of the oftencst mentioned in the Bible as an emblem of peace and fruiti'ulness. Where there was no peace, and war was the nor- mal condition of the ancient world, there could be no olive, and when the olive was wanting the source of prosperity, of nour- ishment even, was dried up. The dove sent forth by Noah to learn if the flood was abating brought back an olive branch, a subject often illustrated in old paintings »nd old frescoes In Roman churches. The Promised Land abounded In the olwe. There is a very charming legend in '.lie "Book of Judges," which illustrates the high degree of esteem, of veneration even, | e tree was held among the
inopio.\ vu<?i» •««*—• •> «n,it
Ity came to him with the announcement
that he had succeeded to the throne. . Sur- prised and Incredulous, because he bad not dreamed of the crown, he replied that he Should ba king when the goad which he held in his hand should bear leaves. At the same time he thrust the goad ,n o the .oil where by the direct interposition of Heaven says the legend.it instantly took and covered itself with branches and leaves and fruit. A church was erected on the spot early in the fourteenth century, and uproot of tho truth of the tradition n olive said to be tne veritable olive sprung from the goad of Wamba, isst, U shown near the spot, inclosed by a balus- trade of iron, i'-s branches still green and Vigorous, anfl still honored and venerated as it has been by every generation sm« , the date of the veracious -legend. The olive appears often on tho escutcheons of the Middle Ages, especially on those of families bearing the name "Oliver," taken from the tree, nu ancient and honorable name still common in England and America.
IN PKOFANE HISTORY.
The olive was equally known and no less honored among pagan nations from eouallv remote antiquity. According to the fable when Cecrops founded Athens Nep- tune 'and Minerva contended for the honor of being its protector. It is the first recorded case .of woman suffrage. < crops asssmbled the men and women of Athens and demanded their votes. The men declared unanimously for Neptune and the women very naturally voted for JItneiva, end as there was one more female than male, the goddess won tho prize. Nep- tune appealed to the twelve Olympian gods, bu> the verdict of the majority was sus- tained So Athens became theoretically the city of peace, and temples, statues and altars were erected in commemoration of the incident, on which the olive was either BCUlotured or had its virtues engraved. This' respect for the olive extended through- out Greece, for it was everywhere cultivated and appreciated and appeared on coins and monuments. It was associated with re- ligious rites and had Its uses in magical op- erations and funeral ceremonies. From Greece it was transferred to Italy, with the .worship of Minerva, and became every- where an object of veneration, the safety of envoys and the language ol peace. When a conquered people presented it to the con- queror it was considered to be equivalen to a formula thus freely translated: us permission to again plant and tend t olive " Hence camo chiefly its poetical as- sociations and Its imaginative use l>y tho poets from Homer dowu through the long line of Grecian and Roman bards and prose writers and the poetasters of tho Middle Aces to our own times. Many of the Roman writers, among them Cato, Varro, Virgil, Btrabo, Pliny the Elder and Atheueus de- voted passages of tlieir works to the culture of the olive which still contain practical Busrgesiu.ua ol value. Horace, who had an extraordinary weakness for olives, laments the destruction throughout the country In Italy of beautiful and useful olive orchards to give place to luxurious villas and arti- ficial lakes. The following is from Virgil's "Oeorgica":
The olives, on the .•ortrary. require no care;
Bii" ti-f ground euvend about tin m with th» niattock Kivea them all tl.. <>i re
' graces mat tl.e Plow pass near them to ic •'. " » fr»il- ' '" no n;?rei !an,
this to nourish the fruitful olive -t. dear to pence.
THE DARV
•
EXPERIMENTS IS CALIFORNIA
Win-re, It Uvows in
Europe- A Louse-Lived Tree.
tC'om.-,'
of the '
The trees went f( rth on a time 1o anoint a kint; o\ 'T them. A_nil they said unto the oiive tret1, lie thnu our kirg.
But the olive tree nald unto them. Should I leave my latncta wherewith i\v me they honor b Uii :M » HS.""" man BUd B° *° bC 1)romoled over tS'c \ When the children of Israel came back Into Palestine from Egypt they found the SoiltlU'1'11 olive, n hich had been cultivated there !rom an unknown antiquity. They continued Bnd extended its culture, which was in time one of the chief sources of wealth and was duly protected by the laws. Tho olives In the valleys and en the rocky slopes about Jerusalem were rendered famous by their association with the history ol Christ, and
,"ica- association with the history ol Christ, and (Italy). September l,lbH.>. ,he fact inat they are still alive Is often ad- ^ 1 duced by enthusiastic writers to prove the
ive in Soutnciii l-,ui-< pen - it ,f nol tne absolute immortality
possibility Of Us cenernl Introduction into Pali orr.in It may be wll to say a tew Lords al out what has already been done *Uhuan.lthcsitcef«i already atiaine/1 in
the le on
! i nforn.ation
ui "their" favorite tree. The Christians ofj the Middle Ages, taking their coo from sacred history and legend, continued to hold the olive in high esteem, nut the less that with their belief was always mi; nf paean traditr
The olive almost disappears from history »nd literature not to become promincol again 1111 tne fourteenth century. It is true that it was cultivated during all this time, so far as tbe disturbed state of all the coun- tries about the Mediterranean wpuld per- mit ol peaceful industry, but without sys- tem or general concurrence on the part of cultivators. The flrst Crusaders found olive trees and oil in abundance in Palestine, but there came with the discovery no idea of peace nor thought of makinz any practical use of It beyond its Immediate consumption as a necessary article of food. After the Mohammedan conquest the Arabs carried i on the culture in Spain, where they had been able to establish themselves. In the fifteenth century -that is, sometime after tne renaissance— a degree of peace and en- liglitrnent having i>een restored to the world, agricultural ,ain to
note tho uscf"! ui:'i prai itles of
:ve, and in Italy, throughout nearly iole extent of which the culture was :e. treatise* : .ring rare in-
parvaln for several hundred years. Later : works be,
-..idtislry, tlioiu'li su;ii>o-,ed to bo
lili-.-ldvent -
less impcr
'IliBeut
s of planting tun! o
and tne methods of preserving tho fruit ami manufacturing the oil. In time agri- cultural societies and by ior.s nnil r Lf\ a certain amountof eiiiiii..: : lie common 'who were careles-i In tlie propaga- tion ami training ot tlie tree and propor- ti.ii.nii-ly unclean ami lie..-', ueiit in the fabri- cation ol the oil. Tne machinery of the agricultural society st/11 wuvks so imper- fectly in Franco and Fitly that there ily exists ono association ot tlie kind iv hundred found in the United For this there are two reasons: '.he peasantry or small asricn st of them tumble to rend, and in all branches of land culture, and especially a branch of it eo nncicnt as that cf the niivc. they have Inherited a largo it of practical knowledge which.
- for all their ordinary needs. WHI;I:E THE oi.rvE allows.
This brief sketch of the olive has been
that the respect with which it lias
ircaled from tin- most, am-iont times
e understood. This regard, sublimed
..-ncratioM.it C.T.I, a never ha-.
1 been of the greatest praciienl use to maunlnd, for tlio ancients venerated r instance, the sun, in propor- the benefit which they derived from Tho olive was then, as it is .MOW, -jefactor of the world, and was BO recognized. Its natural history is a matter is importance to the cultivator in C'ali- It will suffice on this branch of i-ject to >'iy that all the known species ml olives came from some wild v, probably from more than one, identity, although it has been exten- Jisctissed, has not yet been decided. v in regard to its localities, a subject to be more fully treated hereafter. It in twelve departments of France. :.ng Corsica, these extending along •iliterruncan, from Italy to Spain, •rtncrn point of successful culture i:i Ardoche, some sixty or seventy from the sen const. It is fonr.d In every part of Spain, except In the provinces and elsewhere at the high- est altitudes. It grows in all the northern of Africa, where its culture is pre-
• '1'hu olives in A h;ier» are remaik- no, and there are some writers who,
observing this fact, the favorable nature of tlie climate, the antiquity of the culture
e prevalence of several species of
wild olive, think it to.be tho locality of its
origin and the point \rhere it was dissem-
about the Mfcu.tc-rranean. This
bonor is, however, disputed in behalf of
ljalestine and some locality In the
>.irhood of the Tigris and Euphrates.
wild olive still abounds lit some parts of India and China, as well a» in several other countries, where it is is still culti- vated, it ia obvious that the task of tho naturalist is difficult. The olive flourishes
vsia. Minor, except in the most ele- vated regions, in Southern Russia, in nearly all European Turkey, with, tho countries adjoining which were formerly dependen-
n all Itnly, including Sicily and Sardinia, and In some parts of Asia and Africa not mentioned.
WILL IT CII'.OW IS CAUFOnNIA?
The citizen of California who travels ir Italy and the south ef France cannot fail to remark the similarity of Boil, climate. ! mation ot ground and general atmos- eonditions to those to which he has been accustomed on the Pacific coast. In the vicinity of Marseilles the summer is almost absolutely rainless, nolle tho winter ro copious. Tho heat of midsummer Is warm, but generally tempered by sea windi. At Cannes, Grasse and Nice, further eastward and not far from the line of Italy, the atmospheric conditions »re similar. The summers are warm alter the same manner. Frosts in the valleys are rarely known, but occasionally on the hillsides, with snow far below tho lino to which the olive -, The valleys are generally occupied for the sake of economy merely by vine- frnitorchards, and gardens, while the of the hills and mountains are cov- ered with olive tree?. Their number is be- wildering. Nice is situated in a sort of ,.- tho slopes are visible on all .HO general is the culture that in all .road area scarcely anything else can .•n but the pale gieen of the olive. :he rocks and earth are concealed and no other trees are in sight, except pos- sibly a ragged row of small pines thai cr-v,vns the far off forest of some higher o'c- 1. A person who had the patience and a glass sufficiently powerful could, v. doubt, count 00,000 olive trees fr:
hotel window within a slightly irregular, it , -h'rlst Most of those nijoul Nice ex- w hose longest radius would be flltnj , years while hundreds, pronaWs
verything that grows at Nieo would thousands exceed :!OO. One was pointed grow In California, not excepting the bam- ont to iro at tho nurjery of the Pro, boo.which appears to flourish, and the date- i/uioii at tho villa Josephine n; ,.i [aim, which grows well aud makes a hand- on which the commissary of tho Spanish some ornament without coming to fri'it. army, more than a thousand years ago, The fruits ot California, while having a hung' the beef that was to be issued as trifle less caaraoter, are much larger, finer ra.j0ns to the troops. The special branch and cheaper t,- 'lorod in the mar- u, w-hich tradition assigned tho honor had
its of Nice. The melons seen in the San to be removed thirty yeftrs ago, but the -rannsco market are incomparably supe- pia.-c where it joined tho main tree is still rior. A blight that has come in probably indicated. The other trees in the same with age and a failure to renew the stool orchard which covers an exitent of several raly often rests on everything, ft
deficiency of rain covering a period of teri or fifteen years, a thing impossible in Cali- fornia, has aggravated the disorders iri weakening the vines and olive trees, and rendering them more vulnerable to the at- tacks of insects. Irrigation is everywhere! practiced. The soil is not good, except in certain very limited localities, and requires constant manuring. It is not the fertility of the region, but the softness and uni- formity of the climate, that has rendered it so favorable for several hundred years for the culture of fruits and plants that are a little more than semi-tropical. What the original trees were before they gave place to the olive some hundreds of years ago cannot now be determined with exactness, but from specimens that remain in odd nooks and corners on tho hillsides near Nice, and in larger numbers along the lit- toral towards Cannes on ono side and Monaco on tne other, they could have com- prised little more than scrub oaks and pines that were never either large or healthy. The presence of pine always indicates a soil either almost barren or only moder- ately productive, a character borne out in this locality by the oaks and other kinds of arboreal vegetation associated with it.
CLIMATIC CONDITIONS.
Tho climate along tho western coast oi Italy is like that of much of California in general respects. It is equable, and the summers along tho coast are rainless, or nearly so. At Naples it never rains during the summer, though there are occasional storms aboutVenivius. Almost nothing grows In Italy from Veutiuiiglla, on the French border, to the straits that separate Sicily from the mainland, that will not grow in California. It follows that as the olive ia successfully cultivated in all this region, in portions of which there are occasional frosts and snows, that it bo cultivated equally well on many parts of the Pacific coast; In how many localities time can only deter- mine. The question of soil, as will be shown hereafter, is of secondary impor- tance. Given the requisite amount of heat and moisture and there are few soils so bar- ren that tlie olive will not flourish in them when rooted. There are great areas of country in California, notably some of the hilh about San Francisco bay, about Monte- rey bay, along the foothills of the Sierra, and at different points along nearly the en- tire length of the Coast Range, which are grazed by sheep or left simply to the wild flowers and scanty grasses that come with the winter rains. 'In all these, judging by the many unpropitlous localities In whioh I have seen the olive growing, all useful species of it, or as many as wore desired, could be reared with profit. Nor are the peculiarities of soil and climate in Algiers, Syria or Turkey in Europe so very different from those of California that they need suggest difficulties. In all Of them there is no rain, r-r scarcely any. In the summer. The summer Is, If anything, a livllo too warm, and in the Atlas mountains and oilier portions of the countries men- tioned there arejoccasloual frosts and snows.
;.;VITT.
No limit to the life of the olivo Is known. Some olives of Ephesus and Smyrna are older than the Turkish invasions of Europe. In 1867 Algiers sent to the Paris Exposi- tions specimens of a tree more than a thousand years old. There are many olive trees in the south of France which, wtth-
A tree of such endurance, allow itself to be mutilate*
hundred acres, have an age of irom 150 to 300 years, which will
past recognition, whose stems will live am send forth new shoots and a now trunl here the old trunk has been broken off by a storm just above the soil, which will send up from tho same roots six or eight shoots,- eccli •>!' which becomes In a few years a scpaijate tree, which will allow itself to be ,<:;ed by flips, twigs, shoots, or seg- ir.enp of branches, and planted or thrust intcflho ground in any fashion, which will flourish in the most ungrateful .ust needs have a marvelous vitality fK> acquire sucn a great age, aud should have its vitality reckoned as one of tho most important elements of its worth r.-.id value. It does not follow that because the tree has these qualities it should be abused and neglected, but It should all tho more bo treated with respect and tender care, that its product may be increased and that it may be transmitted as a precious heritage to future generations.
IN I-OOR sn:
This will be better understood by some description of the olive as I have seen it crowing about Nice, in the vicinity of Grasse. along the littoral between Marseilles and Nice, and along the Riviera betwtwu Monaco and Genoa. Ail this region may be considered as the home of the olive. Nearly allot tho distance after passing Cannes is a mountain slope, coming close to tho sea- shore, and EO steep that it seems to the traveler as if tliere was constant danger that it would slide dov. n and carry the rail- road with it into the Mediterranean. Oc- casionally there is a tract of level ground a few miles in extent, but lor most of the distance there is a constant' succession of hort valleys and sharp spurs running teeply up till they merge in the summit of he mountain. The road runs across the arrow valleys and through tho mountain purs. Tho reader will understand the ature cf ttio country better when told that n passing tho 1'JO or 130 miles between \"ice and Genoa the train traverses more ban 100 tunnels, and nearly as many more between Genoa and Pisa, whore the .istance is leas. The small valleys arc sur- cndered to vineyards and orchards, and he olive is everywhere driven to the hills, vhere It thrives according to elevation and ichessof soil. The olivo trees north imd vest of Marseilles, and east of it as Jir as Cannes, or to nearly that point, ar mall, rarely exceeding fiftieen or twenty eet in height. Then they change entirely, often reaching forty or more feet in heicht, and attaining at the base a circumference of four or five. The soil also changes, but not apparently for the better, the improve- ment in tho character of the olive being due to the absence of the mistral or other wind of deleterious influence, and a climate generally far more propituous.
SHOWING UNDER ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Grasse Is at the head of a valley about t<v,'-nty miles north of Cannes. Its chief industries for the' last hundred years have been tho cultivation of flowers for their oils and essences, and the manufacture of olive oil. The last has been almost paralyzed for some years te the devastation of the ily and worm irhe trees are old, and the shape in which ftiey are seen and the positions in which tbey are placed show under what extreme privations the olive i»_»We toroaintalnjts existence.
out doubt, antedate the Saracen invasi •»-- -gomoUmes u ia 8ecn standing at
Among mn.ny that may be named Is the /*!• «• som«' UuU it
celebrated tree of Beaulieu which was tbttop o^a ny * ^ ^^
!^r™ ".!' rclcumfJrenceT^ |l ST Sometime, it ?s dead, except a strip
base. It is the' ouly one m me region [ which resisted the fearful hurricane of 15I(i,sinco which time its product of oil, | which had in favorable years reached 300 pounds avoirdupois, has fallen below 200 pounds.' The hollow In the trunk is able to contain twenty persons. Kvery summer it was used by its proprietor as a family dining and living room. The whole family slept there, and even the horse had « corner to himself. The age of this tree Is differently estimated, but cannot be less than a thousand years, or as some think 2000. which is not impossible when we re- member tne great age. of the o!i\
Mentioned in the New '! esta-
of bark up one t
jUargo and litu.thy top filled with fnut. Sometlmus it is twisted and Gnarled so that it has almost lost the appearance ot a tre". Again there will be a large rift in the trunk, through which one could pass with ease. Now aud then there is a stump, from which a new and healthy trunk has grown, and oc- casionally half a dozun trunks form the same roots, unlike the banyan, yet strongly suggesting it. In all places the soil is thin, but In some so full of bowlders, or so thinly spread over the rocks, that the land in the most barren parts of New England seems fertile in comparison. It is land on which th« most persevering sheep would find it ,i obtaina scanty si- 'leticr-
J simply by
haviifg the earth banked and level, when too steep each terrace has its wall ol Btone. The stones are always at hand in sufficient quantity, lor the soil is full of them. As these walls represent the labor of several generations, the expense of time and money is not great. This system of ter- racing the hillsides prevails all the way from Nice to Genoa, the Italian hillsides being steeper, the soil poorer and the trees i generally smaller, though still considerably larger than those in the vicinity of Mar- seilles. Some of the stone walls are very. pretty specimens of masonry and quitei tolld enough to hold their own against tho wash of the hill»ides for a century. I speak only of the slopes along the Riviera, imme- diately facing the sea. Further inland there is less exposure to the wind, and the conditions are in some other respects more favorable. Between Pisa and Lucca there are some mountain sides that seem even to exceed in roughness and barrenness tho rocky slopes about Orasse. Here it is hardly possible to see the grass on the hillsides on account of the frequent cropping out ol the rock, and quite impossible to make long, uniform terraces. Here, every hollow that has originally contained a sufficient amount of soil to nourish the roots of ,;lhe tree or is capable of containinr Enough brought from another spot, If, occu- pied by a tree, which is healthy, though not so large a» those growing in more genial localities. It is impossible to irrigate under such circumstances, and yet the general ap-
favorable to tho growing industry in Cali- fornia. On the contrary, the increased pro- duct of Italy shows a constantly increasing demand. The product, as shown by the Government reportp, was 38,090,000 gnl- lousof oil in 1884, being an increase of ^.sno.oOO gallons, or considerably more than one-fourth over that of 1SS3. The increasing demand for the best oils la provod by tho fact that about Lucca, whose oils have a reputation second to none for flavor and purity, the area of culture is be- ing constantly extended. Fovv of the or- chards have the (indent look observed in the south of France. They have a fresh color and there is about them a certain cleanness of culture. Many of them are quite young. New ground is being Con- stantly cleared, and they are every year "'•n higher and higher up the hillsides, lowing the precedent of Europe, the ieascs incident to olive culture ought not
0 attack the trees of California tor at least
1 hundred years, while the energy of oirr 'oil and the stimulating character oi the
limate should render the trees sooner pro- iuctive and quickly repair the damage esuUing irjm natural causes.
THE
for Its
•
nursery may be placed what p.r-
called tho "eyei of the root" of mature
trees, find niso the shoot* v.'lmil spring up
.-.bout the trunk, those which grow farthest;
from it being preferred, and which have:
idhoiin? to their base a pie^e of tho root
• hieh the Trench call "hair."
jtill other additions to the stock may be
:e branches taken off in
!-e ordinary process of lopping. The an-'
.-ients employed the method of detaching
he protuberances from the roots, and were:
o harsh in their methods of treatment and;
o sure of tho vitality of thi olive that tlitjy
ised to -irive them into the ground with a
imllcE. More gentle treatment is now
.warded the olive by intelligent cultivators.
.lie "eyes" are formed by the accumuls-'
ion of several germs and are about the size
if a goose egg. Every good-sized olive tree
:iui furnish a larse number, but in order
ot to injure it not more than three or four
re usually taken. Each can be divided
ito several buds, each capable of produc-
ig a tree. If a large number are needed
is better to take a healthy olive, tr&'"'
in often be done where they gro/ too
lickly, ami use all the prolific I/rts it
able to furnish. These uomli, f 8ome
ali.in writers call them, must b/ cut off
catly with a sharp instrument eiid pared
efore planting.
SPANISH METHOD OF
There are other eye-like p^uberances on he olive. They appear alfre intersection >f each leaf and also on tho roots. Great
. sticks placed
in the ground either side and tied at the top will serve to Indicate their locality. Branches having slips are cut in segment: Bt a short distance on either side of the 'cuds The secments are then planted
01? THE S
ot
thoitgh not rich, admits of comparative.,- fc jn the Knmry~Sct- j£^ ^Sr.^Te^wUU^Sfe!
o^vation.and the slopes are more freatl ^ ^^ _^ ^etu>e ^ _
RKJ^BLE V.TAI..TY O,- THE TKEE. for Prmiillff. *"»* "^ *' *
Tho vitality of the olive is shown by the]
rspidity with which it recovers and re-es-
trjjlishts itself after reverses that would bsfcorresporidence of Hie Cintox ;
trfjaKar annihilation of trees of less re-. FIOKKNCK (Italy), September 1'2, 1885 [K/m_.
aouWai.' There have been within a een- T-nc most simple metliod .1 mul'.n.ly.nc? tr(.uo!l(,5. vho slip, of course, uppermost, »• tury several hard winters that have killed |5,e olive is that usually employed by (g aomeljmes dona in reproducing; nearly all the olive trees in the south of oature, ths sowing or planting of the seed. ,yeephll; Wiii0w or ether trees of simiia 1'rnnce. That of 1819-20, which some old it jS favored by many writers because the nabiuj in America. The flllp quickly b citizous of Nice still remember, was one oftrce which results from -It is longer lived comcs R young tree, tho roots extending on the most remarkable. Nearly every tree in nnd better able to resist extremes of tern- the olncr cide of tho planted segment, tho .olive-producing department was killed perature and the attacks of insects, and can palue o{ this mode of propagation i to the ground. Many farmers were hope- livc jn unfavorable soils. The objections aoubted by some author, who declare t !«M, and abandoned the culture. Others nre that the growth is slow, and as I ^vas Jt ,enrts to decadence and_ sterll,1'^"n^"
their ancie suckers grew
t ha orchards were so productive that the balne difficulty, still It is a method wliich the B.,e ofone'9 arm, split the lower part in Jiry vessels would not hold the oil. w,u always have its advocates, some of the jour, put a stone in each of the four aper-
'There was absolutely noplace to put it, ami ;.eing removed by the grafting p', tmeSi nuo; plant it deep. As a natural :
on utensils and all other available ';iie seedling at an early age. It is also seid 5lUt^ trecs rotten in the center becamo ex- vessels' were used for storage, 'hat the tree coming from tne seed is more ,ccdjlllllv common in Seville, and the
In this preliminary and discursive treat- regular in form, that is, is more naturally, .jj troatmeut had to be diecontiu ment of the topic it has been shown that jcveloped. In countries where the wild rhe Kpttllj:u-ds treated the trees as care- the ulive has great vitality, and is able to ,Hve exists, yonn? trees are sought and ess]y as Ul,,y WC1.0 iu the habit of trcatlr live in almost any soil and to endure a oinced in miseries, where they aro after- he ojl tj;1 commercial competition com-
.limited degree of cold. That it is possible nan's grafted with better species. ' : ,euod ml)re humane and reasonable pruc- to cultivate it successfully in many parts of mic5 for the care of nurseries of ths olive J8ga^ Ther naro glni the habit of taking California seems most probable, and further j0 not greatly differ from those, which regu- B]jj,B or sucii(.r3 as large as the arm and ten that it will grow in many localities whose !>ule the management ol seedlings of other cr elcvoll (L-et Ions, which they obttiiu by soil is now deemed barren and useleis. The species, l.i'.t us they may become a separate lrajui,lg them straight while still on the minute discussion of the economical uses hti«ines» there ftro a^J"53 somo 70" ' parent tree. These, when once planted, of the oil, of the value of tho wood, the gleaned from various authorities. The wiu produco fruit in three or four yeaj-s,
methods of planting and culture and tho proper mode of fabricating the oil will serve as topics for future articles.
WITH OTHER OILS.
But the question will be asked at the very commencement, " Will the demand for olive oil or the edible olive continue and iueroaso iu a ratio that will make its more extended culture prolit-able?" or "Will the oil not bo supplanted by such substi- tutes asi cpttoo-seed oil, or peanut oil, or either of these, or other oils compounded with olive oil?" There is not space here to examine a subject of such breadth, but the answer may be given in a general way that such a result is,. impossible. Cotton-seed oil Is used ijeeauae it is tasteless, a most de- cided objection, aiid peanut oil never loses its characterisiio.tusio and will not keep its 'inf.lity more than a month or two. The adulterations can never supplant the genu- ine oil, while the very fact that they can be occasionally employed for the vitiated taste of certain localities shows the high e»- teem In which tho genuine product li hold nnd its Increasing use. Th< .-us iuak« tho genuine more Jie. lew new olive orchards are being planted in the south ol I France for two reasons: About Marseilles
but tho permanent injury is such that some Spanish writers tluuk that the method
ground should be of the best quality. The
teds should be thinly covered, that is, with UIB4 ...... „ ..... — ..
H1t m,,re than two and ft half inches of, ,Uou;<J be abandoned. Slips can always be t-arth The Young plains npr'-'ar tho same toull& ln [bc sorts ol trees thatar« becoming year They should be constantly weeded decrepi!. or if desired a tree that seems i
•••d sheltered with straw or dry leaves' BUperUlloU8 can D3 tauen while in its prime
Jurlna extreme cold wputher. The side branches should be Cut oft and the young
superii
from an overcrowded orchard.
tree supported by a pn.p. aud when later the young treo is transplanted, care ihoul
be
.-MAM. OI-'FSIIOOT8.
As already shown, tho olive abounds in
taken W.upp™ J ^ ,«B± - ^^urfac^en S a »
,K ihis last precautmn the neeess v ^^ djgtance ftom Uie trunk. The5e be; avoided of removniK afterwards ^- ^^^ ^^ f;.om ,be B(Jootg de. Both the tap-root and the top. scribed, can be detached nnd placed in
rr.i. FAKING THE SOIL. uutteriei for any modu of treatment that
According to the moresreei8«dir(=ctionsot ! may alterwards be desired. Writers advise •mother writer, the ground selected Bhotild ^( lhoy 8nould be detached with certain bonrituer too sandy nor too clayey; neither rooU wnen about an Inch in diameter. TUe too wet nor too dry. It should be modcr- metl,o(i js constantly employed iu France, riclv manured and geml) inclined towards Itnly >nd Spuill] ttnd I presume has beet: the Eontli It should be plowed to the ernploy(.d j,i Santa Barbara county in ohr- rttpth "I two and a half ieet in November tainirg llew Btock from the ancient or- or December and left to- the winter tains. cnardB_ -j'hough so commonly praciiccd, it A shallow plowing should be given in the ,a oppoSBd by some authorities as tending sprint- after which ii will be ready to re- ,o the decay of the parent tree, probnbly be- ceive'the slips or plants of v; hat ever kind c£mse ol careieM11ess in the remot*! of the that have been got ready for ii. The plai tn E,, )ots ]„ ccrtain orchard* that I have presupposed to remain inlho nursery se «5«en jn France and Italy none of thesi years before being taken to their porma- gnoot!1 wcre Vi8ibie. In oihers there were nent restlnp-place. They are placed a lit ie B0retime3 EiJ; or 6oveu of theic, white a
. „,,_ JUHDH,,.- u., .."i «...-- ui uiupagalion uiau ne oiuinoj-eu m,^^
have been the rule of late years, owing to the Shtafc rpL-ulate other nuraerits, and soneeu pre,erv,.3 tno tree and its iruit for future
fly and worm. The decreasing area of olive L-enerationa Is one -.vhich
culture in France ihonld certainlv be will always agitate u'.livat-
iiu: the olive ana desire : >i It th«
Kreatest advantage. As to pro using the seed, it Is mo or the'
reasons given taau any other tb« objections to it of in extreme tardiness, though important iu exhausted soils lize those of the olive-growing regions or locali- ties of France and Italy, may not apply to ;lio virgin toil of California with, the same force.
TKKATMKN'T tN NU:
Minute- rnt«s aro giv«n by writers lor the .«atment ttf the young trees in the nursery. As the roots extend on effort snould be IBade to give the stem shape by cutting off the lateral branches. Though this is a kind of restraint on the natural development of the tree ft is necessary to permit as many as possible to grow within a given space. If this gentle pruning is postponed the tree viil probably become twisted as it gels older, a danger to which it n sufficiently subjected from natural atmospheric causes. The pruning, also, if performed when the tree is quite young, is less likely to leave wounds on the stems. The value of this method has been proved by experiments made by practical cultivators. During five years — that is the time, advised for the nur- series of France and Italy— the young tree.f are pruned, kept straight by means of a support, weeded and kept secure from injury by animals. At the end of the fifth year it will be time to determine the height at which it is desired to beep the olive, the trees ot moderate stature being generally h« v.«tt hoarers. Still It is a question, of soil and locality, of exposure to tho sun
oinger from winds. If tho soils aro deep and rich the young trees when trans- planted should hiive from three feet four to five feet in height; if for soils
tid places exposed to t.'ie wind, three feet four inches to four feet will be suffi- cient. These figures may be varied by local When tho soil is cultivated iho trees should be higher than when it is occu- pied with other crops. Tne height having been decided on, it becomes necessary to form the head by leaving six or eight
ies so placed as lo oiler tun. greatest surface to the eun. They have by turns been given tho form of a pyramid, a fan, ft ;i va*n formed on [he surface, of the trunk bv a truncated cone hollow in the in- Tiiis last mode of training tho brandies is that which permits tho trees to present the greatest surface to the sun. All this cannot be done in a year, but must be continued till tiie tree is twelve years old, at which age it will be ready to bo permanently placed in tho orchard. All this may teem fatiguing to an American f'urmer, and especially one who is accustomed' to' the quickly re- sponsive eoil and precocious climate of Cali- fornia. He may and doubtless will be able to anticipate thoss times anil processes, but the rules given are those deduced from many hundred years of experience, and they refer, as the reader must never forget, to the welfare of a tree whose life has no known limit, and y/hich can, like tho soil, be transmitted to gsntiations yet unborn. The stalk is out off at thu desired height in the spring. During the following summer the lateral brunches develop other lateral branches, and ere themselves suppressed
ie main stem. This process is con- tinnrd ccch year, care being always taken to give the vigorous young branches tbatcome out b".ow the point of suppression a general tendency upwards. As to whether the time of transplanting shall be a few years more there seems to be a difference of opinion among the authorities, which is t of any great practical importance. The ( ulif.Tiim cultivator will have to be guided
own experience aud these genera! intimations. It is generally thought that
.1 ot the tree should be cut at the
: transplanting, but if it has under-
e training specified it will be neces- sary to recommence the process. If the
iiuting is slisrluly hastened the more elaborate part of it will taKe place after- wards.
THE FREXOH METHOD.
The French call an olive orchard an When a new one is to be formed of plants without any mixture of old or worn- out trees, the ouestion arises whether th" olive is to occupy tho ground excli, or whether otbnr plants are to divide I'.ie soil with it. The most common culture which has been in times past mixed with that of the olive has been the vine, but in person- ally visaing ami having a general view of the olive orchards De'wecu Mnrseillea and Florence, a distance of ">00 or <!(!(> him- 1 dred miles, I luun bay thai I saw little on '
'•:nd bat theolives themselves. There • occasionally vineyards, small fruitsor
i rops, but they were exceptional. Ons reason doubtless was that the vineyards in the region included have generally suc-
il to the ph;, 'Hox'jra, aud another was that the trees were usually on the hilis>;Jp In_soil8 not_suiico -i-joise. Sy
,'nrefi;l
Clllliva
will Pr ' ven be
most benef.r.c.i ;,, I ,u olive
when old isguuer.illy n spare-looking tree, from having been prunod in th •• shown. The branches arc few anJ do not incline many degrees fr. lar, which circumstance, with thu smallness1 of the leaf, permits of a comparative ohsirticled -passage of tho sun's rays. A person may therefore cultivate an olive prchan.l.aud while it is gradually matur- ing, or while it is In full bearing, mav have a vineyard in courl bearing or such other crop as he finds it convenient to put upon the soil, annual or otherwise.
"!>'•
A regularity iu the olive orchard Is pleas- ing to the eye, though dillicult to maintain when the trees become asied. Ou level 1 a symmetry is possible that cannot (easily be had on hillsides or where the con- formation of the ground is otherwise con- strained or peculiar. The height at wiftcli the olives of a regioi: are to be main- tained will decide their distance apart. Tte trea boars according to its exposure U> the suu aud is most fruitful on the sides ' most exposed. It is therefore desirable that after the spring equinox lias passed the trees should not shade one another. Some French agriculturist who has made a very nice calculation has said that the trees should be so far apart that no one of them should be shaded by its neighbor next, south on the 22J of .March. Without fol- lowing this rulfl Into all the latitudes, in which it finds a somewhat varied applica- tion, it may bo said in a general way that the mean distance between tho trees should tie about their height. In the south of *\ France, where the trees are small, a little 1 less than twenty feet ia deemed sufficient. Where the trees grow taller the distance should be greater. Cnto prescribed for an- cient Italy twenty-five to thirty feet. Where the trees are planted in terraces on a hill- side with a fair southern exposure it may be less. A very little thought on the part of any one who plants olive trees will enaole him to judge of the character of his own ground, the side from which the trees will have the most sun and the danger of their shading one another. If he desires he can plant closer, with a view to cutting out n part if they promise to be too near together.
HOW TO SET THEM OUT.
The distance apart having been decided, square or circular holes are dug about four feet iu diameter and tiiree feet in depth to
not really a thins • ee. The cuttinj of the tree to rt'siruin its exuberance liaa -Vi •n.i and so . •;diait of practical
explanation in thoRO articles, nor is minute
( the pro.'tt.v.'s h-.-re essential.
H is dmiLtful if the general cultivator of
.1 in V ranee and Italy, who has in- herited his trcps an--! his knovrle'l^e, him- self understands them, of the hundreds of thousands of trees that I have thurf fnr seen, comparatively few bore recent marks |
ig of any kind. The general tend- • itncy in tho youiizer orchards was to let them grow with the brauehei* sloping well upward, to which end the lower branches of the stem had loug before been removed. In Corsica and In Algiers the trees are cut little or not at all. In Aix they are kept so low that the fruit can be gathered with tho h&nd. The trees between N'imes aud Tou- lon are higher, while those about Caiiues, (ir.isse and Mce are from thirty to forty or tifty feet in height, as described in previous articles. At Beziers an effort is marie to render the gathering easy and lo ventilate the tree. At I'erpignau, in Uotisillon and tho Aude. places aufl localities in the south of France, the mother branch is suppressed each year. Iu other localities the middle of the tree is removed every year. In the south of France and in the Riviera the lack of sufficient moibture. which has con- tinued many years, with, tho incidental diseases, has rendered the orchards iu great measure sterile, which accounts for tho neglect.
VARIOUS METHODS.
Cutting requires great discernment, and should be regulated by the exposure, the
illness. Therefore, each region— California among the rest— must adopt its own meth- ods. The main point is to remove excess of wood, and especially the parts that are dis- eased or dead. It is an old French maxim of olive culture: "Make me poor in wood and I will make thee rich iu oil." An an- l.aiin proverb says: "In plowing an olive tree it is praved to be pro- ductive: in manuring it is supplicated, but in cutting or pruning it is eon- strained." Tnere Is another renson i'Cfsl periods and modes of cut- ting—that is, the times when the har- vest is desired, llio olive is not in itself either annual, biennial, or triennial, but cr,n be made each by a particular mode of pruning. In the Department of the Mari- time Alps the harvest, such as it Is, is sa'.h-
receive the roots of the tree. Some writers <->rcd every two years, that of one year being have recommended the excavation of these foregone that that of the following season holes a year in advance, but the burning of maybe nioro abundant. The cultivators a little straw in them compensates in a argue that it will bo useless to work to pro- great measuro for the lack of this anticipat- ory labor, if the earth is dry the trans- planting is done in the winter; If wet, in the spring, febbles and gravel lighten and i relieve a too moist soil by being mixed with the earth in tho hole, at the bottom of which can also be placed with profit leaves, dead wood or shavings. ' The ancient.i had a habit of making at the bot- tom a be. 1 of groins of barley. The young tree should be brought to its new home 1 with great care and the precaution should always ba taken to so place it that the sun will strike it from precisely the same direc- tion. -This can emily be done, as did the ancients, by marking the side that had the southern exposure in the nursery. When planted on level ground the youns tree should be placed three or four inches deeper than when in the nursery, and this depth should be increased on hillsides. The earth that covers the rools should be mixed with fertilizing material, the kind not being reckoned important. After having watered the ground thoroughly, placed over it a bed of straw, duir a trench about it to contain the water in winter— a work that must de- pend somewhat on circumstances — and given the young tree a good prop, the im- mediate attention due it may be consid- ered as finished. The kind of prop recom- mended Is a sort of tripod, with a ring at the top encircling the stem. A coating o( whitewash is thought by some to be even better than an envelope of straw, which favors the development of the upper buds to the prejudice of the lower.
-W AND fRAINING.
A portion of the foregoing description may not teem clear, but It is difficult to ex- plain all that French and Italian writers attempt to say oboct "shoots," '• suckers," " buds" snd "slips," their modes ;of separa- tion and their planting without the use of> cti-.-i. Tho little obscuri:ies, it is hoped, how- ever, will not stand practically in the way of any rational mode of removing the young plant:, to the nnrso-ry, treating them well while there, lopping anil pruning tirem.i transplanting them at aueii tlinc as the C£re- fnl and intelligent propagator may deem advisable, and dolnt; the main part ot thoi pruning before or after the !in:il trsn
duce only enough for the insects which a'.- lark it, while if tho year is prolific there will ho fruit enough for the friends ol the olive as well as its enemies. If the crown of the tree is cut off it will only yield fruit the third season. If, on the contrary, tho young branches attached to tne old are reft, these branches will be filled with branches the year of the pruning an.l th.- following year will bo loaded with fruit. A practical illustration of the effect of cutting off tin- top and nil the principal branches was shown me in tho nnrsory of the Pro- prietors' L'nidn of Nice. Here, on a tree kept so low that its highest branches were scarcely beyond the reach of the hand, and so thoroughly lopped and pruned that the troarmcnl seemed a cruel mutilation, I saw branches so full of fruit that it scarcely seemed possible that they would hold more. It was only tho experiment ol the manager, one amonu innumerable others, and wheu
I asked him if the tree so treated was ever likely to atlntu the age of several hundred year-, like hundreds of others in the adja- cent oichards, he only shrugged his shoul- ders and intimated that he should never
II ve to determine so f:ir-reaching a qu;
It is nevertheless certain that any method ' of forcing the tree beyond a certain poiut is at the expensoof Us vitality. Whether, con- sidering Urn (net. it would not be as well, where land is aouurjivnt, to force the olive, with a view to larao rroi'S, and be replacing it from time to time with other trees that were constantly coming into bearing, is one of the questions of the future, so far as Cali- fornia is concerned.
•U'lIKN
The art consists entirely, according to M. Perugallo of Nice, in disembarrassing iho tree of the parts which produce only feMP branches or shoots, and compelling it to pro- duco new wood. An authority who rules for tho olive-prod;: about Marseilles pr
• d says lha', i who
.rom the practice hare rintl
reason to regret it. As 'hese cultivators,
• acted iu this man
they hm 1'ihave a turves! each
year, ho SU;TL:"S:S tho division of in
ear. For most situations auiT Tn'ca:- , Tneivcrea~n :!.e Meiinial pruning ia preferable. i>ut \vh;itcvcr jfor some the triennial or even the quariren- »ial may prove to be the most profitable. The general principle being accepted, the time of the catting remains to t>3 consid- ered. In regard to young trees just trans- planted from the nursery, little remains to be said. If they have boon transferred
tho trunk, th- '.IK' tan
..Mi's extend elteu ten feet or more from the base of me trunk. If it is spread over more surface it is washed a'.vay by the ruins or dried up by iho sun. It ia hardly when from 5 to V years old, the training necessary to discuss tho kJnd»of fertilizing is continued some years longer: if »t the material to bo. used, espi-eialiv In California,
very little will be employee! prob-
and the processes
wiTh of r"; ..union, as gathered from
which it Is mixed not (tene; ally exceeding the personal observation of the writ th ret; feet, in order that H r:i:iy be distant .articles at the groat centers of the o; from the mouths at ihe extremities which Ni r d R Details r
take in the food of the plant, I'liese rodi-
where . . _ . -
ably for many years. None the leys, how- ever, will the olive render back nil tlikt is given to ii. In Franey and Ualyftr'j used lor the purpote all excremcMHiuous substances, the waste of the olive, bits of leather or horn, feather*, guano, bcnen, shells, the waste of oil mills, the waste of wood, r.u'j where the orchard n neur tho coast, the waste products of the sen, and tho reiuse of the olive itself. Certain materials not easily decomposed by tne soil are applied In the autumn, those iu an adva iced state ot" de- composition In the spring, and as the sca-
the personal observation of the writer of the
'il trade— 'egarding
the cost oi cultivation aud the profits per acre will be treated of hereafter, but from what has been already said it will be seen that the makma of olive Ml, though it requires great cure and delicacy of treatment and manipula- :ion, is a comparatively simple and inex- pensive operation. The mill is not co.-tly, ueither are the vases that contain the oil while it is wailing to be conveyed to the ^ity merchant. Neither is the process of refining expensive, the tanks when onco constructed being of long duration, and the filters, with their appliances, cheap as com- pared with-' th') machinery of ordinary workshops. Oil is a much more certain
age of 12 or 14, the tree has already as- aumed its natural shape, and it must receive thereafter the treatment of the older trees iu the neighborhood. It is considered in the south of France, where, owing to the mul- tiplication of industries, the cities have taken many laborers from the country and raised wages, that the harvest time is most suitable for pruning for economical reasons. When the harvestin certain places only con- sists in picking up the fallen fruit, how are time aud labor to bo found for pruning trees that are thirty or forty feot hi; i is this difficulty united with other reasons- that has caused som« authorities to recom- mend that gradual efforts be made to bring' the large trees about Xico, Menton, Grassa aud Cannes to the more reasonable height of those of the rest oi the south of France or near it.
POINTS. TO r.::5UMr,F.i:.
Ancient writers fixed the time for cutting the olive at fifteen days before or forty-five days after the spring equinox. At the pres- ent time in tae olive regions some favor spring, some autumn, and some for econ- omical reasons, as stated, prefer the end of the harvest. The '-end of the harvest" is a very indefinite term, and may mean Decem- ber or any time afterward till tho following ilay, for in Italy and France the harvest ' may continue during this period. It rrmsti be remembered that the fruit is never pro- duced except on wood one or two years old, ' If new shoots develop each year without accident, the olive will produce annually, but in very fertile years the sap goes rather : to the frulj than to tho shoots, and their number is lessened. The cutting should favor the lateral shoots, either in arresting 'JCW'i* .-..««. *»»....... ..i
tbeirUrminaldevelopmentoriasuppressing ih ">"'« of articles on the'culture of the Trance and in th. _..„...., .„ „
each year a number of the fruit-bearing twigs- i olive which the CHRONICLE ii givfog to the riealthy condition and in full bearing, there for a yearly harvest. The suppression of a Public are designed first to show that the \ vould still be a. profitable field for a trade branch is made, as already intimated, above soil and climate of California, since they re-t hat is rapidly extending. The very adul- the exterior bud, in order that the develop- semble in mauy respecls those of the coun-i erations of oil which are constantly being ment may be centrifugal in an ohlique and tries where its cultivation hag for many uadc in Marseilles and other places of ex- ascending direction. The opposite bud i» ••••—«—« •- • •
at the same time suppressed. In spite of.
son of fructification approaches, iwveMul product than wine, which is easily
fertilizer* that will act ai onco. H is roeom- injured or ruine<i by unavoidable acci-
meuded bv some to apply in small doses, .
!u'd often to lavor the eveii and regular de- d61"3- II ">»? change Us quality, but
velopment of the fruit and the tree. a little c&re prevents any serious de-
In connection- with the culture of the terioratiou. The final iteps of its prepara-
?one£d^s™ tif ~» of wimc™ *™ for '«'*<" a" *mDle «"d «"' »«'•• during the 'laat (ioO years. The first of 1 here is scarcely any expenditure for labor which a particular record has been kept iu a small mill, while the employes of an occurred iu mo, and was very destructive establishment where oil is sold at whole- in Tuscany. Some ol these have ai.onnded . nnmhci-
with snow, and in some thjp Rhone has been 8ale are le" ln number, frozen over to Us mouth. In 1782 the Tnose who may contemplate planting the olives suffered severely even as far south olive in California will ask whether it will ftw^o^d^caSwhu^'es^rtho Whether the market is not already scourge. In the long extent of country be- overstocked, or whether more cultivators tween .Vice aud Genoa many <rf these lim- are not going into the business than will ited districts are still known by the age of find it profitable. In the first of the articles ?^*™MW™'lW h'ave publ.shed some details were given in regard been ueaily all killed to the ground, and to what has been done in Santa Barbara every nine years a winter is looked for that county which should be encouraging. Tho is expected to do great damage. I the American producer has now and will prob- creater part of ( aliforuia, or in the regions
where the olive would be most luely to be abiy continue to have a protective duty iu cultivated, no such catastrophes are po»si- his favor. The deterioration of the olive We, and elaborate calculations need not jn lne south of Franco, where the trees are : therefore be made lor *«*£*lgJ5»£J|i several hundred years old, should encour-
age rather than discourage him, for it *HK CCIiTL'KE OK THE, OI4VE. means to thai extent a diminished compe-
C-A^l^M. ibl- tition. But even were all the olive trees in
«6rres of articles on the'ctilture of the France and in the north of Italy in
hundred years been an important industry, )0rt show the constant demand, and prove >r its general introduction into tha State, hat there is more good oil wanted by the
•tors take care also to ;^'e.f7te' wb"e'h"e ara no^- -'esses he will be able to furnish a repress the shoots which tend constantly to 'C , *"»" °r cold, it will endure mod- jeUer article than that which is being show themselves about the foot ol the tree t :a ana a Il*llt amount of snow, palmed off now on the American public for
and on tho trunk. It should always be f * ts n»ve been nnable to tell what, uuve Our but which is really only a mixture
borne in mind that the best lighted sprigs r* l8 »»"» bes' adapted, though they in- Of cotton-seed oil, which is white, tasteless
are the most fertile and that the horizontal ' dica'e it in a general way, and, after having
and colorless, wiili a certain per cent of the
or hanging branches ere the most pro- 1 discussed the question in all its bearings, genuine article. It is not even always a ductive. they end by saying that none is absolutely cotton-seed oil, which Is the least objection-
BENEFIT OF CULTIVATION. .excluded. The conditions under which the able that is used for the purpose, but oil of
The result of tho methods described has I olive flourishes must then be satisfied in colza or peanuts, or someone of the mauy been most favorable at Bsri, in the south- California, for we have every variety of cli- commercial oils whose fabrication ha* be- crn part of Italy. Here a faw years ago the mnte and soil. It is evident, indeed, that come one of the chief industrial at llar- trcis were numerous, but left to themselves as far as even temperature is concerned the seilies
like trees of the forest. Some French agri- olive would thrive in nearly every pan of There is always a good market for the cultunsts came to the rescue They were the State-in the hill, and valleys of the non-edible oils. They are extensively used
.7 the iuth ol .Coait Ean80' from Snn I)ieS° to Mcndcciuo. in the mechanic arts, for washing soaps and i
franco accented especially the rules that, f"3 ") the fo°'hi"» °f «>e Sierra, to a cer- ; lor illuminatiug. purposes. There are no ^^^Stf £t£Tn^ Si.™ '!! "' '''/''"'C counties south of U. so good .or tho making of line soaps, province about Marseilles. The trees were «ar>"iU^ while there are millions of und the consumption in this respect is in size, more or less' fruit was a' <" Sravelly hills and valleys, that now illimitable. Whale oil is rapidly ceasing to gathered eacu year, and the gathering was p: ce only a scanty annual crop of grass be an article of commerce, and before done by hand. Mills of the new sjisteru n"d wild flowers, that might become or- mauy yearsmineral oils must becomescarce were put up. and hari is to-day the center chards and eaidens if planted with olive and costlv rendering it necessarv to seek of a rich and prosperous countrv, to which tree. Tn ,hi ..
the merchants of Bordeaux aiid Nautcr . nay the question of aflores- other illuminating materials, thus furulsh-
Inok lor their supplies lor canning purpose* IK 'on- OIle of tlle «reat problems of the ing an additional demand lor oil from the atfd those of Xiea for oils (or blending and, future in California, might find a partial olive The wood of the olive tree is of re . :u ^ «a»tv supplies of the conn- solution. markable beauty aud durability, and must
.:We responds quickly to cultivation, , is shown how the olive may be ex- eventually come into extensive use in the gentle disturbance of the ! soil about itu- 'ended 10 California, by plants biought from America lor ornamental or oven for tho rnn(»».;,d the .judicious application of fer-. other countries by slips from trees already more substantial work of the cabinet-maker orc?jKV1in"ethe south of France, on a'cv '" """""f '" tUe 6O"lheru countries, or as tl-.o ornamental woods of America, which count of the failure of the fruit, have n.] wly fr"m thc seod- II !1(;etl »°' en- long ab-o censtd to be disabundant, grad-
grown up in gnsa aud weeds and aro tuely occuj.y the ground cither while com- ually disaj,)iear or attain prices which will generally used for pasture. In Corsica in« iuto bearing or after il is mature, lor almost preclude their use iramdtan»SioaK^P^tur0eaUSIuto2i58 i!lt«val« ««» ^ used cither for vine- Kiviera, whera the disea«e» prevail that !'rartls or cr°P8 of various kinds, or for pus- have atilictud the Kreni-U orchards, tho hill- lure. So its gradual in'roduction iuto dif- • here the ollve grows arc( generally ierent localities "may be made iu an experi-
vouTpproadrL'ucca'; thS'the tree's .hmv nie"'!l1 "'»' and without any serious iuier- . . _ .. _._ __
no si<UH of any very elaborate methods of >»Pl:on of exieting occupations or indus- ject for many years to come. As it is not l;;-iininit, the orchards^are generally clean^ tries. Tho manntv in which a nursery is probable that many manuals will appear in
which is nearly always' found turned u shuuld b<> culiivuad ai
irticles on the culture of the olive iiiwl uiie manufacture of thu oil will maie, w^en finished, a complete memorandum for ihe intending producer which will sup- ply thw want of any other work on the anb-
- .-. .
and well manured. So 0:1 iuto Tuscany, oi, the hills about Florence aud on the
• .-,ite to i'lsa, which doss nut pass b way of Lucca. Tba orchards' near Finrenc hnve not for two or three years been prc ductivo, but they are not for lhat re: lowed to KO to decay as in thu departmei: of tbe ^!aritirno Alps.
JIAM-l'.I.Ni; Til!' OUtliARD.
In maunrinti the olive R la
niu. lUely explain" ,. wiili the proper man- ner of their Iran planting and their man- it after the coma into bearing, after which the reader growing legions
crushed ill the mills and made iuto oil.
not such ai is always placed on American
tables, but a delicately colored and fragrant
-;nt equally to the «y» and to
ihown how in theolivc- the fruit is gathered,
thc next quarter of a century, or thai the knowledge can ba obtained so completelj from any other source, all those intcrestet in tbe subject will do well to cm the article from the CHRONICLE and preserve them i a scrap-bonk fur future us?. '•
OLIVE
from w)
li-1
tied. The the be'.f culinarv ,'irticle
arts
"Mcitsive use limited
in pharmacy, and application ti •
E give place to,the |oJl,ojving article from tne!?an Jacinto ft'i-iiixter because it contains sonic
good points, but must protest
', ' „, .. r ,. apply it as a snlvE, « porhade or
! against the profits it seems to figure H is good and good everywhere
out. An olive grove will not sup- jt'i''
It will
the important inter- der consideration Louisiana wa- nner" .State in i as to lilt: number of mills (twelve) find in amount of capital employed (?' 500.) In the present y. ' that ;( a l:;rgtr num- ber of mi' v one of them •B in the Aside from cottoi
interest as being ' ;:tively Southern ' it
SUcl) profit as $1,0(10 an aero can readers arc already aware that few, iff
be raised. We doubt if oven El- ^'.S^^^'rSor ^
wood Cooper, Ol bailta Barbara, introduction and growth. The ready
famous for olive growing and olive iTn"rlc.*'t fo!lnd f°r thc product, and the ..6 , 6 „ old view of cotton-seed, which placed
Oil, Can boast Ot SUCh a profit. Or |jt among the waste products of t!i(
half of it: ''"''• '"!!!l tended to secure large re-
., .„, „' T • i 11 i turn.- to the earlier adventurers in the
1 he ban Jacinto valley is ad- ,iell]( a,ld many of thcm ri(.,,
mirably adapted to the culture of This and the other knowledge that; the olive, and we urge upon our ^^^atf ^ac^s'the S>KCIKKT MODE OF
fruit-growers to give the matter in quantities, to nil the empty
of Harvesting the Fruit.
CRUSHING.
The olive is
and of
.
prominence low moonlight radiance through tin' wickered
[iroper consideration, last coming into : throughout Southern California ™,(luced ,m(1 mn,h-c ;.
ail article of Universal consumption tal to seek the business; and this ha; as Well as a SOUrce of rich income. :*-'one °» increasingly, until now then
., , ... are so nuinv mills in some districts tha' rrvM-ronnnmieni-e of th e
grows luxuriantly, and, withJ^petiBoA torOotton<e«dh.»piitth'. f ROME, September 1«.1885.
Extracting1 the Oil and Its Treat- flasks of Italy, in- inent-Yaluo ot the
tt ood.
It grows luxuriantly, and, '
proper care, yields a Crop from year coimnodHy up to a price at wtii.'-h tlier. T, u h7r'vesMn'.j>ros;.erou8 years is
in Vf-ir for i centurv or more Gilt- 1? h(Uu 'T1'1 '° t}K' '";'nufi'cturcr- A1 ibmv season, calling to its aid additional
to \e<ir lor a century or moie. ^ui-ithou?h vhere ^^ a few cot^n-sec-. | •' - tl)eruslicso, the neighboring re- tings taken from trees which are Old Oil-mil Ej^j It begins in October and sometimes
enough to bear and planted where- £ J continue, tin the following spring.
6 -, ,- , , _• •!• 1N>*'' .elnl'i'l>'1,1f . a" aggregate capita , . , ,h waya-wuh the hand, by
they are pay the
destined to remain,
wil
expenses of cultivating
them the third year, and it has beet proven that ten acres set out td olives will support a family th< fourth year. The enormous profit: of olive culture are almost incred 'ible and invite the general cultiva tion of this beautiful tree and prof itable fruit in our valley. Oliv ! trees in San Diego county have proj N.Ta'"!: !dueed at a crop from $100 to $15( ^enr^ee.'!::: per tree. Many hundreds of tht'v"^",^ ••;•;;
olive tree are being set out annualh _rpjai
in Southern California. Its oil has ~
stated at $3^0f,f)00. In the IStntea o
orth and South Caro- lina, the industry did not exist up U. the end of the cmsus year. The figure
Kloi continues till
in three ways— wiltt
Ihc branches and causing the fruit
' or by waitinc till it falls in the pro- d picking it ott' the ground, which is host for the trees
illustrating the progress of the interest^ takes longer and costs more, ana
are given as follows:^ becomes more difficult as the trees increase
]8: fi. Jn eixe. Trees kept within reasonable di-
^— jnensions hnve many advantages lor tho
JMiiln.icm.lml. cultivator. Two kinds of ladders are used,
AlaNi!' Arkansas
Fl.K1.lH
Qcorgta
Cniiital. ? , 2,1.0
Vli, Oil
^(2,-* 10
•,-AI.MO
- Bimple and double, nut their use is some- JS f , y,.''i;; times flinicult, on account of the nature of ii ' 7Aiauo|ta ground and the form ol the tree. It n
therefore evident that a tree that is of moderate bright and bushy is more con- venient for the harvester. Olives should be gathered when the weather is dry, and pecinlly when there is no moisture on the
...| ground The quality of the oil depends on
M6 iuTvMsi U>e ctirefnl sorting of the fruit. Those that nave dried on the tree, are spoiled or dead
Thus it will be seen that in the last wlll ba separated, and leaves. '.wig« and
Tin- dennnd for it IS Unlimited Hlu:j establishments ana *,^it>M oi wnm,m for the nmker of oilto amnoach as lilt aemanu lor 11 ib uiiiiii. cu. ,...,,-,^^1. \\e have mentioned alwve rt as possibje to theie condition
flourishes best On warm land. 1 reei| that in some kx-aliti*« there are rather ^ . Al,lcr;W'.i, accustomed to habits ill Southern Cali' "loro nliils *'an present production of i ,w neatness, the many sec
seed seems to jaslify, but, on the other PL,hi(,n tne olive before being gathered or number of auting the harvest, may be subjected, must --.•;, ' eem unpleasantly numerous. They hnyo Kotafew millers coin- xfn ,|vlling co.nstr.ntly during; many weeks of t_ ,1,0 frr-o nnd are ruined by time.
are now now
]) l!ij establishments and $7,2.-;7,!C>0 ol ygmadiii ior the niaki capitul. \Ve have mentioned' above lBearlj, as possible to (;~ tliat in some localitifH there are rather (he American, accu«l lj more mills than present production of pulo.re neatness, th , " -•- n ^f\r\ 11 s.ed seems to lustifv, but, on the other P'lh(h the „....„ Def,
fornia that produce 2,000 gallons o: hn,K,, therc arje vet-|; hirge 11Umberof | w\n* barv«t, m. olives to the acre. From eight t, ^$n^$J&w«&£*cZ? » W— ,,y nu ten gallons of olives will make om T)1.un| in j....^.^,, with producers ffallon of oil which vields a produc everything else, ot overproduction, I 8r.^r^ .-n- .,f „:!* . . TV,««; the remedy for any present overp
of 250 gallons of oil per acre. The oi sells readily at $5 per gallon, whicl would be an income of $1,200 pe acre. The estimated net incora would be not less than $1,000 pe acre. The commercial importanc of the olive can hardly be estimated."
OLIVE/ ""
Jflt/ Wi^Oie Honest Cotton 1'laiitcr.
Hew Orleans Tiinen-Dcmocrat: Among all the leading industries of the Sonth not one better demonstrates the practical growth of the section dur- ing the. past senii-de'.ade than that which has cotton seed for its basis. 'i'he importance of this material fur purposes other than the production of 'cotton have been tersely and insiruet-
late.l in an address by I'r< Myers of the Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College, in which thai learned edticatur .-,nid: " There in no agricultural projeft known to your il-.t.r that has n value e'jiial to tbi- Imovt any place you i-au put it. may take its hulls and use them feed, for fertilizers and I'm el. The kernel you may .u-' Istuir. .1 r.-nili."
.
, but nro-
luction in this inswnce is even now in sijrbt. in the marvelous adaptation of •olion-seed oil to a vast array of new 1'roperly clarified, it is the pee
rom the tree, and
p»U mv »»*•«' j — ,-,
leather and the tread of animals. They vre often in such a state in the olive-gron
.. .. .
of the besl. of olive oils, and is beiuR R »v'
consumed enormously under tlie IKIIIIL *
HE regions that it would seem impossible , hove even a lair product. Thero is this ct however, that is a certain kind of con- on-that if the oil is not edililo, there
to which it may be pr.t, not so remunerative.
ary line for which lard is used that re- * pre,se<i when it is perfectly ripe being fined cotton-seed oil will not aceon,- J n,CHVllre tasteless. The olives becln to nlish better. Eastern and Northern P ' • ^ ' fcer iu sicuy, ft uttle later
bakers are adopting it rapidly and wit •» ' 6ouln of France. Those
rkably good results, and inO* J« >IR - latfl gathering prefer a
that *]£ ^"llrtl ,» oil, choosmg to .acriflce it. o aearanee. The ,ate oiU do not.
The
is every reason wny me por*. pacAc. to«« «' • more oil
should he-Kin to tremble. 1 liT, pi "" \.tef,om the same numerical quantity well known U. our readers il-M ™ b a,irin
.seed oil enters largely into !• « ^.t s^ about th »» ^
^S..?^..^,^^6,"^* &1be ^uct6 Tw«4 -
MJ;V|.S, various substitutes ointments, ready-made ta'a . • i.ud so on. In fact, its emj;
on, and there ca tiiin that its n-.eiulne.
of life will be so well «} inching yea)''
i-rnv, , \' i" 'h
wh'
,
t'. With most cultivators it will he d, in spite of all rules given, that the
, , .„ .ii
can be little ques- ten* will always be reflated to a •
o well a ,,u.mynaj
the the crop i3 not lost, «Hhe
prejudiced by too long delay. -J^^HP^. U
: JN.
it care is i.-e,>mmendt olives are gathered to keep them wall ven- tilated and to prevent their fermenting. It [a possible, but docs not appear desirable, to feeep them a month, if the places where they are stored are clean and well aired. If mills are few It is sometimes necessary to Keep them longer, if the mills are numerous the general result is sooner at- tained. But wholesale processes are no more to taa desired in making oil than in (Sie.maklnR of wine, U hen mills are few nnd the crop heavy the quality is usually Inferior. In the olive regions much Is lost by the small farmers in good years by hav- ing to wait on the mills till their crop is l»dly dimaged,
urd may be said here in regard to the average product in pan years in the south of France. Large trees occupying about thirty-three feet square of ground were ex- pected to give from 130 to 150 liters of oil, the liler being something less than a quart. Tins amount has in certain cases been raised to GOO or 000 Irtcrs. Olives of low trunk occupying one-fourth the space were
.In the habit of Elving from thirty to forty liters, or in exceptional years 100 liters.
' This was supposed to aggregate a mean product of 140 hectoliters, or about .;n-;o gallons to the hectare, or two aud a half acres. This product is varied in various localities, and according to the treatment of the iree. Further details in regard to cost of culture and pr "uct of oil to the acre in different regions will be given in tuturo articles. A description ot the methods of cultivating tbe tree and gathering the fruit having been given, it remains to de- scribe the usual mode followed in crushing the olive, in refining the oil, nnd getting it ready for market.
THE ANCIENT MILLS.
It is not necessary lo suppose that the mills tised for crushing tbe olive In Italy and the south ol France are the best that have ever been devised, or that they cau- cot he supplanted by those of Americau Invention. The present cultivators of the Dlive in these countries have inherited Ihem, as they have their speech, their cus- toms and their agricultural practices. But the kind of mill used is of less importance than the cleanness of the olives when they are brought to it. the cleanness of tho mill Itself and the neatness of its surroundings aud appurtenances. In this respect tne average mill in France and Italy — for there i are exception! — leaves much to be desired in resp.ct lo tbese prime qualities of treat- ment of the fruit and the product. It is on tbe principle of the old-fashioned cider- mills used not so very long ago in America — an upright wheel running round in a circular trough and crushing the fruit by its weight. The wheel of the cider-mill was made of wood, while those used for the olive are Of fitone, and they revolve in a i sort of basin around a central upright pivot. Usually there is but one millstone, but tometimes there are two, one on either side the upright, and attached by a shaft, which has as its motive power the upright or pivot. In ancient times those mills ) by flaves or by peasants, as is ill the case in Algiers and elsewhere Junoiit: half-civilized peoples. Later, horses 'were used, and they are still used where »o other motive power better is obtain- able. But as tbe olive is generally fcullivated ou the slopes of hills or mountains, which furnish abundant water power, A more economical agent is v available. So tho mills are usually Situated near tbe course of a stream or where the water can be easily diverted and ip.raght to them. Sometimes several are tlaced one below the other, using in suc- cession the water of the same brook or The water-wheels arc of the large, it kind, now rarely seen in America £xc(i(it in very rural districts, and need very little water. The water so used is not always of the cleanest, and though it does piiiiKle with the olives, it is in danger of affoctiae the quality of tbe oil by its odor. The mill itself is also often a building never Intended for tbe use— dark, close, damp. moldy, and having also ft tendency to •ftinto'lbe quality of the oil. The basin In whica the wboels, rollers or millstones circulate is usually of stone, .bnt may be of iron, which is more easily cleaned. Koine prefer water power becui.se tl tlon i« slow and sieady an 1 the pulp : = taken efl without breaking the atone or Coed, a most undesirable result, na it gives the oil an unpleasant llavor. others favor tbe use of steam as a motive power and a raore rapid movement, that the crushjug y be sooner finished and that there may less Uauger of fermentation. An large* itityAS is desired is put into tbe basin, >e millstones are set in motion, aii-I when 'he pulp is sufficiently ground the stone is and the paste is removed vlth a
Ish grass. These are ca'.led by the French "scourtins." They are bat a few inches deep, and the hole by which the paste is placed in them is considerably smaller than the diameter. Their shape is much like that of a lady's work-bag partly drawn to- gether at the top. Tbe paste is equally dis- tributed about in them, a metal plate is placed over each to prevent its receiving the oil of. that above it, they ar-i placed one above the other in the pross. and when the power is applied they flaiten out like «o many pancakes. The oil passes out at the' Bides and tbe paste remains in the sacks. The old-fashioned press, still generally used, consists of two blocks, the upper of , wood, the lower sometimes of iron, and the power is applied by a lever and screw upon the pile of ecourtins, which form a column between them. Tfce liquid from the first pressure bears
little rese- ^>i"ice to olive oil. There runs out wit), it >-r ' remains with it at certain times a percentage of water, which is dark and bitter, and is called by the French <..iniir<iur. The oil gradually rises lo the sur- face, is skimmed off and placed usually in igreiit earthen jais, to await transportation to the city, where it is to be refined. The oil which runs first from the press is the best, and tbe quality deteriorates in propor- tion to the pressure applied. This does not. however, prevent the application of the greatest possible power, for all qualilies of oil nave their use, if not for the table, for the making of soaps and for tbe arts. If the prossion is made with care, tho first is kept apart and commands a much higher price when taken to market. The residue after the first pressure is again treated. It Is passed again through the mill, with the addition of warm water, and usain pressed, 'There now cornea from it a thick oil known as "ressence," which is used in the indus- trial art?. A third pressure might be ap- plied, but the result would scarcely pay for the trouble.
THE IDEAL MILL.
This describes the olive mill as it now eilsts aud has existed and done its work for many generations with slight ameliora- tion, except in certain localities. The culti- vator of the orchards is generally left to his own ways by Ibe merchant and refiner in the city, who takes the product when it is
| brouehi in pigskins or goatskins, as it Is still in Nice, or in casks as In Italy, to his own door for sale. An enthusiastic writer has, however, described a model mill which should have four millstones, eight presses, all necessary clean accesso- ries, and should have steam a.s a motive power. It should be on a hillside of suffi- cient slope to receive the olives in the sec- ond story for convenience of handling. Such a mill should have three compart- ments, aud should be nearly 100 feet in length. The central apartment should hove the necessary machinery: the one at the right should receive tbe olives nnd the one at the left the oils. Olives that are to be kept ft while on bond before using should be placed on trays made of tinned iron wire, with sides that will permit of laycis three inches deep and ranged in order tne above the oilier. The rooms should be* well venti- lated, and the openings, If possible, toward the south. By observing theso precautions the fruit may be kept some da>« without losing Us quality. If the olives are to be used at once they are simply emptied into a trough connecting with the mill, whence the aqueous product is conveyed into tbe room on the other side where the oils are kept. When the olives have been for some days on the trays the workmen simply take up the troys, which are made of a si/.e that suits tbe operator, and empties them into the trough connecting with the mill. If there are four mills there may be a com- partment opposite each. The upper open- ing in the store-room is made large enough to receive the olives easily from the trays. The lower is placed conveniently near tbe mill which is to crush the fruit. Tho pres- sure on the olives . i laced in the mill should b« co::- name, and if two stones rt.r </'..iid be care- ! fully adjusted to this end. If the lower end ol the trough in so arranged as to drop the : 111 tl'; mill It ahould bnvo. a. .mining bu: a few at a time, so that ritiiratud at each time may bo carefully mljustfcd to the pressure of tbe millstones. The olives are kept under the stones by moina of i
j lime is lost. \V1 -s suf-
ficiently crushed the pulp If! placed in the scourtins and on tbe \.s sscs. and the mill is
• nt once set fiuain in motion. So speed and economy in the oneration are slmui-
y attained. If then ecanieal details In thi* pross
,. ' mill a m
on solid masonry is recommended, and tho time of trituration n quarter of an hour. If tbe pulp were finer it would pass through the meshes of the sacs or sometimes with
'the liquid as it exudes from the press.
Tiir :•
If the mill is perfectly constrncted the pulp can be removed by an opening with- out stopping, and received into tin buckets [ and emptied into th? soourtins which are •'ii the platform ot the press. Th9 oil begins to exude at once from the weight or the pulp itself. It is the virgin oil. During this operation tho mill goes on as usual, for though a possible one, it is, I believe, an ideal one in France and Italy. At least, I saw none either at Nicedta,ucca like it. It
:is, however, ndmirabia^^Fdesign, and all the rules^ given for ^^Bncchanical treat- ment of (ha oil exceVnt. The oil from the first pressure is rB-ivort in ihe same vessel, and care shonld»W taken to keep it remote from all bad odors like those of fer- ' pulp, since oil absorbs smells of all kinds easily. A good rule is supposed to be this: Up to a pressure of 10,OOO pounds tbe oil is received in a single, vessel ; up to 200,000 pounds tbe oil is automatically di- rected to another vessel. The oils from tbese different degrees of pressure should not be mixed. It will be observed that the sacks used to keep tho pulp in place in the press must be of great strength to resist the extreme force of hydraulic presses. But it has been found thus far that nothing else will answer the purpose, metallic appli- ances having been tried and failed. From the ideal mill the old-fashioned wooden Dresses with lever and screw, still so gener- ally med. are absolutely excluded, from loss of time and lack of power. It is not to be supposed that they will ever be used in America, and need not therefore be taken into consideration. The hydraulic presses used at Nice have four columns, with guides, whose distance apart permits the use of scourtins two and a half feet in diam- eter. For convenience the number of tanks or vessels can be limited, one receiving the virein oil of two presses and another that of the second pressure.
THE IIEfEIVlNO TANKS.
The tanks are of capacity sufficient for all purposes. They receive the nnpleasant- lookintr liquid that flows from the presses; it remains in them till the oil rises to the surfacn, sweet to the smeil and agreeable to the taste, and is drawn of!" by cocks or llex- ible tubes. The methods are not always the same. An efficient svstem recom- mended is to have three tanks each at a somewhat lower level. The tin pipe which takes the oil from tbe press runs lo the bottom of Hie first, and the oil gradually disengaging itself rises to the top of the water. At the point of meeting there Is maintained by Its own gravity the mouth of another flexible tube, which conveys the oil back through the impure medium into the lower tauk, whose side rises a part of the way acainst the side of the higher. It at the bottom, rises to the lop anil flows out at a depression into the third tank ooiitninins a filter. In the second tank is a sort of revolving cylinder placed hori- zontally which aids in the separation of the impure material. From the third tank it is <i out from the bottom into the casks used for its exportation. There are other appliances for manipulating the oil and emptying the tanks, bnt the arrangements cannot be easily understood without a cut, and are not therefore more minutely de- scribed. An establishment like "this, perfect in all Its details, is in a measure Ideal, and this approximately complete description is given for the valuable hints and really available suggestions it aflorda to the Amer- ican cultivator. Sometimes in tbe south of France, at Nice and G rosso, a fen- small' i-roprietors unite and use a mill. Often the mill is entirely independent of the prom-ie- lors and collects its products from them, ;ng such return as is mutually agreed . on, and its construction, though it may have some modern appliances, is generally after the old style. The olives are crushed by a single millstone running round in u small Btoiu basin: the oil is extracted by an old-fashioned press, placed in large jars standing round against the wall, and taken in due lime to the city merchants, who re- fine it and place it on the market. The fil- tering is never done in the small mills, but always in the city.
THK ril.TKI'.JSi; I1!
The oils of Nice have always had, an ex- cellent reputation, though since the partial failure of the crops of the region the r°er- cl'anls hav» been obliged to extend their srcft of purchase even as far i.
• .-stab iishmeuK are of brick 01
)il is ..ins, it is taslcrl bv tl.e
men I to determine its quality and future
treatment. That his organs of taste may be
Is presumed not to
eat to excess, to drink nor to smoke for 'ing the lasting process. i!so expected to use a silver spoon. that no foreign savor may mislead htm. Tho oil, its quality and grade having been •1, is emptied into tanks of different size* excavated below the level of the floor. Tiiey are made of brick, Uned with line coinent and varnished. These nmy contain from 2000 to iiS.OOO pounds, more or less, oil being often mentioned iu denominatious of weight. The reasons for difference in quality bavo already been indicated. Tlwy are injuries from the fly and worm, carelessness iu separating the olives before going to the mill, and a general waut of neatness in gathering and expressing toe oil. The oil remains iu tne tanks some weeks, till the impuritiea whioh are still numerous have settled. Then it is pumped through long tin pipes into an upper story, where it undergoes the process of liltration. i It is only taken out of the tanks as fast as wanted for the market, either to till special. or, as is usually the case, to supply a want which is usually understood from
tag years ol develonm""' TH» r».i,i,ifi in- the bottom of the tanks Is taken out and placed iu receptacles to await the demand of the soap-makers. The temperature sup- posed to be necessary for the preservation i- of the oil in a perleot stale is about 24 do- 1 grees centigrade. If the temperature is : too liigli. the windows are opened and an '•\ effort made to reduce it. If an unlavorable Condition of the oil is noticed, it is changed from one vessel to another, the mere change being beneficial
THE FIl.TKKS.
The size of the vessels used for filtering is arbitrary, as is also their shape. Those at Nice are generally three or four feet long by two or three wide, and a foot to eifrhieei inches deep. They are made solidly o wood and lluea with tin. In the bottom o each aud carefully distributed over it, is placed a layer of cotton, the forai beiuf generally that of batting, and the qnantitj about twenty pounds, or less, according t the size oi trie filter or the dimensions o the bottom. It it kept down by a heav plate of tin, pierced with round holes. T liters are placed in rows, and usually in wo tiers, the lower receiving the oil after t has passed through the upper. Having >een filtered once, it is passed down again nto the targe tanks, whence, in due time.it i pumped up to be once more littered. '1 he ;,-s in which the oil is sent to distant mnrkets depend on the character of the rade. It may be sent off in large or small casks in strong tin cans, made like ordi- lary'oil cans, but largo and without a landle. They are corked, and may hold from one to three or four or more gallons, and when dispatched may have each its separate case of wood, or several small ones may he put in Ihe same case. Tho long, slender boltles in which oil is imported into America are familiar to every reader. For the trade of Denmark, where oil is con- sumer! in infiuite.iiuial quantities, it is put up at Nice In small bottles, holding only a few ounces. Great care is observed in bottling The bottles are first thoroughly washed v.Hh hot water and dried; they are then washed with oil of the best quality and dried, after which they are ready ior nse. Tf these precautions are not taken the oil soon becomes unlit for use.
At Lucca, whore the trade is less, thouga very delect the processes and appliances for making oil are simple. The mills are old-iashioued and the presses also usually ol the old styles. At some of them the o mav be refiu«l ready for market before leaving the mill, but at most it is placed when it comes from tho presses in earthen jars till it can be conveniently taken to the merchant! iu the city, whose coaimercial relations are with all Europe and with New York The arrangements for refining and filtering arc less complicated than at Nice. The ta'iks below the floor are much the same, though smaller. The filters are shaped like the hopper of a mill, so that the bed of cotton at the bottom Is more con- tracted The elaborate system of pumps is generally wauling, and when oil is ilesirud to fill an order one filter is placed over an- other and the oil is ladled by a workman •omone of the tanks into the upper one, rhence.it finds Hfi way through tho lower le into the proper receptacle. It will seen from the example of I.ucca, whose oils a're perhaps the most famous in t£e world, ,at excellent re«ult» can be obtained by mple appliances united always witii itience, care and neatness aud intelligent imputation.
AND OII.8 OS CCKTBAL ITALY.
Of Italian methods at large, which differ in many ways from those of the French, it not possible to say much in this place
'Jico^HHB
and the manuals i siruction yield som dices and necessities, and
i : ly pi 01
their try tn
them by M-.o,vluK them how they can most efficiently operate with the means their disposal. Tho cultivation of thaollv tree in the vicinity oi Komo is an extensive and prosperous indust-y- The orchards seen by tho writer at A ibano aud n: snno, about twenty milei irom th were remarkably handsome, and an i -.g feature of a landscape that can bardl; be surpassed anywhere In the world. The trees are generally kept ot medium size and the branches are numerous, the top being usually cut off at a certain uniform level giving free admission to the sunlight. So carefully lifts this cutting off o! the lop of the upper branches been practiced by some proprietors that in looting off across cer- tain orchards all the troei had been kept at Biu'h a uniform altitude that their tops seen together seemed like a floor. The trees are planted In orchards among tl eyards in rows about tl
ar ;,ap;es, n-.ia in ry for ornamental pui SmrUl boxes, canes, mirror frames, br< :..iiTBble variety of torn1 cles are made of it. It can r crows large In tho trunk, as it ' tral and -Southern Italy, aud will no: do in California, be used for vonesring or for entire sets, of furniture. There seems to be no limit to the durability of the wood any more than there is limit to the life of the tree. Th« wood is of light color, and though dark woods are al the moment pre- ferred, light woods have their periods of favor, or indeed for certain tastes are never displeasing or out of fashion. The wood is also^xcellent for fuel, a use to which it is to tie hoped it wouia not often have to be put in California, thoiiKh It is a considera- tion not to be despised.
jSarly Bearing Olives. \
*• $*wtfiKinf<>rtiiiiiite that the Mission nhve was the iirst kind to be introduced
d
artered -red hren into (•,,„ >ia. Its Mow-growing quali-
eparate, as the exigencies of time aud cul- {'Ks and its tsrdincss in bearing make it ivation'have left them. They are nearly very undesirabre, px'iept in orchards where all thrifty aud the foliage of a rl< >r. th(J owners can aflf;ml to wait. On this
y^^K^i™?^™™* <»<- is» popular prejudice «geof the trees does ;-.ot general,} exceed Hg!;iust all olives, the general idea hem- fifty years, though there are probably ex- t|mt it takes olives too long to bear. tions the vitality rr;|,js js an elTor. We have seen oliyc t „ t , over j 000 ol j ves ,.|le third
ye- after they ^re set out, and even as trunk remained, while others seemed to sup. early as the second season had several
« fni, nn A Rort of trlPOfj 1 ,,,,,, I vi. il \V It An ,f hia vsirictv 1M five Or
,
ceptious. In exposed positions the vitality rr;|,js js of the tree is shown iv «
port a nourishing top on a sort of tripoi composed of tlireo nanow strips of the outer shell. The height of the trees doei not generally exceed from twenty to thirt] feet and their circumference irom one au-"
hundred. Whetiithis variety is five or six years old it will have paid for itself ninny times over, and will then yield«a handsome profit to thc'orchardist. Those
a "half to three or four feet at a height o, who wish to set 'out an olive orchard three or four feet above the ground. h< should select some Stock that will easily
level of the ground the c're"1^6™^ take the graft, anO wait their time. In a might sometimes bo eight o, - *n ^fc.t TW ^ gdouso[ fine varie.
rl^irvalurif oTe'aw m to"uyse it. ties for ,ni,t,nt, Though we have many ^n is AM> .'iiY WAEEHO fine varieties of olives in this state, uoae
The mills arc simple and the filtration among the merchan practiced only by a few. Themntivc po
mmftants at'liometeap their oil In large
jars holding fifty or sixty hectoliters. These
Y \V Al. H.11 U L ~ L'~. II iJVy * <*» »*, n^j j "•
e and the process o are to be had in great quantity at present. i merchants at Koroi jt takit*"vears tor the newly imported w. The motive powe1 tro^fto gup])l? all the cuttings necessarv.
OLIKES.
?;• '
We are ,
receiving increased attention at the hands of our ranchers and
fruit yrowers. While wilh this as best bv the mercuaiHH m, [\uu»v. *.,.-„ IIUIL f^iu»v^i"
mniority of the oils at Home are not acred wi, h a|| olhcr kinds of fruit, nuich
at all but lose their impure matter _ ._
ltlcare is requisite to keep tl
fuUythcovcredehto1SexciLudVforr5- , a thrifty condition, free from
i actual or other p"St,s, from careful obser- °: vauon and inquiry for several years •nuas" we are satisfied thai the olive is noi only one of our most profitable, hut one of the most stable and reliable thrown upon the market, cured for table use or con- olive oil. The Mission is hardy and long lived, and adapted to Southern Califor- nia. With care it will become re- munerative in five years, and with the continual growth of the tree th. of fruit is increased, and ten ulloiis to a tree is but a
n\d a most decided character, aud »'
Sif^V4?iSyK
^^^trrfo^S^ loreaoilaa few firms are filtering o n
holes
holes re»imB on the bed oi cc
below the cotton were two rows of cylm
Urical tubes for escape about two oi three
Inches in diameter aud the same depth,
th<
The oil refined here editi Tuscany or a few ,n Italy. It follows i from the neiglibor- an he made ao good irate mechanical treat- Lucca,
at
thought necessary.
was r.
other
that if the oils
hood of Kome co
without the Jabo:
meut they receive
excellent quality. Hut beyond th. pruning mentioned as the chsracterisao o some orchards Ihe trees bear no «iga careful culture. In some cases the I
most cases the.orchards are ero which has no appe»t«n8o of havim lately dislurbed. It is evident that o the best oilB will admit of the simple melbooi
Kome while His equally true that oils ot only ilr quality and carelessly lated at the mill can be made m
A even esculent by filtering and
olive growth in tins portion of San county will soon necessitate
SS-! * . mill for making oil, and while
r&clsritivio oj 1011^01 i
^g^d turns than dec.duo.is fruits, we roots, bt ifUifiuk that in a consecutive n urn be
own in grass , fi, w;|l' he irreaUT.
ou^oftho have not hitherto -.neationea the
•;hl J" r -,,",« grained and very .ImuJsome, ana is used f
of years the profit will'be grettLer. An'olivo orchard of ten acres wiih 100 trees to the acre and rive gal- lons to the tree will produce 5,011 gallons, and these at 50 cents a gal- lon for pickled olives, after" paying all expenses of cultivation, irriga- tion and oilier labor would leave a
null r-'fimrierauve ~iirargin. All might not do so well, but this is possible, and with effort attainable, hy others as well us by Ellwood I Cooper the Santa Barbara olive king lof ^California. Due regard should be had to certain conditions and re- : quireine'Jts, to soil, expense, alti- tu !o, temperature, method of'propa- gallon, irrigation, ami adaptability, but with the facts and possibilities in view, we think that this growing enterprise can be made a success] and th.at olive culture might be in creased to srreat iul
1 Olive 8e
l( .S'ort />V"7vmi
i a recent visit to Lu. .me of the finest exhibition/ of the growth of the olive tree that I ever saw in Southern California, in point of cleanliness of bark and foliage, iu size of fruit ami healthy app<-;>.rance of the trees (now about live ye.:rs -ilili. 1 doubt th<ir being equaled in the State. The proprietors, I. N. Hewitt ct Son, have been utilizing the fruit by picking and manufacturing into oil. Both modes prove successful ; the sam- ples ol oil bi ing equal in point of flavor and clearness to any manufactured in ilie .State, and in point of quality far •mpcrior to that generally offered to "the trade." Messrs. Hewitt & Son are making large additions to thei: olive orchard by planting cuttings from the primings, taking care to use no wood less than one inch in diameter, as by this precaution they insure the growth of a large percentage Of the cut- tings, as, also, fruiting of the tree in a, proportionate less length of time ac- ngtoageof wood used for a cut- ting (a point not generally understood except by the experienced in olive cult-
l.i: ,onia has her young orchards of orange, lemon, fig, apricot, peach, apple, pear, quince and pomegranate -iile by side, and its extensive vine- yards 'of wine and raisin grape, all ig thrifty and fresh this almost nas day, Jack Krost not having put in his appearance this year of 181 and yet I prophesy that the grand suc- cess of that already thriving settle- ment, financially, will be in the culti- vation of the olive. Its home is there and no scale insect has ever visited it- precinct to sap the life or mar the beauty of fruit or foliage. Olive Oil.
Santa Barbara Press.
7f. &>. /&*
cont
anta Barbara Press. /// ^ j /\. Ellwood Cooner eontrihn'es (ho follow- ing on the method of cj«MfyhOf$ ojiveoil : !' This is a sitnpln pfnu6w6~. , Thu most
imp!
common imv'iol is 10 V*ve a series of five or six boxes, one above the other, Bach with nott'.n batting In the bottom; Ihe oil passing the' sixth will bH beauti- fully clear and ready for market. I use 3.vliiitlricil tin vessel*. hold ng about three gallons .each, one fitting in Iho nther in tiers of three, with Hiie wire •sieves in (lie botto n of each. On these sieves I place 'nvo or three layers of 301(011 ba iintf. The oil is pas-ed from ini' tier to the other uniil clear. The ilarifyin^ can be- donn hy the simlijjht ilso; it can be blenched and made miicli lighter in color, but not without injuring t. When it is adullora-ed, artificial heat N necessary in the process. When once1 leated it loses a part of the nudy . tlavor inci is IUble to bei-ome rancid vvh^n ex- cised to the air. It should be kept in an irdinarily cool place, not exposed to, sunlight or heat, neither .should it bo handled any more than i»lfebso- Imely neuitisaiy in the nitering and botiling, and should not be shaken after botiling. Tne mucilage uoiuained in liie oil will no' sepuraie for a Ion.; time after, tho oi| is ready for use, and a-, ii does not injure it, is m>i, therefore, objectionable.
I vill MimiMimex-form fii i he boities like globules of water, (*• in Mini- settling to t ID bottom as jsediineot, and when shaken will give it a muddy appearance, which with the common prejudice a^ain-J all taiila oils that are not perfectly elear, renders it unsalable, as consumers con- sult morn the eyn than the tasie. The oil is better when new and fresh, and what is KaiiiH'l.in the appearance by its remain 'nj a lomtnr tiniH in the tank, is more i han lost in its freshness and delicacy of flavor.
"To sum np the cost of the machinery in making of the oil we have as follows : Drier $150 ; mill. iiiO ; two presses, g,iOO ; wo ank«. .JJili) ; two tiltrtrs. .*fiO • corker, ,in fnilur; §50; wooden building, §-100; -olai, $1,000.
"TliHroam dilTerent methods of pre- iriring the fruit for pirkles. Tiie one idoj)ied in tlii.s h>j;alily is as follows; The iierries are put in fresh wa er, which -honld i >B changed every day, for fonv )r lift v d i v-, ilien |iu! in salt brine, not very strom:, and af er rema mini{ a few; d-i.ys dr.uv (iff. a second bri ne Mili-tilii ed,, made ne-nrly strong enough to betr an e_r r. Tim water ^hon id lie boiled. Keep the olives v«'e!l covern 1 wi'h thn b: me. G.eat cire slioul I be lak •!! in handlins; ihe lierrie- n,>t 10 bruise them. Tne waxiest plan when picking from the lives is to drop them in \v.it«r. Tliey are iiMixllv picked when they begin to turn a purplish color."
". \nother rn<vhod, copied from the r>ii-ifli: ll>t Kl '••ci».1' Pick the olives as soon as they bp.uiii to slio.v a red lish east and rinse thmn in clean wa er. Tiien take one ounce of concentrated Ive an I' dissolve ii in water; one third of hU solution put in wiu«r enough to cover one gallon of olives. A'ter a day or two pour olf this wa er and aid anoi her lye of toe s-inie s'renirth. T.iis may lm re J pealed OUCH in >I'H, as live or six days are' consumed in taki'i.' out the biiterness wiiii the lye. The lye should be used uu il ib > fniii sniis ibo taste. The olives ans put in pure, frcili water until the alkali is well removed. This can lip ascertained by the color of the water am by the taste. In salting use the besl Liverpool 'coarse tine" salt, the amounl being bout ten pound* to the barrel o< olives, \vatnrenouirh tming used to cover the fruit. Birrel up linlit and keep hi a cool place. All the process should ba conducted in the dark, as the light is apt to injure the color.
"Still another method is copied frorn tho work of Professor A. Coutance and (translated as follows: Take the green1 olives and afior having bruise I orj broken them slightly, soak in wator for nine days, changing the water each day. At the end of this lime thev will have; lost their bi ter tas'e and then can be put in brine. Hot wa er acts more rapidly, j
"The celebra'ed olives pickled afier the manner of Picnolini are put under a treatment of lye nude more alkaline by the addition of ijuicklime. After leaving Ihe olives a certain length of time, until the pulp separates easily from me send, a condition which depends i.^on the strength of the lye and the si/.e of tho olives; they are i linn washed nud put, in stronsi bi iiiH. In tliH Soutii they tl.ivor with fennel and uoriundur; sonlHtimes they subsliinte ill' pi ice of the seed a small piers of anclu'Vy and a caper. In the latter case the olives .should be in oil."
in
'olives, and her annoal production of olive oil is estimated at 90,000,000 gallons. Crete alone produces 13,000,000 gallons of olive oil annually, end the little island of Mitjlene 2,500,000 gallons.
Over half a million gallons of olive oil ia annually imported into tho United Slates. The following is an official statement :
Vear ending June 30. Gallons. Value. 538,749 S82S.154
18X3.. 18S1..
1885..
e!0,-128 493,0-JS
072,552 547,017
The value of tho annual exports of olive oil from Turkey in S15.000.0UO. and of soap made of olive oil §9,000,000.
In the three months ending September 30th, 1884, the imports of olive oil by the United States amounted to 106.45-1 gallons, valued at $132,283. For the corresponding period of 1835 the imports reached 148,721 gallons, valued at $156,653. Most, if not all, of this oil is adulterated with cotton seed or lard oil. These figures are taken direct from the last import o( the Washing- ton Bureau of Statistics, The duty on olive oil is a dollar a gallon.
Dr. Agard, who has a young forty-acre orchard of olives at Auburn, Placer county, recently visited the famous olive orchard and oil works of Ellwood Cooper, at Santa Barbara. This establishment makes olive oi! of wide celebrity, for which the demand far exceeds the supply. The market in at present bare of Cooper's brand, and none can be had until the new stock comes in next March. Dr. Agard asked a dealer in Santa Barbara, who has the handling of Cooper's oil, to book an order for a case to be delivered nest March, bat the dealer said it was doubtful if the order could be filled, owing to the large number of advance or- ders. Just as good oil can be made any- where in the Sncrammto Valley and its foothills. Cooper's brings $13.50 a dozen bottles — about fire of which m>ihe a gallon. — See.
Piclioline Olive.
ncixcn Mri-chant. /^V.V''
on a visit atthe .Fnv inant Vineyards near Kapa, we inter- viewed Adoiphe Flamant, the pro- prietor, relative to his experience with the 'olive tree in California, elicit- ing the followin"; valuable information: Mr. Flamant srlccied (lie I'ic'hoiinc variety alone for his plantation of COOO trees, because, as he comes from the home of the Picholiiie, lie knows that, while it Rives a very good oil, the fruit is the very best for pickling. In sup- port of his opinion we quote the fol- lowing extracts from recognized author- ities:
M. A. Dii Rreuil— Oil very pood; the fruit is the best among those for pick- ling; the tree is very productive, it prows best in tho neighborhood of the ••< -a or where it can feel the eil'ccts of the sea breeze. It accommodates itself to any situation, whether facing north, south, east or west, and resists the greatest cold weather.
Dr. John I. !!ii •;>. ->i;ile— It yields the most celebrated pickled olives. This variety is not delicate in its choice of soil nnd climate. The best olive for picklin;,' is the Picholinc (Oleu Mow/a). In the south of France it is gathered i;i October, just before the fruit has com- menced to tarn brown. The fine selected and placed in a weak solution of s,.da, to which lime has been added. After remaining in this .solution about Km hours, or until the pulp can !>:• j detached from the kernel, they arc removed and placed in cold water, which is daily changed for a week. This process removes the tannin from the unripe fruit. When thev cease to be bitter, they arc bottled in brine, which is usually made aromatic with corian- der or fennel.
1<\ Pohndorff— The Picholinc, known as the line sweetHpickliHg-fruit-bearing tree. This tree is little damaged by imects. In France the Piclioline is chiefly used for pickling, while in Spain it is utilized for oil purposes. This tree •
in cold regions np to 14 degrees centigrade below zero.
Mr. Klamaat's trees are planted out on the hillsides cheilly facing (he sotltn- v.vst. A few are now running in their third season of plantation and the re- mainder in their second. Since being set out some have attained a height of over three feet, with from six to fifteen lateral branches measuring from twci . eighteen inches each. I.a-;f year there"
seen mi i
1 , ,...n, grow
:xur;untly, tliev "-
uieu oieu irom uiat cause. Thev suf I'ered from the grasshopper plague, which played ,-uch great havoc iu so many places last year in California, but two-thirds of those that were so attacked, and that appeared to be dead : the summer, started again in the tall and are now growing nicely. Mr. Flainaiit claims, alter his recent that we -iced no more fear the grasshopper. Since thuinlrode oi lie- newly discovered arsenic r< n he can keep the grasshoppers out of all mischief,
The Olive.
T^'^id'tf1' 4&3T-T i ' • ' i 't^-> I have been t»alfed here to-mj
tLe olive is a profitable tree to vate. Is it profitable? Just list for a moment: Italy is one of tie great olive producing countrie Its territorial extent is about 114.0C squaf miles, nearly one third less than California, which has 156,591 square miles. Italy is situated be- tween the 38 and 46 degrees north latitude, and has a population now of about 28,000,000 people. In 1879, 2,224,000 acres of land in Italy were used in the cultivation of the olive alone, which produced in oil over 89,- 438,000 gallons, besides pickles and other usea to which the olive was ap- plied, the whole bringing Italy an annual income of about $40,000,00 ). Are olives profitable? [Laughter and applause.] California is the home designed by nature for the olive, and the possibilities in this direction are boundless. The olive tree will stand great drought, will endure neglect, bat prospers by care, grows among rocks, and often on poor land, will nourish on fifteen or twenty inches of rain a year, prospers well along fences and on avenues and other uncultivat- ed places, if the soil is deep, bears but one good crop in two years, is a beautiful evergreen tree, can be pro- pagated from cuttings, produces well in from six to ten years, lives to a zreat age, and increases in product ,ntil it is twenty to thirty years old. [ts true home is near the seacoast. —
W M 7?af0t>'a Kt-ipe'** "f ff»'**Mi'o Iffiffr.
-FVcfs ABOUT THE OLIVE.
, ,.,„„...„ «* Great Comnier- falrte Throughout the ^ orld.
* I ~ rl '/ .si
Italy Tias^ 2, 225,000 acres' plant er% olive's/and her annual production of 27oU is estimated at 90,000.000 «a!- lonfl Crete alone produces 13,000,001 gallons of olive oil annually, nnd the 1 , tie island of Mitylene 2,500,000 Bal ons.
Over half a million gallons of olive od ia annually imported into the United-, States. The following is an official
gsjfr*- -as- «a. r» 55
18The value of the annual exports of , olive oil from Turkey is 815.000,000, and
-. ., on rirvn oflfi
f goap maae ui u, •
Io the three months ending Septem- ber 30th, 1884. the imports of olive o the United States amounted to I gallons, valued at 8182.285.^ For tl responding period of 188o t reached'148,721 gallons, valued at S156- 653 Most, if not all, of this oil is adul- terated with cotton seed or lard oiK These figure are taken direct from the last report of the Washington Bureau of SUtisL. The duty on olive oil » a dollar a gallon.
Dr. AgarJ, who has a youncr forty-acre orchard of olives nt Anbnrn>, Plr -er coun- ty, recently visited the famous >)ive or- chard and oi) works of EHwootl Cooper, at Santn. Barbara. This establishment makes olive oil of wide celebrity, for which the demand far exceeds the sup- ply. The market is at present bare of Cooper's brand, and none can be had un- til the new stock comes in next March. Dr. Asrard asked a dealer in Sa»t,a Bar- bara, who has the handling of Cooper's oil, to book an order for a cnse to be de-c livered next March, hut the dealer said! it was doubtful if the order could be' filled, owing to the large number of , ad* vance orders. Just as good oil can be made anywhere in the Sacramento Val^ ley. and its foothills. Cooper's brings 813 50 a dozen bottles — about five of which make a gallon.— Bee.
FACTS \lt(M I Figures*)*
Italy has 2,225,000 acres planted ir olives, and her annual production ol olive oil is estimated at 90,000,000 gal- lons. Crete alone produces 13,000,000 gallons of olive oil annually, and the little island of Mitylene, 2,500,000 gal- lons.
Over half a million gallons of olive oil is annually imported' into the United States. The following is an official statement:
Year end ending Jue 80. Gallons. Valne.
1883 636.759.... $826,154
1884 910,429.... 672,552
1885 493,928.... 547,017
The value of the annual exports of olive oil from Turkey is $15,000,000, and of soap made of olive oil $9,000,- OCX
In the three months ending Septem- ber 30th, 1884, the imports of olive oil by the United States amounted to 106,454 gallons, valued at $132,285. For the corresponding period of 1885 i the imports reached 148,721 gallons, valued at $156,653. Most, if not all, of this oil is adulterated with cotton seed or lard oil. These figures are taken diieot from the last report ol the Washington Bureau of Statistics. The duty on olive oil is one dollar a gallon.
Dr. Agard, who has a young forty- acre orchard of olives at Auburn. Placer county, recently visited the famous olive orchard and oil works ol Ellwood Cooper, at Santa Barbara. This establisment makes olive oil o) wide celebrity, for which the demand far exceeds the supoly. The market is at present bare of Cooper's brand, and none can be had until the new stock comes in next March. Dr Agaid asked a dealer in Santa Bar- bara, who has the handling of Coo- per's oil, to book an order for a case to be delivered next March, but the dealer said it was doubtful if the or- der could fee filled, owing to tbe large number of advance orders. Just at good oil can be made anywhere ir , the Sacramanto Valley and its foot- hills. Cooper's brings $13.50 a dozer bottles— about tivo of which make i
• lutsajiilN^!-^ y , (.-
.e ...^nrtifs Tafr n't Racra- •c-fito and coumic-ntin;-' on the same, we hink the various journals of the coast have overlooked tne -feat importance o! the olj,ve and nut-bearing trees. 1 that loo much attention cannot be called to the, cultivation of the orange and the lemon in Northern California, butat the same tim<5 there are vast sections of land that will produce good olives that wi not ;_'row good oranges and lemons. All through the foothills there is a good ! deal of land that can be profitably plant- led to the almond, the walnut and the j pecan as well -as the Italian chestnut and _
1 the beechnut, . Ur,
\yiuie we have great 1:litl1 '" tlic f"tl.lre of Northern California as a latrus region it is not well to lose sight of the fact that many other valuable semi-topical trees e.ui ho grown. \Ve have o;i a d,i/.-,-n dif- ferent occasions called attention to the i fact that tbe i-ainphor tree would thrive- here, and that possibly it might pay to :grow the camphor. Qther trees might Irj named such as the lequot and the Japanese persimmon, that have not re- ceived their share of 'Attention, but ii may ))e that tbe fine exhibit of oranges ami lemons was all that our esteemed cutemiiorarii-n could stand at one lime, and that it will take- a second or even a third exhibit to bring these other usel-.i ^reductions into general notice. •-Oruville "eginter.
Oil.
<
Citrus Fair is a IK-TV brand of pureulive oil from the (;uito Olive Farm at 'iiiln- crville, near Santa Clara. The mvhard (•(insists of eighty acres, thh : are now in bearing, and the i^uito olive oil is now being put on the market for. the first time. • Thu-e who an; In formed state that there is no really cure olive oil imported. A gentleman speaks Italian, and who is now traveling in Italy and carefully investigatir jmatter,Jsays in a recent letter that i been tolil by
il III!
two are crushed and manipulated to- gether, and the result is a compound of olive and 'cotton seed oil. It is now well know that ; stuff is sold in America
| for olive oil which consists almost whol- ly of cotton seed oil. What is the use of importing and paying a high price for an aai ated article, when a perfectly pure and
, \yholesale olive oil is produced less than fifty miles from this city? The oil pro-
iduced at the yuito olive farm is guar-
,anteed to be absolutely pure. The pro- prietors wish to establish the reputa- tion of the new brand, and to accom- plish this they propose to make and sell a strictly pure and first class oil. They invite criticism and analysis. Mr. Cooper has demon- strated that California can produce an
uteri-jays in a recent
?.u told bv friends in Italy that there :io pureoliveoil in FIore;!e<-. Cntton -d is put iii with the olives and the
olive oil superior to any produced any- where else in the world. The oli\ very hardy tree, will stand considerable cold and even snow, and can be grown in most sections of the Stale. 1'urc olive oil is a most valuable article of food. In Spain and Italy among the peasants it takes the placeof both and butter, and is found to be palatable and nutritious, and a good suliMi- meats of all kinds. It is c\tcn-ivdy used by the best physicians, both emollient and as an int'i-e-lient in vari- ous pharmaceutical preparations, it is of the first importance when used medicinally to have only a pure article. and as all imported olive oils arc adul- terated, physicians and druggists will find it to their interest to pin-elr1 j^ui to oil, which is guaranteed strictly pure. There is no reason why t nia should not supply the whole t'nited with a pure, wholesome article of olive oil, to the exclusion of the infe- rior and adulterated article of home or I foreign manufacture. As it become* known and appreciated its consump- tion oiiL'ht to be indelinitcly incn The (iuito oil retails at .?! 'A per b for the best and s;i cent* for an brand, both equally pure.
This second brand is much < than the imported oil which sells at the same price. Ho cents, but contain about 10 cents worth of olive nil. As Mr. Cooper's product for last season is all sold, and nearly all the output of his coming crop is already con : for in advance, doubtless t'h<- <;uito oil, which is said hy the best judge- to bi- as good as the Cooper oil, will ,-oun be in great demand. The vuito olive oil (arm employs a skilled and e superintendent, and the utmost cart and cleanline a re ubserw '1 i" step of ih .,f ni-inuf.-'-
The olives are lirst dried on bricks — after the Italian method -in order to ab-orb the moisture; thus inei- the density and improving the tlavnr of the oil. The i;nito olive oil took the first prize at the Citrus Fair in - inento, and can be seen at the Citrus l-'air now in proiriess at the M;"-h-.uiies' Pavilion. A. T. .Marvin oi ,'iin Cali- fornia str,,
•live oil he .
i wo and three v< ars old. , . .* — ^. . .. - ...
mvpa m lurufli .'iiipliranls with
full instructions as to the lx->( methods of sotting out and cultivating olive orchards. >Hiv;.- c-ulturc iw one"!1 Uic must hopeful of our lionir and promises to l>rr»:n<- a source of great-wealth to the State. The I'lntcil States imi'urt annually over fiOO',000 gallons <if olive oil, valued at about $COO,000. Italy produces annually about ! >:>,000,OOO gallons, worth in round numbers $100.0011.1100. \\"ny cannot j California do e nuillv n< wp.ll''
Tin: OLIVK. — California is the home
designed by nature for the olive, and
the possibilities in this direction fire
boundless. The, olives tree will stand
urtsat drought, will endure neglect, but
I prospers by care, grows among rocks,
mil often on poor land, will flourish on
15 or L'O iiu-'iv-sof rain a year, prospers
well along, fences and on av*enues and
..ther uncultivated places, if the soil
,.p, bears but one good crop in two-,
,' is a beautiful evergreen tree.
he propagated from cuttings, pro-
3 well in from six to ten years,
lives to a great ago, and increases in
.product
Fair is a ne/>-and of pure oli^e oil from the Quito Olive Farm at Gubserville, near Santa Clara. The orchard consists of 80 acres, 30 of which are now in bearing, and the Quito olive oil is now beintf put on the market for the first time. Those who are best informed state that there is no really pure olive oil imported. A gentleman who speaks Italian, and who is now traveling in Italy and carefully investigating the matter, says in a recent letter that he has i been told by friends iff Italy that there is no pure olive oil.in Florence. Cotton seed is put in with ^he olives, and the two are ciusheS and iaanipulated together, and the result is a com- pound of olive and cotto- seed oil. It is now well known that st\ is sold in Ameri- ca for olive oil • -u consists almost wholly of cotton seed oil. What is the use of importing and paying a high price for an adulterated article, when a perfectly puro and wb lesome olive oil is produced less than 50 mi. » from this city? The oil produced at the Quito Olive Farm is guaranteed to be absolu'ely pure. The proprietors wish to establish the reputation of the new brand, and to accomplish this they propose to make and sell a strictly pure aud first-clasa oil. They invite criticism and analysis. Mr. Cooper has demonstrated that California can produce an olive oil superior. t:> any produced anywhere else in the world. The o ive is a very hardy tree, will sta u siuaxablu cold and even show, and >,. ._ • bo grown in most sections of the State. Pure olive oil is a most valuable article of food. In Spain and Italy, among the peasants, it takes the place of both meat and butter, and I is found to be palatable and nutritions and a good substitute for meiits of all kir It is eutensively used by the best physicians botL as an emollient and as an ingredient in, various pharmaceutical preparations. As it is of the first importance, when used me^'cinally, to have only a pure article, and nt i.} imported olive oils are adulterated, physiciaus and drug- gists will find it to their interest to purchase the Quito oil which is guaranteed strictly pure. There is no reason why California should not «npply the whole United States with a pure, I ^7~3)lesome article of olive oil to the exclusion uc 'the inferior and adulterated article of home or foreign manufacture. As it becomes known and appreciated, its consumption ought to be indefinitely increased. The Quito oil retails at $1 2o per bottle for the best, and 85c. for another brand, both equally pure.
This second brand is much better than the im- ported oil which sells at the s ime price, 85 cents, but contains only about 10 cents worth of olive oil. As Mr. Cooper's product for last season is all sold, and nearly all the output of his com-
uTg crop is already contracted for in advance, doubtless the Quito Oil which is said by the best judges to be as good as the Cooper Oil will soon be in great demand. The Quito Olive Oil Farm employes a skilled and experienced super- intendent, aiid the utmost care and cleanliness are observed in every step of the process of manufacture. The olives are first dried on bricks — after the Italian method— in order to absorb the moisture; thus increasing the den- sity and improving the flavor of the oil. The Quito Olive 0" 'ook the first prize at the Cit- rus Fair in Sue. .11 to, and can be seen at the Citrus Fair now in r-_ "s at the Mechanics' Pavilion. A. T. Marvin oi 61C California street is agent. Besides the Quito Olive Oil, he also sells rooted olive trees, two and three years old, and ia prepared to furnish applicants with full instructions as to best methods of setting out and cult, fating o.ive orchards. Olive culture is one of the most hopeful of our home indus- tries, and promises to become a source of great | wealth to the State. The Unite*! States imports annually over 500,000 gallons of olive oil valued at about $600,000. Italy produces annually about 90,OUO,OuO gallons, worth iu round num- bers $100,000,000. Why can not California do equally as well ? -^
// /Success With Oiwei, '/. ^Jet^^f^- V/<2-
There is not a single place in this county from which a failure in growing an olive tree has been reported after tin- tree is well started in orchard. Every- where they do remarkably well. J. O. Loomis, at Pino, has a row that were set omt in an old hard roadway, and they have been cultivated but little, if any, and yet they are very fine young trees. J. P. Whitney has 12 or 15 that were planted somu years ago as a curi- osity and they rfre all large,;thif y trees, r W. ButleAhas 200 that he planted four years ago and they are among the finest trees on his ranch. In no case ara they troubled with any kind of pest. It does not wein as if it needed further proof that this is one of the best. sec- tions for producing olives. The only difficulty is in propagating the young trees, but nurserymen furnish trees of the Picholine and»Mission varieties for from $25 to jpSO a hundred, which is as cheap as many other kinds of fruit trees, and the Mission will be a good stock on which to graft other varieties if any bet- ter ones shall be brought from Europe. In any case the Mission produces a good olive both for pickles and oil. The Mission oil now brings the highest price of any made in the State. Olive culture is sure to be a prominent and one of the i most profitable industries in this part i of California.— fP'acer Republican.
tjfXljmt Olive Treei. f
The" ijnlfo olive produced in this t the first premium at the late citrus fair in Sacra- rx.dnto city. The orchard from which this was produced contains eighty acres, thirty of which are now in bearing, and is situated about seven miles southwesterly from Ban Jose, at Gubsar- ville. It has been demonstrated that a batter quality of sweet oil can be produced here than anywhere else in the world. , This is an industry which should have been entered upon ia this Stato long N,;O. It would have been only that other j fruit-producing trees produce quicker returns. It takes linger for an olive orchard to come into fall Uhan most other f raits, but not nearly sc> Kojpne. The olive tree is a very harrly. ng-lived tree. From the vary i r for returns from it than from , other fruits, tliieliujMtry is not likely to be over- done. In planting ft P*Vb orchard for instance, it would be wisfto plant jne peaches farther apaqt and tatersperae them with olive trjas. Ia a fo^
! years the poach trees will have passed their boar- ing days and then they can be removed and the same land will by th«t time have a paying crop of olivea. The Quito oil brings the largest prioa til the market li^wnso it is the best article. By all It f California supply the United States
witL..livu oil.
bearin long a
fact it
GOSTAV EISEN, in the Fresno Re- publican, says : " It was Unfortunate that the Mission olive was the first kind to be introduced into Califor-
« nia. Its slow-growing qualities and its tardiness in bearing make it very undesirable, exce >tin orchards where the owners can afford to wait. On this account there is a popular prejudice against all olives, the gen- era,! idea being that it takes olives too long to bear. This is an error.
1 We have seen olive trees that bore over 1,000 olives the third year
1 after they were set out, and even as early as the second season had sev- eral hundred. When this variety is five or six years old it will have
i paid for itself many times over, and will then yield a handsome profit to the orchardist. Those who wish to set out an olive orchard should se- lect some stock that will easily take the graft, and wait their time. In a few years they produce scions of fine varieties for grafting. Though we have many fine varieties of olives in this State, none are to be had in great quantity at present. It takes years for the newly-imported trees to supply all the cuttings necessary."
The
e.
'* ,
Fruit growers in the central part of' state are turning their attention to the olive. This is a sensible move. This fruit is more profitable than wheat, and the ranchers of the state are beginning to re- , alize that fact. The Auburn Republican says- "The Quito olive oil, which took the first prize at the citrus fair, is de- scribed as having been pressed from olives first dried on warm bricks. Mr. Gould • prepared his olives for the press by drying them on the trays of an ordinary raisin dryer with equally good results. The only object of the process is to get rid of the water in the berries, while at the same time the oil collects together in little glob- ules and makes the pressing process com- paratively easy. Drying them on bricks is the Italian method, but there seems to be no reason why an ordinary fruit dryer is not equally as good."
_
There is not a sjngle place in th^ coonfty from which a failure in growing an olive tree has be«n reported after the tree is once, well started in orchard. Everywhere thoy do remarkably well. J. O. Loomis, at Pino, has a row that were rat out in an old hard roadway, and they have b. culti- vated bnt little, if any, and yet they are lery fine. yonne trees. J. P. Whitney hai twelve or nftoen that were planted some years a«o as a curiosity and they are all large, thrifty treee. P. W. Butler has 200 that he planted four years ago and they are a-nong the finest trees on his ranch. In no case are they troubled with an; kind of pest. It does not seem as if it needed further proof that this is one of the best sections for producing olives. T.'ir- only difficulty is in propagating the young tress, but nurserymen furnish trees of the Pioholine aod Mi&tion varieties for from $25 to 850 a hundred, which is ae cheap as mauy other kinds of fruit trees, and the Mission will be a good stock on whinh to graft other varieties if any better ones i-hall be brought from Enrope. J.a any case the Mibfciun produces a goud olive both for pickles and nil. The Mission oil now brings the higb^t price of any made in the State. Olive culture is fare to I be a prominent aud one of the most profitable iadubtrieB in this part of California.
r--f • -- --
r.LAOK KXOT .OSflKAI'M.
Several viheyardists are now using paint and coaloil mixed as a remedy fiir tins disease. The black knot is care- fully pared off or dug out and the mix- ture put on. This remedy is, sajd/ to be bolb cheap and effective. "
-
rYft/rt£& :
Wlnit i-» llciiis :<»««; i» Aiifturn— A <ii!inf<> :it Str. A>;:M-I|'S OrcSmril.
We paid a brief visit, to Dr. Agnrti'f olive ranch the other day, and wi found much to iutert-Nt us and also tilt general public ill the work that is there beinj: jnialipd forwaid. He has several men employed plowing, plant- ing, building fence, etc. Ilia place, bought about eighteen nuntha ago, comprises some forty-six acres, p<»rt of which, including a very eligible building, spot, shaded and protected by pines, is on a very sightly, knoll overlooking on one side the railroad, the town, and the Sacramento Valley, while on the other-it conmiuiids a beautiful view of the eternal snow- cupped Sierras in the distance. Dur- ing the past year the Doctor has i planted about 1000 olive trees, some 300 poach trees, and from 500 to GOO Fj-encb and Hungarian prunes— most- ly the former. He bus also planted a number of nut trees, pecans, filberts, and several varieties <>f the prcepar- turiens English walnuts. He intends as soon as possible to put in an assort- ment of plums— Coe's Golden Drop, . Uoiuinbiw, WashiiiKton, and a new, rare, and excellent variety known as Kalscy'a Japanese plum. He is also planting a cherry orchard, about 150 trees of which are already set out. Around his house, which, though snug and commodious enough for anj bachelor, is destined sonn to give w»> to a larger and more elegant structure on the knoll above mentioned/ liu has a nice orchard of paars, apples, etc. The ranch is irrigated by means of a huije cistern which holds 12,000 or 13,000 gallons of waler placed high enough up to cnnmand every rod of the ground. The water is obtained from a pool, distant a few hun- dred yards. From there it is pumped up into the tank by the aid of a sU".-.iu-eii«lue and pump which occupy covered quarters between the pool and the tanl:.
]Jut tlu one thing of paramount in- terest to fruit-growers and the general public is the experiment of olive cul- ture in this locality and altitude. The doctor regards success as assured and with very excellent reasons for his belief. Mr. L>. A. Gould whose place is about two miles north of Ati- - burn, has demonstrated the fau'.- practically this Winter by manufac- turing oil from trees grown on his place. The oil U pronounced by con- noisseurs to be strictly first-class in all respects. The Doctor's trees are yet too young to bear, having been planted, as we B»;cl already, only a veur u«o. But they are looking eX- uemely thrifty, They W*™ chiefly from root.cutlfags and were for the mc.st part three years old. about six ;.«r cent have been lost lianspbiutii't?, H'O usual uveruj of loss being souittli'".g li!-e ten i'ei cent.
We have procfcurirpil in season and out of season, that for the liill« olives wero the thing. On a 40 iinrc tract pin-chiised of,]. \V. (iati'H, J. M. 'Brooks -the tn»<; mnn'iiiid Goo. Ca,-y of Oakland, will plant I twenty norus in Pieolme olives. A nurse ry devoted to specialties will also lm es- tablished. The land is a portion of the choicest property of Mr. Gates, and is (iiipahle of being irrigated. Stra""'>efries and small fruits are to rf \ .i..good
al of attention. v^
OLIVE CULTURE.
M"ANY oP >>ur enterprising inte<j rior exchanges are making continuous efforts to interest and encourage the people of California in olive culture. Very gratifying success has been obtained by many, in different parts of the State, who 'have devoted themselves to this in- dustry. There are many things- said in its favor. The olive tree neecTs but little care while* growing, and 'can be raised from a cutting. Al- most any farmer has some poor land, which he considers to be almost worthless. This, set out in 'olive trees, would, in a few years, •yield a fair return, and it would I help to give variety in the produc- tion of a place.- " Putting all the eggs in one nest," or using all one's land for some particular crop, is not generally the wisest course to follow. The farmer who sum- -Is best, in the long run, is he who has j more than one crop to depend upon, j Then, failure in any particular line, does not hopelessly, cripple him. Hence, a combination, as vines, fruit and olives, with the cereals, is generally advisable.— San Bernar- dino I-iidex.^^ ...^,-^f.^^^ <2/y.'X
§LiVS~"On. — We have had the pleasure of 'testing 3. sample of olive oil made at the ranch of C,-C.M«Iver, at Jdjssion ,Si» Jose, in Ala-
Mclver now owns the fine ranches formerty owned by Messrs. Palmer and Cook. He is im- proving them in many enterprising ways. Mission has improved wonderfully during the last few years . We al *aoSXreea/rle<Lit of the most delightful
O1.IVK Oi'.rl! '
I
i(ICSS .-Mid eaiiii. out in4
healtli. Tlieclimai
ficial, he bought 2,500 acrea of wiid land,
including n fine canyon through which a pretty stream finds its way from tile neighboring mountains. Driving tilt gate \re passed tln-nngh liaif a mile of walnut orchards, the trees bein^ in pn'fect order and promising an abundant yield. Thin tive thrives well on the const and is very protitali'e, but :.s it does not bear well until 10 years old, a gooil deal of patience must be e.xerci.-erl. The great work of this enlightened and cultivated agriculturist has been the introduction of the olive tree, which Mr. Cooper finds the most pri:titahli! of al! his fruits, ai:d to which lie now devotes his chief attention. In this climate the oiive Jlum-ishe:, even better than in Italy, and in seven ye;us begins tn give an abundant yield. The berries are. gathered in J >e^- after being crushed by great > are pressed until every drop of oil is e\- '. The oil is then left in in. ir four months, during which the i dark and bitter dregs sink to the bottom. From ',lv; upper part of the casks • the oil, 7iow clear as crystal, is drawn off mid bottled for sale. IVrLapj no article of di.niestic consumption U more terated than olive oil, and very much that is used in this country has not a drop of the juice of the olive tree. When in New Orleans, not long since, I visited a mil) i for crushing cotton seed, and found tlmt ' nearly all the oil went to Italy. Immense quantities of lard oil are put up in this- country for the same market.and curiously enough the American peanut is being sent in the same direction. There is too much reason to believe that these oils come back to us in thn well-known flasks, probably wholesome enough and pleasant to tke taste, but still not olive oil. The rapidly extending knowledge of this Italian de- ; is causing a growing demand for American olive oil, and I was not sur- prised to find that Klwood Cooper had already sold in New York and Chicago his entire season's yield of 24,000 bottes. California is a big State, and we shall soon be independent of tile Italians, even if it spoils the markets for cotton seed and 'lard. The peanuts we can lea.e to the
generation. — [/%«(•>.• <'/'«•»»<<«. V
In ftWlasc number of the' Southern California Practitioner Dr. J. P. Widney has a paper on the olive of so much interest that it seems worthy of a wide circulation. Olive-growing is destined to. become a matter of great importance to Southern California. The paper is reproduced as follows : In an article entitled "The Anglo-Teuton in a New Home," allusion was made to the olive as one ef the food-plants of the new climato belt within which he ie now beginning to make his abode. Its dietic value is by him not as jet fully appre- ciated.
Fat as a food is essential in some form to the physical well-being of man, anil nature seems to have wisely provided for each climatic zone a Bap- ply of that especial form of fatty material best anited to it. The Esquimaux finds in the blubber of the walrus or the seal the strong animal fat, rich in hydro- carbons, which ha instinctively craves, because of the system's need of a strong beat-producing diet to enable him to keep up bod- ily temperature, and thns do battle with tho rluor- ons Arctic colds.
The animal life of the polar regions is marked by a tendency to the abundant formation *>C fat.' In the warmer regions of the world, on the con- trary, animals possess less fat-producing and fat- storing power, and mea loose the appetite for ani- mal food. Yet even in the tropics fat in some form is a necessity in the food of man. Corn anil wine «nd oil were ever symbols of earthly well- being, not only in the promised land of the old* Hebrew, but to all the races clustering about the shores of the Mediterranean. And it is the vege- table oils that have replaced tlie grosser aniranl fats of the more northern climates, as being better adapted in their dietetic uses to the higher tem- perature.
The animal fats, if nsed to any great extent in the warmer climates, seem to devslop disease in the human organism. It took the English colony of India a century to rind out that the strong meat diet of the .North nsed iu the climate of India in- variably produced a diseased liver and death. Now that they, learning by expeiience, are adopt- ing the light vegetable diat of the natives, they •endure the climate much better.
The oil which in southern latitudes has most generally taken the place of the animal fats is the oil of the olive. It is lighter and less heat-pro- ducing than the oils 01 fats of animal origin. It
is need in codKery, is an ingredient of every salad, end in the shape of the pickled frnit takes somewhat the place of meat npon the table. Its high nutritive value is shown by the fact that the laborers of the Riviera perform tho severest toil opon a diet chieHy of black bread and olives.
One who has never personally tested the olive as an article of food can hardly understand its •falae. The writer has frequently for days at a time in warm weather almost lived npon bread and olives, feeling as well nourished as upon a meat diet.
The culture of the olive seems to be almost co- eval with the races of the Orient. Under the shade of its f rnit-ladened branches rested the old patriarchs in the old tent of Syria. It accom- panied the Groeco-Latin in his migration along the shot es of the Mediterranean. It passed with the Boman arms to Gaul and Hyspailia, and cross- ing the ocean with Conquistadors adds its pale i green foliage to the verdure of every old mission orchard from Vera Cruz to Monterey.
It ie no chance or mere sentiment that thus made it like the vine and the corn-producing plants the companion of race migration.
Whenever wo lind a plant thus accompanying man for thousands of years in his migrations across oceans and continents it is because of a positive utility or food value which it is proven to jjohti'bH for the hoinan race.
8omewhat of the extent of that economic food value as estimated by one nation may be surmised troin the fact that in Italy the number of olive trees under cultivation is one hundred millions, cnvfrinc one million acres.
It ie n safe role to follow, that the foods which a people have adopted after inhabiting for gener- ations any especial belt of climate are the foods beet suited to the requirements of the system in that climate ; that buck of it is the working of some general law.
If then, for thousands of years the races dwelling within this climate belt which the Anglo- Teaton is now, for the first time in his race his- tory, making his home, have thus proven the economic food value of the olive, and its especial adaptability to the dietic demands of the climate, he, if he would accommodate himself to his new climatic surroundings, would do well to learn a lesson from their experience, and to teat in his own dietary the olive. And indeed we can already see in the rapidlv multiplying olive orchards and the long rows of barreled olives at the grocers in- dications that the lesson is not unheeded.
But what will be the physical effect npon the meat-eating Anglo-Teuton of the isothermal lino of 50 degrees as he moves southward to take up hi" abode in the isothermal belt of 60 decrees, and abandons the animal diet of hia fathers for the olive of the Gricco-Latin ?
V1KEYARD, ORCHARD AND FARM.
4 Department for Agriculturists Northern California.
'This department is intended as a means OB communication for the agriculturists of :•. California. There is nothing which so tends to make a fanning community successful and pros- perous as interchange of idens, and wo trust OUT! ^ubscribar? will favor us with such statements of their ejrpmments, a\\K<:vff-J and fail as tiie'v i'lf^f'^ l
'common Mission " olive, brought ;r,,nii;i by the Spanish priests, bas» one of the best vane-- ties cultivated in Spain — the "cor- niddbra." It is the olive from which Ehvood Cooper, of Santa Barlara, makes hia celebrated oil. Cecrge A. Cowles, of Kl Cajon Valley, San Diego, enjoys !a reputation for tin- excellence of his. :;>iekled olh "ber off
•tho I!KK staff wrote to liim for infonnn- Ition as to the variety ho cultivates, and ,-ed the following reply: "The .,n which I have : v vepu-
itation ai-e the Misssion. Alti: [have imported several \aiictics, I have 'oMiid' none, tin- il to the Mis-
Th,.- V as thus
shown to be superior for both oil ickles an adv.,i sed by
fe\v other varieties. ' doubful
whether a better v;n I , .... general purports or one better .suited to the hihtovnia climate, can be where in the world.
Ky tl".1 u'l'm ^ircn manuring is meant actiee of growing and plowing under crops in tho. green state, to en- rich the soil. A soil is said to be pro- !<luctive in proportion to the amount of humus it contains. Humus is formed iby the decomposition of animal and vegetable matter. If a heavy growth of vegetation, grain, clover or weed-* is ; under, a certain amount of plant food is returned to the soil. It would ••;,- natural to suppose that the de- cayed stem i c.t would contain good acceptable food for another. If plowing under has been done on a yel- low day soil, six months afterwai digging down through the furrow, a Tratum will be found where the .weeds fell and rotted. Repeated plow- ing under of green crops w ill iiil the ground with humus, and restore the worst worn out land to fertility.
One objection to this method of fer- tilizing is the length of time required as several years must elapse before many crops could be added to the soil. It is very important then to adopt the [ rotation that will admit of the gi number of crops in the shortest time. Some plants add more fertility to the soil than others, but these' are not al- ways the ones that are easiest -grown, especially on poor ground, and it is very important t >d growth to plow
under. Rye will grow wheie no other <*rain will, and yield a fair crop. An- other advantage is its growth in Winter. In the latitude of Southern Illinois rye may be sown in November and plowed under when fully headed out in May, and the ground sowed immediately with southern cow peas and plowed under in July or August. Another sowing of pea's will make a partial crop by the first frost, when it can be turned under and the, ground again seeded to rye. This makes three crops plowed under in.one year.— ^American Ayricultu
i Jri
•" -lie Olive Jut l'>y>JJ
^
for
md
aT as a SoT? is cia som to the physical well-being ot man. nature Wems to have wisely pio- "
(i in nature DCCIM.O t^ •»•* »-•••--.• » v c<l to each climatic .one a supply.)
*tiS^^^%^% iH^f^Adg
lȴ^^Sl^
Epri^^tBl
battle
a pet lor anim
al foods. Yet even in
a pet o .
the t r .pies fat in some form is a neces- i,v in the. food of man. Corn and wine and oil were ever sy m bols of
Pxte'nthlthe wanner climates, seem to develop disease iu- the human organ-
peform tue chieily of
thelaborers of the 1 severest toil upon a < black bread and olives.
One who has never personally tested the olive as an article of food can hardly understand its value. The write frequently for days at a time in warm weather almost lived upon bread and olives, feeling as well nourished as upon a meat diet.
The culture of the olive pcems to be almost coeval with the races of the Orient. Under the shade of its fruit- laden branches rested the old patri- archs in the old tent of Syria. It^tc- companied the Grseco-Latin in migration along the shores of the J terranean. It passed with the Ro arms to Gaul and llyspania, and cross- ing the ocean with the I..M ;u:st«dores a'dds its paljju'reen foliage to the ver- dure Of cvcrySsld mission orchard from Yera Cruz to Monterey.
Whencve^we find a plant thus ac- coniiiLinyjjjg man for thousands of years in)3^B--niigration^ across oceans imd conUBKts, it is because of a posi- tive utility or food value which it is proved to possess for the human
SonKflBBt of the extent of that eco-j nomic, jMR value as estimated by one! natio,. iirmiM'd from the fact
that in Italy the number of olive trees under cultivation is 100,000,000, cover- ing l.OflflpO acres.
It is** safe ride to follow that the foods which a people have adopted after inhabiting for generations any :d belt of climate, are the foods best snited-to the requirements of the system in Hiat climate; that back of it is the working of some general law.
If, then, for thousands of years the races dwelling within this climatic belt whieh tne Anglo-Teuton is now, for the first time in his race history, making his home, have thus proven the eco- nomic food value of the olive and its . especial adaptability to the dietetic de- mands of the climate, he, if he would accommodate himself to his new cli- s mate surroundings, would do well to learn a lesson from their experience and to test in his own dietary the olive. And, indeed, we can already see, in the . rapidly multiplying olive orchards and the long rows of barreled oii'vcs at the grocers', indications that 1.10 lesson is not unheeded.
liut what.will be the physical effect upon this meat-eating An^-lo Teuton of the isothermal line of 50 degrees as he moves southward to take up his abode in the isothermal bolt of CO-flggrecs . and abandons the animal diet;Mfcis fathei for the olive of the- (inecoj
California by the Spanish priests, ha» been identified as one of the best vari- eties cultivated in Spain-thn Coroidd- bra It is the olive from which Elwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara, makes his; celebrated oil. George A. Cowles. of 1 Caion Vallev, San Diego county, enjoys I reputation for the excellence ot bW nickled olives. Recently a member < the Bee staff wrote to him for inform i-, tion as to the variety he cultivates, a. 1 received the following reply : "The ohv- on which I have gained ray reputatu are the Mission. Although I have n ported several varieties, I have tou^l none, thus far, equal to the Mission The Mission variety has thu» been shows to l)e superior for both oil and pickles- an advantage possessed by few other varieties. It is doubtful whether a bet- ter variety, for general purposes, or < better suited to the California climate, can be found anywhere in the world.— Sac. Bee.
OI,IVB AND FIG CULTURE.
. Portal suggests the importance of , 'the culture of the olive and the tig in , California. He thinks the grape, the I olive and the fig furnish the foundation for the most important industries in the future of our state. Much of the land now not under cultivation he thinks bat- ter adapted to the olive and the'fig than much of our richest cultivated land. In the southern portion of the state there . are many places where they cm be raisedj
to better advantage than anything else. -^ Olive roots are lon«, run down deep, and are not easily susceptible to changes pro- duced by surface cultivation or by weather. He thinks he may be able to procure a better olive than we now have; expects to investigate European orchards with this in view, and if he can find an olive combining quality and quantity in a high degree, will procure it lor trial here" The ordinary Mission is the best variety of olive grown here now.
The fig requires but little cultivation, and we can produce a larger and finer n<*. and one that can be afforded cheaper to the people ot the United States, than those raised in Italy or any other of the old countries. Figs are recommended as a wholesome diet, and the products ot our fig orchards properly handled should become very popular in Eastean markets. They can be dried and kept long. Many fruits are quite perishable, and must be disposed of soon after maturity, even at a sacrifice. The keeping qualities of anv product is with cultivators an important consideration.
Mr. Portal thinks both the olive and the fig have been too much neglected by our people and is quite sanguine about their future in our state. He will, while in Europe, investigate the cultivation of both the olive and the fig, with a view to raising both on his own ranch here in Santa Clara valley. — Santa Clara Cor. Rural f res*. /
iOit~TV oWefttfal in .some forni, to the physical well-being of man, and nature seems to have wi-sely pro- | vided for each climatic zone it supply of | that especial form of fatty material be .it . suited to it. The Esquimau finds in the blubber of the walrus or the seal the strong animal fat, rich in hydro- carbons, which he instinctively craves, be- ' cause of the system's need of a strong heat-producingr.diet to enable him to; keep up bodily teflnperature, and thus do battle with the rigorous Arctic colds, j The animal life of the polar region is I marked by a tendency to the abundant i formation of fat. In the warmer re- i gions of the world, on the contrary, ' animals possess less fat-producing and Iv.t-i-toring power, and men lose their :<I*;.T! it.: tor animal foods. Y'ct even in ^/i'.;.". fat in some form ib a neces- sity in the food of man. Corn and wine and oil weiv ever symbols of earthly well-being, not only in the promised land of the old Hebrew, but to all the races clustering about the shores of the Mediterranean. And it is the vegetable oils that have replaced the grosser animal fats of the more northern climates as being better .pled in their dietetic uses to the ';er temperature.
The animal fats, if used to any great . ent in the warmer climates, seem to develop disease in the human organism. :,ook the Kuglish colony of India a century to find out that the strong meat '. diet of the North used in the climate of India invariably produced a diseased liver and death. Now that they, learn- ing by experience, are adopting tin- light vegetable diet of the. natives, they endure the climate much better.
Tiie oil which in Southern latitudes Las most generally taken the place of the animal fats is the oil of the olive. It f-i lighter and less heat-producing than the oils or fats of animal origin. It is used in cookery, is aufingredient of every salad, and in the siKape of pickled fruit takes somewhat -the place of the me..t upon the table. Its high nutritive value is shown by the .'act that the la- borers of the ttiviera perform the sever- est toil upon a diet chiefly of black bread and olives.
One who has never practically tested the olive a.? ;r.\ article u{ food can hardly understand its value. The writer has ntly, for day;, at a time, in warm \\.-atiier almost Hvajl upon bread iiii'1 olives, feeling as weJf nourished as upon diet. , ,
Tli" ad! '. •- •>>. the" '•!• '(> ~"B
;al !!!'»•(. oie\eal with the races of the Orient. Under the shade of its fruit- laden branches rested the old patriu.iv.iis in the old tent of Syria. It aeoom >panied the Grajco-Tjatin in his migration along the shores of the Mediterranean. It passed with the Koman arms to Urn;! and Hyspania, and, crossing the ocean ' with the CoiKjiristadore.-j, adds its pale green foliage to the verdure of every old , mission orchard from Vera Crux to t Monterey.
Whenever we lind a plant thus acconi- 'panying man for thousands of years in his migrations acrd'ss oceans and eonti- •ncuts, it is because of a positive utility, , or food value, which it is proved to pos- sess for the human race.
Somewhat of the extent of that eco- nomic food value as estimated by one nation may be surmised from the fact that in Italy the number of olive trees under cultivation is 100,000,000, cover- ing 1 ,000,000 acres.
It is a safe rule to follow that the foods which a people have, adopted after inhabiting fo; generations any especial belts of climate are the foods best suited I to the requirement of the system in that climate; that back of it is the working of some general law. .
If then, for thousands of years, the ra'-e.s dwelling within this climatic belt whioh the Anglo-Teuton is now, for the first time in his, race history, making liis home, have thus proven the eco- nomic food value of the olive and its es- pecial adaptability to thu dietetic de- mands of the climate, he, if he would accommodate himself to his new cli- matic surroundings, would do well to learn a lessen from their experience and to test in his own dietary, the olive. And, indeed, wo can already see, in the rapidly multiplying olive orchards and the long rows of barreled olives at the grocer's, indications that the lesson is not unheeded.
But what will be the physical effect upon this meat-eating Anglo-Teuton of Sthe isothermal line of 50 degrees as he moves southward to take up his abode in the isothermal bolt of 00 degrees, and abandons the animal diet of his fathers for the olive of the Crieco- Latin?— {Dr. J. ]'. Whitney in (he Cat. Practitioner. - -<-"« uuve ier '
Fat as a food is eiSsential m some forfri to the physical well-being of man, and na- ture, seems to have wisely provided for each climatic zone a supply of that espe- cial form of fatty material best suited to it. The Esquimau finds in the blubber of the walrus or the seal the strong animal fat, rich in hydro-carbons, which he in- stinctively craves, because of the system's need of a strong heat-producing diet to en- able him to keep up bodily temperature, and thus do battle with the rigorous Arctic colds.
The animal life of the polar region is marked by the tendency to the abundant i formation of fat. In the warmer regions of the world, on the contrary, animals possess less fat producing and fat storing power, -and men lose their appetite for an- imal foods. Yet even in the tropics fat in some form is a necessity in the food of man. Corn and wine and oil were ever symbols of earthly well-being, not only in the promised land of the old Hebrews, but to all the races clustering about the ignores of the Mediterranean. And it is the vegetable oils that have replaced the grosser animal fats of the more northern climates as being better adapted in their dietetic uses to the higher temperature. , The animal fats, if used to any great ex- jtent in the warmer climates, seem to de- velop disease in the human organism. It took the English colony of India a century to find out that the strong meat diet of the north used in the climate of Ii •> iuvari- Tiably produoed a diseased liver .. death. ow that they, learn in «_bv ejcperiejicej
are adopting the light vegetable diet of the natives, they endure theclimate much better.
The oil which in southern latitudes has ' most generally taken the place of the ani- mal fats is the oil of the olive. It is light- er and less heat-producing than the oilsor fats of animal origin. It is used in cook- ery, is an ingredient in every salad, and in the shape of pickled fruit takes some- what the place of meat upon the table. Its high nutritive value is shown by the fact that the laborers of the Riviera perform theseverest toil upon a diet chiefly of black bread and olives.
One who has never personally tested the olive as an article of food can hardly un- derstand its value. The writer has fre- , quently for days at a time in warm weath- er almost lived upon bread and olives, feeling as well nourished as upon a meat •diet.
The culture of the olive seems to be al- 'most coeval with the races of the Orient. Underthe shade of its fruit-laden branches jrested the old patriarchs in the old tent of Syria. It accompanied the Graeco-Latin in his migration along the shores of the Mediterranean. It passed with the Ro- man arms to Gavil audHispania, and cross- ing the ocean with the Conquistadores adds its pale-green foliage to the verdure of every old Mission orchard from Vera Cruz to Monterey.
4 Whenever we thus find a plant accom- panying man for thousands of years in his migrations across oceans and conti- nents, it is because of a positive utility, or food value, which it is proved to possess for the human race.
Somewhat of the extent of that economic i food value, as estimated by one nation, maybe surmised from the fact that in Italy the number of olive trees under cul- tivation is 100,000,000, covering 1,000,000 acres.
It is a safe rule to follow that the foods which a people have adopted after inhab- iting for generations any especial belt of I climate, are the foods best suited to the i requirements of the system in that climate; I that back of it is the working of some gen- eral law.
If, then, for thousands of years, the races dwelling within this climatic belt which the Anglo-Teuton is now, for the first time in his race history, making his home, have thus proven the economic food value of the olive, and its especial adaptability to the dietetic demands of the ! climate, he, if he would accommodate himself to his new climate surroundings, ! would do well to learn a lesson from their experience and to test in his own dietary the olive. And indeed we can already see, in the rapidly multiplying olive orchards and the long rows of barreled olives at the grocers', indications that the lesson is not unheeded.
But what will be the physical effect upon this meat eating Anglo-Teuton of the iso- thermal line of 50°, as he moves south- ward to take up his abode in the isother- mal belt of 60°, and abandons the animal diet of his fathers for the olive of the Gr:eoo-Tjatin?
<^i«*is usually the caste Ahafr^olive trees do ^rfot bear fruit imtilr'/h£Y£yb? about cUht. years of age, but there are a num these trees in Dr. Wclges' yard, near the Court-house, only tljr l are in full bloom
Now that
tjycs i
The'olTvte tree, whet .-, - object of rare beauty, and" we think tha even as an ornamental tree the olive Should be planted eve., -where. Fresno or indeed California is exceedingly well adapted to olive culture provided the right variety is planted in the righ, Dlace The olive trees in our immediate vicini'tv are now in full blossom and are set'tint;" fruit. Those in Mr. Ferguson s warden have never been more covered by blossoms, aud promise a large crop. I fessor Braly's trees, only four years old have this season their farst flowers, ana this proves conclusively that in favored Realities even the el« tardy Mission olive bears at an early age. In the olive orchard of the Fancher Creek Nursery some 20 varieties are grown, and of these ten or more are now blooming. Some varieties only two years old are hterally covered with bloom and the olives are sett.ng freely. This speaks volumes for the success of olive culture, the profits of which are so large and so regular that in Europe a very few trees suffice for the sustainment of a family too whole year round. "The olives now promising the most are the Novadillo Blanco and the Manzanillo, both the best varieties of Spain, the former for oil and the 1 for pickled fruit. The Mission does not produce a highly flavored oil, and is in this respect very inferior even to the Picholine, though small fruited, produces u highly flavored and valuable oil
the future ot oar .tae. • adaptod to
not under cultivat.on he «^ ^^ culti-
better advantage than anything eto O£v| ^ are Ions, run down ueep, *-™J$? aurface cultiva- ceptible to changes Produced by sa ria ^ ^ tion or by weather.. He thin K ^"have; expects procure a batter ohve than we now &a ye ; £ to instigate European ""^rf^™ quality and
olive grown l>.erePow;.tfi. motivation, and we can
.
K uuvaon hisown ranch here in y.—Cors. Santa Clara I alien.
THE o;
'central
JVjfUIT-UKUW*"'*" *•• "~ , .
part of the State are turning then- attention to the olive. Ibis is , sensible move. This fruit » more profitable than wheat, and ranchers of the State are beginning o realize that fact The Auburr ,, Republican says: "Ihe £utto Olive oil which took the nrst prize j at the Citrus fair is described as having been pressed from the olives Hr«t dried on warm bricks. ^'-j Sd prepared his olives for press!
by drying them on the trays of an ordinary raisin dryer with equa y good results. The only object ot the
process is to get rM ot the water C berries while at the snme tint the oil collects together in littl.
^— — ~~ A
globules am! makes the pressing process comparatively easy. Dry- ing them on V ^ks is the Italian method, but i - seems to be reason why an ordinary fruit dryei good.-
is
tos "Anceleg Olivd ti-oji.
,lif^—t Angela Jltrald. 7///flf • he beautiful olive grove of James tlriii" near Lamanda Park, is loaded withmiit. Mr. Craig last year made; some tine pickled olives and some fine olive oil. This year he will make a larae amount of oil that will yield him iflOOO per acre.
All along the high mesas in the San Fernando, Canyadu and San Gabriel vallevs the\. .olive is at home and in its' glory. The fruit must have high land, full of oxygen, in order to pro-- dm-c its best results, and its results are most rich and rewarding. It is most surprising that the landowners of the highland plateaus do not plant more olive cuttings. They cost but little, they are not devoured by gophers or rabbits, they grow by inspiration more than by irrigation and live almost for-
rlots on the Subject From a Napa Horticulturist. -?/, fffe
letters from
:ror"correspondentr, asking ^ n in regard to the possibil- ities of olive culture in our section of the State. We are in the habit ot referring all such parties to Adolpbe Flamant, whoso large vineyard and olive plantation on the county road, between Napa and Sonoma, are well known. Mr. Flamant'a experience in those matters is unquestioned; and, desirous to witness the success that lias attended his olive plantation of over 6000 trees, we concluded to visit it in order to present to our readers the result of our inspection.
The hospitality received by guests or even mere callers at the Flamant vine- yard is a thing so generally known that we will not dwell on the cordial welcome that was extended to us.
The Flamant vineyard and olive plantation are situated about half-way between Napa and Sonoma on the county road. The vineyard lies on a gradual slope from , the road and ex- tends to hill lands of quite a high alti- tude, on which is Ihe olive plantation. The whole property bears the evident mark of experience and work. ( surprise was great when, reaching the olive plantation, we found trees two and three years old thriving luxuriantly on arid arid rocky lands on which 110 one except experienced parties would ever expect to see a fruit tree grow. But the olive tree seems to prefer suen location, for those planted on the top and slope of hills, amidst beds of rocks where but little soil is to be seer., ape thriving with more vigor than those o adjoining richer ground, which is not so well drained during winter and early spring.
Mr. Flamant confirmed to us what has been so repeatedly said in reference to olive culture, namely :
First — That such trees can be planted more successfully on rocky lands whose value is but one-fourth or one- fifth of those suitable*to vme culture. Second— That the cost of plantation ami ultimate yearly cultivation do not reach one-third of the cost of a vine- yard.
Third— That the crops can be Rath ercd with much more economy and celerity than grapes can, and that the olive oil or pickled olive, which can be made with outfitting custm.-' about one-tenth part of those required for irine-makin ;, run be disposed of within a week from the gathering of the ber- :
Fourth— That the insect pe^ts that are liable to attack the olive tree can he fought, with ordinary care, with much more ease and economy than phyllox- era or other enemies of the vine.
Fifth— That an olive tree planted 11 a permanent site from the one-year-old
>oted rutting will develop with more i nd rapidity than if kept several years in a nursery, t<> be transplanted when six or seven years old, a.- is some- times done in Europe by parties wish to retain meantime the use of their rocky lands for pasturage, and that, when so planted, it brii
i'our wars old, and, beginning with its iifth year, gives paying crops,
which increase in quantity from year .1 -until the tree reaches its lull ,].m'"it, when it will pay several times morn than the best vineyard.
Sixth -That the profit on the crop ,--an be computed at about 50 cents net per gallon of berries, and that while the tree is apttogive 0, 8or 10 gallons ot fruit when i :'. s or 10 years old, its capacity of bearing will reach 20, 30 and 40 gal- lons per tree when in from 15 to 2C years it will have reached its lull ma-
"seventh— That the tree seems to be harder to die than old Mathuscla, and that it can be considered as a perma- nent investment, since there arc oUv trees still living at Jerusalem which were known during evangelical times. Eighth— That the tree will stand the longest spells of dry weather and not be affected, unless by such extremes of hot or cold weather as are absolutely unknown in California.
Ninth-That the Ticholme variety which Mr. Flamant has adopt, his plantation, while it makes -very good oil, stands as the best for pick- ling. Moreover, it grows quickly and is less subject to damages by insects lhan other varieties are.
Mr. Flamant entered into a great many details while developing all of the points, which satisfied us as to the correctness and practicability of bis views on the subject. The growth of Ins trees, some of them absolutely on beds of rock wilh hardly any soil around, are now a'standing evidence that tin-- plantation, that was so much disuis>e<l at its start by parties who have never seen an olive plantation, has passed now from the phases of doubt into a proures-ivc march to permanent suc- cess! F,y it Mr. Flamant. through his Indomitable energy and enterprise, has tan gl -I us how to" make use of rocky lands entirely unfit for anv other cul- ture. If his example is followed, as it should be, we may look forward to the time in the near future when the rocky patches of land of our, beautiful valley will be adorned by the light of those ; ful evergreen trees, which will add to the beauty and pro. tion of the State.
THE OLIVE IN FRANCE.
Some Details of the Cost of Cultivation.
DISEASE INJURING THE TREES
Peculiar Methods Pursuccl-An-
uual Product ot Italy-Facts
About Sardines.
[Correspondence of the
PARIS, June 5, 1886.
In the, present article are given details regarding subjects previously treated and accessary to their complete comprehension. THey relate chiefly to the cost of oultiTiUing the olive in France, and to Uie edible olive, while some facts are added In regard to industries of less relative importance to France, yet still representing branches o| comnn rce of considerable value. The oliva cultivators in France, with the exception of «ome of those at Nice mentioned In the articles on the olive written some months ago, liave paid little attention to improved methods of culture, consequently there are new «tnUs..cs relating to the last five or six years. It may nevertheless be taken for granted that the figures given represent very nearly the cost of culture to-day. In the Marltlmu A!]u. that Is, the department of which Nice is me capital, there are about 1'JO.OOO acres ia th» olive. Thirty-five vears ago a hectare (two and a half acrei) in olives was wortli $'2000. Ten years ago it was worth only $1400, owing to the dis- eases which had ravaged the orchards, and now it is worth much less. The tree could be cultivated from the seaihore to the height of 1350 icct on the mountain sides, and till late years, in spite of the lact that good harvests were rare even wben the in- dustry was in its prime, It constituted the chief support of the people. The arrondisse- meat of Grasse contains 60,000 inhabi- tants in the two-thirds of ill area plauled in the olive. The remainder, given up to other Industrie)., contained K few years ago only 0000, though ouing to poor harvests the Droportlori may since have somewhat
chanscd. The cultivation of flowers sccmo now to be the only certain Industry iu this region. But the figures show what the ollvu may do toward the support of a people In a region mat an American would regard as almost barren and uninhabitable. A hec- tare on sloping ground is expected to con- tain 20u olive trees; on the plalu only 12.V The following has been reckoned as the cost of culture In the Maritime Alps for a hectare containing 150 trees, the harvest being biennial, a>id the expense divided between the two years:
Spading tlic trues (50 days at 60 cents),
one-Lnlt. S12 5O
Mnni.rini,' un 6O
Topping and pruning 16 on
GathCttUK IS 00
Total JU8 00
This, representing the cost of one year, or half the harvest, must be doubled for the whole of it. The product of a hectare In good seasons is estimated at 450 double decaliters (.-) 2-5 gallons), which at 60 cents gives $27O, half of that amount being the annual value of tbe product per hectare. Deducting the cost of culture (?68) and there remains, $07 net profit per hectare. It must be remembered that other crops can be cultivated among the olives, or that the orcnands can be used for pasture. The profits are divided among the proprietor and the tenant In a manner that need not be specified. Since these statistics were tabulated tho ravages of the fly and worm have caused many proprietors to devote their lands to the cultivattou of cereals or other crops, and the quality of the oil has deteriorated, and consequently commands a less price. But the figures showing what tbe Industry has been and what it may again become retain their value. When it is in an ordinary state of prosperity 11 Is In France more proiitable than the culture of either cereals or the vine. Since the dete- rioration ol the olive the exportation of oil from Nice lias continued by uniting with the product of the country Imported oils from the Riviera, Naples, and from the Adriatic coast of Italy, near Bari.
IN OTH£R DEPARTMENTS.
In tbe department ol Var, next west of the Maritime Alps, there are 127.0GO acres in the olive, that Is to say, one-half its area. It Is the district of which Toulon Is tho great seaport. The land given to the culture is not so valuable, it being held six or eight years ago at a little over $400 the hectare, and has since, owing to the diseases of tlie tree, decreased. The department has suf- fered severely, not only irom the failure of this industry, but from the destruction of Its vineyards by the phylloxera. The vine has nearly everywhere throughout the de- partment been torn up to give place to other crops. The cultivators of the olive have alto complained bitterly of the competition which they are obliged to contend with in the adulterated oils made and exported from Marseilles. An increase in the price of labor has also seriously aflected the In- duitrv. The annual expense of cultivating the o'live and making the oil is estimated at S72 50 per hectare, the biennial pro- duct at 220 gallons tho hectare, worth $2-1 the hectoliter (22 gallons); which gives a net profit of $47 00 per hectare.
In the department of Bouches du-Rhone (Marseilles', tbe olive is cultivated iu or- chards and lu rows among the vines. The trees are small, and also the fruit, though it is of good quality. II the harvest were cer- tain th« preparation of the oil and of edible olives would be a profllable industry, ine price ol cultivation is from §5O to nearly 800 the hectare, and ihe mean price ol olives 4 francs the double decalitre (five a d two-filths gallons), lu Gard the de- partment lying west and northwest of MM; ffi es, the olive has been partially repUced 01 the mulberry. It lies nearer the Ce- and has suffered severely from all the severe winters of the present century. According to recent statistic., there were omy about 13,000 acres in the olive lying principally about the ancient cities of Nimes Uzes, Alais and Vigeru, and yielding in annual product valued at six or seven million lrar.cs. There are in the depart- meiit 237 oil mills. The annual value i of Reserved olives is 850.OOO or $00,000. TheprofUH arising from the olive culture are not so gr.at as in the departments already mentioned. The principal alien- "on or the people of the province of Herault, of which cine is the metropolis, which .lies next west on the Mediterranean is given o the vine Still the olive is cultivated for us oil and for preserving, which constitutes "cSn.W.r.bi/lndu.tr,. Greer .olive, sell at
Bonches-d;. :;hone, IIS); "Corsica, 375; Herault, 2i!i>; Gard, 8O3; Pyrenees- Orientals, 171; Basies-Alpet, 142; Vau- cluso, '-'.M : Aii'io. 220; Drome, 2-17; Ar- deche, 27H. Mean yield per hectare, 2(12 liters. France has barely 400.OOO acre» in the ollvo, produclns; quite recently, accord- ing to the estimated mean, about too liter. per acre a very low estimate for California, where the soil is so rich and the climate so favorable. Italy has now in olive orchards probably not Ie«s than 1 ,500,OOO acres, and the superficies is constantly Increasing. Thirty-one communes lu the province ct Lucca produce 1,320, OOO gallons. Romo and vicinity con.ume nearly all the produce of the district. In 18(15 Sicily alone ex- ported 66.000.0OO pounds. A recent estimate, far too low for the present, gives the entire produce of olive oil iu Italy at 30,200,000 gallons, valued at $40,OOO,OOO.
ADULTERATED OILS.
In the articles written on the culture of the olive and the manufacture of oil little has been said about the falsifications carried on princlpelly at Marseilles, because it has been thought more Important that tbe Americans should know better how to pro- duce a good article than a bad one. The adulteration, like those of wines, are well known to every intelligent person In France, and only those whose trade would be injured try to conceal them. Honest- merchants of Marseilles freely acknowledge the practice. It must be confessed that the temptation to falsify is very great, tho de- mand for good olive oil continuing while tho sources of supply are gradually dimin- ishing. There is a penalty for every kind of adultero-lon in France, but it makes no more difference with tho adulteration of oil than with that of wine. Fortunately imitation olive oil cannot be made, like wine, by the barrel, by mixing a little alcohol with certain liquids and then color- Ing and flavoring the compound. There must always be a percentage of tlie eenuine product to give the resemblance. Tbe snphisticator is always limited in his Imita- tions by cost, peculiarities of tastes and color, etc. The oils that cost less arecotton- ssed, peanut, poppy, sesame, rapeseed and colza. Peanut oil and oil of colza are some- what objectionable on account of pecul- iarties of taste, but are used. The first pre- serves usually the distinct flavor of the nut and does not keep well. Chemists have various means of testing olive oil. They introduce air and judge by the bubbles. They Introduce tubes to mark the cap- illary attraction, or they drop the oil on water to observe tho forms which it as- sumes. The point of cotiRallation indicates the character of the mixture. The various kinds of oils congeal at the following tem- perature, centigrade:
Pure olive... 2.6 degs.
I Peanut '2.0 degs.
Cottonseed., 2.O (legs. B«same 6.0 degs.
Colza 6.0 (legs.
Ha -elnut 1O.O degs.
Poppy lS.Odegs.
Walnut 27.0 degs.
product Vwth $100, though the oil I. soul
t a low price. The entire crop of the
island is worth not less man ?1>dy";y"ft
Each tree brings. to its owner a_rent ol^O
OT1IKR TESTS.
There is a resemblance between the first and second, but where olive and peanut oil are mixed lumps having the appearance of sand form and are deposited at eight de- grees. At four degrees the olive oil becomes thick and the lumps remain suspended in the liquor.. The power of conducting elec- itrictr is a means employed, pure olive oil conducting 675 times leu rapidly than the others. The tests based on the relative density ol oils are thought to have tne greatest precision and are the most used In commerce, little floating instruments. like the alcoholometer being uaed. These in- struments are so graduated that seventeen degrees indicate pure olive oil and twenty- five degrees poppy oil, which is much denser. There being eight degrees between these two extremes, if the instrument sinks to eighteen degrees It makes an eighth mix- ture, and so on. By means of it the density of all other oils as related to olive oils are shown. Other in.truments are sometimes u.ed and various chemical devices are re- sorted to that do not need to be explained hero. Theoils most used by the adulterators at Marseille! are cotton-seed, peanut and colza. The first is preferred as colorless and absolutely tasteless. Of the vast quantity imported into France principally at this port none appears as an export. 'When ex- ported it is iu the form of olive oil. Cotton- seed oil has the merit of keeping well, in which it differs from peanut oil. which In many respects is a valuable article ot com- merce, and should be made in California. Vegetable oils for illuminating or otuer purposes should be made ou the Pacific coast from the grains, nuts or fruits grown there. All of them would find a ready market, and might easily bo made into a special industry.
HOW THE ANC1EN-T3 PRESERVED THE OLIVE.
The preservation of tho olive to be used in some form as an ar'icie of diet has b!:en known Irom tlie most ancient Urnea, ine Latin poet Horacr used to eat It just as it ripened on the trees, and he has though this preference worth mentioning in onu of his odes Other Latin poets allude to olivei in complimentary terms. No one now thinks an olive picked up under a tree has the pies? nnt taste of the oil. The olive produced by different localities in Italy h»d each its special reputation. The Romans had not all the habit o.' eating their olives raw, Imt on the contrary preserved them in a variety of ways. Instead o! trying to extract the natural bitterness they often disguised it by addins; aromatic herbs or other sut^tan-es whose names were forgotten i,ntil they were diligently looked for by clusnical scholars Here is a recipo found in i olumella: iho olives gathered In September or Octouei were first bruised, then soaked in w:irui water, strained, and put into a vn«e wuli fennel, lentislt and turned salt, which waa filled up with very new must, cooked wine or v, ater sweetened with.
honey This was one method. A , wts to give a preliminary bath in I rme. then to drain and put into an amphora with fennel afterward fillinc up with » mixture of must and brine. Si^ietimes instead of homing the olives they were cut in pieces. There were otliur methods of treatment Sometimes tuey were muserated in i-ieon oil with leeks, rue, smallago, mint and a lit- tle vinegar, honey or wine. Sometimes tne fruit was mixed with salt, fennel, lenllsk and weak vinegar added. Forty days Rflcr, . when tho bitterness of the olives had been taken out, the juice was removed and re- placed with three parts of cooked wine and one of vitiegar. If one prefeired, the olives after having been beaten were put into a mixture of brine and vinegar. If It was dsilred to preserve the green color they had when gathered, the wine was replaced by oil of prime quality. When the olives were gathered nearer maturity there was a slight variation of the process, but there was a close resemblance between ail tna methods, and they are much like those still practiced in some parts of Italy and Spain. Olher recipes afe so much like these mat it is mnmoessary to give them. The Latins had received their recipes from Greece, 'where from the most ancient times It seems to have b?en the practice to preserve olives In a brine flavored with fennel seeds. Vinegar was also from remote times used. HI well as salted water. As among the Ro- mans, different places in Greece or in the 'Grecian islands were celebrated for their edible olives.
MODERN METHODS.
It will be observed from this statement of ancient methods that there has been little progress made in the manner of preserving the olive. At the end of the last century green olives were preserved by bruising them slightly and soaking them fur nine days in water several times renewed. Warm water acted more rapidly. At the end of that time they were put in brine. The kinds which grew sweet as they ripened were dried iu the sun like figs, put in baskets and seasoned with salt or pepper as they were needed. As In .ancient limes, lye has also been used in Italy to take out the bitterness of the olive, the limit being the ease with which the fruit became de- tached from the stone. When drawn from the lye they are washed and put iu a briue made of water iivwhlch about 1O percent or salt has been dissolved. In the south of France fennel or coriander Is sometimes added to the pickle, or the stone Is taken out and a bit of anchovy and caper put in its place, in which case the olives are pre- served in oil. There is a similar practice among the Bordeaux merchants. Tlie stone of the crescent olive is punched out and a little forcemeat put in by hand. Although the preparation of edible olives is nowhere an industry comparable with that of the oil, still, in th^ departments of Gard and Var the trade in them Is considerable. In the Bouches-du-Rhone little is done in this line, the varieties picholine and rentato. generally cultivated there, not being suited to the purpose. The Spanish olives are larger, and when seen on the tables of the hotels of Madrid and Barcelona, they look appetiz- ing to the visitor. But they are touch and comparatively tasteless, and if be tries them he is sure to demand the smaller ones, which are tenderer and better in every reipect. The center of tbe Industry iu edible olives in Spain is at Seville and Cordoba. The olives are gathered green and kept five or six days in salt or strong br*ne to prevent their decaying, the brine being flavored with thyme, garlic and bay. Methods are somewhat varied. Out Spain has not a great deal to teach to other nations in respect to any of its industries.
THE OLIVE EATERS.
The extent to which the olive is used varies greatly in aide rent countries. In northern countries it Is used chiefly as a relish eaten by itself, or as a sauce, season- ing or slutting for meats, fowls or game. It is on the tables of tne rich what the French call a tiors d'ceuitre— that is, a side dish or table superfluity. But it is far otherwise with the poor in the south of Europe, to whom it is an Important article of diet. In ancient times tho poor made an entire meal of bread and olives. It is still the same In some parts ot Europe, where a peasant thinks himself prepared for a journey with a piece of bread under his arm and a hand- ful of olives in his pocket. In Southern Italy no meal Is made without olives. The olive merchants pass regularly at supper lime through the poorer quarters of the city. It Is the Spanish habit to eat olives at the end of a meal, but not too many. Three or four are usually thought enough, or if they are very good one may eat a dozen. An Italian author recommends tbe preserving of Spanish olives— that is, of those grown on Italian soil — but prefers those called Saint Francis, which is common at Ascoli, where it attains tho size of a walnut. It is, however, generally agreed among gourmet* that the smaller olives are best for eating. The manner ot treatment has. nevertheless, perhaps, something to do with the coarse quality of the Spanish olive when found In tho Peninsula. Olives are preserved in Italy. as elsewhere, in weak lye or brine. They are also bruised, stuffed in the Bordeaux man- ner or dried. In Eastern countries, whence the olive came, the fruit forms still an im- portant article of diet. A traveler relates that he found delicious a meal ot «ggs, olive, and grapes offered him by the monks of the monastery of Mount Llbanui. It is traditional In the Catholic Church that tlie monksliving In the desert led principally on olives. Throughout Turkey. Asia Minor, Greece and other countries about the Medi- terranean, the olive has remained as in the mo>t ancient times, a substantial article of food and a necessary means of exiitonc* to the tolling millions.
t'n'
THE SAKDINK I.NIH'STKY.
The sardine Industry has been for the last forty or fifty years one of the most important of the west of France, furnishing employ- ment to a large fleet of fishing vessel* and supporting many thousand fishermen and their families, fcixty years ago it was at its best, And the fish wore so numerous during the season that it was found necessary to reinforce the regular fishermen with laborers from the neighboring portions of Brittany. Wages were good and everybody was pros- perous and happy. For some years past the annual supply has been becoming more and more irregular, causing great anxiety among the population hitherto supported by this means, attracting the attention of scientists and inducing the French Government to appoint a commission to examine into the subject. The question which is first natur- ally asked is, whence did the sardine come, and why have its visits of late years been so irregular? Some writers have designated that part ol the ocean called the Met' dr's 6'ar- gassss, while others have thought that it occupied, when not seen, parts of the deep sea bouom nearer to the coast of Europe. On these points there is a wide difference of opinion. The only fact lhat seems to be ; clcai y established is that in the spring it ascei ds al'>nK the European coast, following the current, or rather meeting the current of th<> Gulf stream, passing beyond its mild waters that have a temperature of 14 or 15 degrees centigrade In May and June. ' Since the chanse has occurred it has stopped farther south, compelling those fishermen who had a sufficient amount of enterprise to go to seek it ou the coast of Portugal or of Africa, where it can be nad at a low price but of inferior quality. But the affairs of those who havo been depending i on tho catch have been constantly going from bad to worse. Sailors out o'f employ- | ment have been compelled to seek other means of existence, packers have been ruined, six or seven out of every ten doing an exceedingly bad business, if not failing entirely. Some sardines are still caught, but the greatly diminished quantity has caused widespread disaster among both working and commercial classes.
CAUSES OF DISAPPEARANCE.
The gradual disappearance of the fish is attributed to the fickleness of the Gulf stream, a succefslou of severe winters and the inundations ot the Loire, which pour every year into tho bay of Uiscfty a vast volume of water, coining from the snowy heights of the revenues and Alps. The dredge, which came into more general use when the diminution began, in order to seek the sardine lu ii» proper haunts nearer the bottom of tho sea, has destroyed the small Crustacea, all kinds of marine vege- tation and (he fish spawn, so that when it comes In favored years it finds its favorite places ot resort ravaged and uninhabitable. The dredzes having been reduced to fish for shrimps have also nearly destroys:! tills little marine delicacy, which is considered another disaster (or the Breton coast, it not for tbo country. Efforts are being made by some public-spirited individuals to Inter- dict the use ol the dredge in certain places and thus try to remedy an evil that can no longer be prevented. Should mild winters be the rule for some years to come, and should the Gull stream dispense its former warmth along the French coast, the fish may return and the sardine industry may possibly recover its once prosperous condi- tion.
METHODS OF CUBING.
The misfortunes of France in respect to the sardine, as well as the olive and the vine, may be the opportunity of California. The lime is opportune for inquiring iulo the sardine industry on the Pacific coast, for determining the actual valua of tha tpeyles c*uj;ut there, and il it lauoteuual to tno«e round on thS French coast to see !( tne latter cannot he planted there by the •Fish Commission. The sardine multi- plies Indefinitely, and if the more delicate species did not like to ascend the roast a* f»r as HumLoldt county, they might find the milder waters of San Diego and San t» Barbara countijs just to their lilting Those aneady caught on the coast of California might be greatly Improved and rendered more marketable by beinc properly cooked Tha French method ia the ineinod pur t&- «(l«i«r. Tba sardine is dipped into boiling on cf the bast possible kind at tha earliest possible moment after being taken out oi
iO water. II It could be thrust alive inle the oil It would be tenderer and lu taetr more delicate. To secure the but resum the fish F-hould not remain In toe boilina oil an Instant longer than Is necessary to cook it siifiisienily and the oil snould he chenpj lu the caldron at Intervals. If tha BSD. is too long cut of the weter before ,b3iug cojlted it is tough and ««„!«><. Tha bpanlsh sardines are not good lor several m*d"J!; » P»or quality of oil is commonly us=d, the fish are ton long out of t,.« water
?&M! cSok!?E a"? '•>«"•• '" prohnulv «lto an inferior ty of species. Spanish s.MUios ara mlf.rkble at ha.f the ,,ri,:» «,ked for the French The Italian sardines are lnf.rl.ir
Sn, , ?h T!'C!l- """"^ D9tler In»n »'« spiiish 1 he instrument i,«d for dippiue
, ivV! '" * mt °' *>»!>'» wlr. r»!»rnol Hike tiia-e used In toauiug br> d having
SiSSf ?,">, one "de «IKl hnnd.cs on thS other. When the r,,ok is opened as many fU.h are laid ou a, it will hold. Itis th i el i.«;d, holdup them firmly in place wne
Sere"5u lle»or'nl'"-' 'ho process gMt he handle, and dip them lu .he Caldron, .sing We Judgment *i to the lent-th of time they sht.nl i remain there. The piming iu cm or boxers therr,.,:tor is Mtnpit it.e cook- ing to a turn being o! the eretust im- portance. The b ,xe» are of all Su.. and ia orno ca<ss have iniiiuloui pat.i.ti which make them easily opened, and lurrofore .1 Ei-aully to ibt! convenience of -he con-
A[ Pi .1 ^:-T! :,--r-
'olives in the Foothill".
correspondent of the Aub Republican writes:
"Very often we have heard it said that it might result in failure to attempt to grow olives high up in the foothills of California, as there they would be too1 far away from the sea; and in every scientific treatise about olives, we find that those trees like the vicinity of the sea. In looking around over its native places, there is not one farther away from the sea than one hundred miles. They are growing all along the coast of the Mediterranean, but we do not find them in the interior either of Spain, Italy, Turkey, or Asia Minor. Near Avignon (120 miles from the sea), the olive is dwarfish, and a little further north it cannot J>e found at all. Around Bologna (hardly 100 miles from the Adriatic and not much more from the Tyrrhenic sea), there are no olives. Thus it seems that those who think olives will not thrive at a distance from the sea are in the right. But why would this be so? Even the closest e:- animation could not prove that in the air near the sea there is more salt or moisture than in the air 100 miles dis- tant. And still the fact that olives will thrive in one place and not in the other •eniains. The explanation, however, we think is plain and convincing. It is that in the old world the continental climate (hot summers, cold winters) is changed in the sea climate (moderate summers, moderate winters) only in the nearest vicinity of the sea. In Bologna, for instance, it is possible nearly every winter to skate on ice for four of five weeks. But in California we h ve sea climate not only along the coast, we have it also in the valleys and every- where in the foothills up to an altitude of 2500 feet; and therefore, though not all, many varieties of the olive will do well as high up as Colfax. The thrift of the olive does not depend on the vicin- ity of the sea, but on the temperature; and this is a well-known fact, that olhes cannot bear excessive heat or severe cold, the extreme cold the har- diest varieties can endure being eighteen degrees."
It seems very uesiraDie win" <"> . . ; growers should become fully acquainted with the predaeeous insects, which must be considered their friends as through their agency that all the worst pests are kept, in check, and what natu- ralists term the " balance of nature preserved. Unfortunately, by the prop- agation of certain trees, the food plants of these insects, pests often increase to an alarming extent, and generally so fast that their enemies are tar from be- ing able to cope with them. Such has been the case in Calif brnm fur tl few years, and without wa-lni. spraying of the trees with anti- dotes, many orchards would have been totally destroyed. Gradu- ally it seems, however, that the law ot nature is asserting itself, and parasites and predaceoua insects are making their appearance in vast numbers. Ihe Ichneumon flies are making war on the scales and on many other Insects. O the more conspicuous insects, the byr- phus flies have been very numerous; this season their green, blind arva havine. apparently, totally annihilated
thesis in tl,e '"urn orchards for- merlv badly infested, ihe l^v-bugs bay.- kept them company, ana nave niso destroyed vast numbers of woollj aphis and' grain aphis; appearing in manv instances, a- it seemed, in t eleventh hour, just in time t<> save the
-, mi U I iTIM 1 llll*t
winger! fhes(< urys
.
n this line is the so-called ' Sdy-bug," the Chi1ocor,i> CWi. whose principal food is the various sca.e
"some four weeks ago, when in the town of Santa Cruz, 1 found the
a feeding on the Olive sea e / a ,,teP)on trees badly infested At 1 oa <iato< they were noticed by me, at Mr Ycceo's place, feeding on sott Ornive scale. However, the most stvik- in" case presented to me was in tli Willows, at San Jose, where Mr. JSew- hall the nurseryman, directed my a tention'to it. ' We found at an old orchard five large pear trees, which, By tho rough appearance of the bark, | rlearly showed that they held been once badlv' affected by scale— in this case by Aipuiwtiu pernkiotut. In patches over the trunk could be seen the mature Insect, with its black, shiny body and two conspicuous red spots, an i numer- ous pup:e still partly covered with the- black, s,,ft spines of the larval slun. So live scale could be found, and tn« two la-t years' growth was clean and <iw)ot!i. 'It was stated tome thai the , n-hard had not Vieen washed fur three vear-- wliii-h seemed to point strongly to the conclusion that at least the final subjiifration <<i the seal" was due to the Udy-bug.
\notlier case in question, the orchard of Mes-rs. Wintou and Webster, in Castro valley, near Hay wards. Alameda county. A'^iumber of plum trees wen some 'years ago found to be badly n tested with Asiii-littitus pCT-nictomw, am from them spread to the ciirra;,: close by, which previously were badly infested with another species ol scale, and by the united efforts of those pests a good many were killed. The plum tree-were sprayed with a strong solution of lye which, although killing most scales, did not kill them all. The cur- rant bushes were not sprayed, but, although showing by the thick coating of dry scales that they bad been once fearfully infested, no live scale eourd lie seen on' them, while the trees were ab- solutely clean. In looking around on the trees 1 found a number of la Chilocorui, as well as mature b. and on the currant bushes I found .|Uite a number. On the whole, all evidence indicated that here als.i the lady-bugs had been instrumentar'in killuig thej scale bugs.
THE OLIVE.
An Excellent Fruit well Adapted to the San Joaquin Valley.
Method! of Propagating and Planting-
Proper Temperature tor Cultivation —
Manner of Extracting the oil.
_^ V /V^C-t/l'XL-'V^VCX-^ •*-
The olive is indigenous throughout Southern Europe. In Spain, Greece, Italy and the south of France, especially on the shores of the Mediterranean, it is successfully cultivated. Many varieties have been produced from the "European" olive. A temperate, equa- ble climate is best adapted to the olive. On the sea c«ast, which suits the olive admirably, at a temperature of 52 degrees Fahrenheit, its buds form in March, its blossoms in April, at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and its fruit in June, at 58 degrees Fahn icit. The maximum cold that the stands
without injury is 21 degrees rahrenheit. Snow does not hurt these trees if it lasts but two or three days at a time. Should there be no rain during the months of
.Tune, July and August, a full crop ot sound olives may l>e counted on. The annual rainfall in Sicily is 22 inches, where irrigation is not required for full- grown olive trees. The olive zone ex- tends 1,500 feet above the sea level in Central Italy, and 1,800 feet in Sicily. In Italy the approximate area devoted to olive culture is 2,224,668 acres, pro- ducing 89,437,150 gallons of oil. In ISicily the area planted in olives is 267.800 acres; production of oil, 19,- 285,550 gallons. In Tuscany the average yield to the acre is 64 gallons; in Sicily it is 75 gallons. The olive ibears but every other year. Sandy and low ground are unsuited to the olive.
VARIETIES GROWN IN SICILlf.
The best varieties of olives grown in Sicily are the "Paesano" (native) and the "Oglalo;" both are long-lived and prolific bearers. In the neighborhood of Syracuse and Palermo there are many (groves of immense olive trees, hundreds of years old— veritable patriarchs.
PROPAGATION OF OI.IVE TREES.
All olive trees have a tendency to revert to the wild olive; hence they are always grafted. Propagation by seed is but little practiced, as it takes sixteen years for a seedling to come into bearing. This method, however, presents«the most perfect root system. Cuttings take root readily. They are set out between Novem her and March . The olive is also propagated by suckers. The best method, however, is by eyes (ovoli). These ovoli are woody excrescences that grow on the foot of the trunk and on the roots of the olive. They are detached from the tree in March, the green wood carefully scraped oft" and their base hollowed out. Should it not be con- venient to plant these ovoli at once, they will keep perfectly in moist earth from fifteen to twenty days. The end of March, or the first week in April, holes are dug three feet apart each way, and ei-ht inches in diameter. These holes are filled in one-third" with dry top soi and scrapings from the manure heap; i the eye is dipped m tresh cow manure (diluted in water), placed in its bed, and covered with three inches of top soil; it is then watered, and the holes filled up with ashes or sand, as otherwise a ems would form which would prevent tender shoots, that begin to put out early in June, from coming up. When these shoots are five or six inches high, all but one— the mostyigoroue-are c fully cut away down to the eye itself. The young plants grow rapidly, and soon throw out lateral branches from the axil of each leaf. These branches are pinched off, great care being taken not to mar the trunk or leaf. By the frequent repetition of this operation the young plants grow vigorously, and , winter are seven or eight feet high Thev are then topped; five or six lateral branches are trained to form a head; rSeT- then staked. Such of the young-,,., as have not attained to the requisite •''#* are also *vked. If their tops have been uninjured by the coldduring the winter, they are trimmed and topped in the spring; if they have been affected by the cold, they are cu I
down below the ground in March, and their eyes send up new shoots. The trunks of the young trees should be straight, smooth and without bumps,
PLANTING AN OLIVE GROVE.
Young trees are worked four times a year, and remain in the nursery four years; they are then from one and one- half to two inches in diameter at their base, and aro transplanted to the grove between the 15th of March and the 10th of April. The holes are dug in the autumn and remain open during the winter; they are thus exposed to the fertilizing action of the air, sun and cold. A small quantity of well-rotted manure, mixed with top soil, is used in transplanting. The trees are moved with great care, their heads having pre- viously been well trimmed back. While in the nursery the trees are watered during droughts; fertilizers during this time are rarely used, it being thought 'better to accustom the plants to a soil of moderate fertility. When the plants appear to be stunted for lack of nourish- ment beans are sown in the nursery in November and turned under green in April.
TREATMENT OF BEARING TKEES.
After the trees come into bearing (at 10 years from suckers, cuttings and eyes) they should be manured every other v winter and fertilizers of slow assimila- \ tion, such as bones, and horn scrapings ? preferred, and trimmed every other ) spring, after all danger from frost is over, the trimming to follow the manur- ing. Olive trees reach_ maturity at forty. The distance between trees on good soil isyfrom 42 to 48 feet and fjoni 27 to 33 feet on poor soil. In trimining it is desirabWto open out the*headyf the tree that themiit-bearing branch® may have plenty o\ light, sun and a,jt. On an average four gallons of olives yield one gallon of oft^ An olive jrove yields about 3} per celt on he investment.
COLLECTING AM PUIsSING THE FRUIT.
While the sotf the location and the variety of the *ve affect the quality of the oil, the hsresting and pressing of the fruit affeclt much more. Greater care is takenl this matter in Central Italy than inlcily. It is much to be regretted thafeicilians are so wedded to their ancienjustoms. Here, as a rule, the olives ven gathered are thrown into heaps if allowed to ferment. The natives labqmder the impression that they thus gft larger yield of oil. The oil extractefrom fermented olives has (to us) a pst disagreeable smell and taste; it is |ng and often rank. The frequently gathered be- ripe, which prevents the
olives are fore they yield from ity as good
allowed t
ng as large, and the qual- they would be were they
nature. The excuse for early gath ig is that the rainy season gets in ibecember, and should the olives be a>sed to inclement weather, the loss wfl be great.
TIOLIVE OIL MARKET.
In conlence of competition from cotton scjoil and oils from sesame nuts, etfthe price of olive oil has fallen oflfcte years. The demand for
first qtlality table oil is, however, as large as ever, and the price for this article keeps up. The introduction of kerosene for lighting purposes has lessened the demand for inferior oil, hut large quantities of Sicilian oil are still shipped to Russia, where the inhabi- tants burn lamps in their houses as well as in their churches before the images of their saints. Prof. Basile says, "were the devotion of the Russians to their saints to cease, Sicily would have to pay in hard cash for all the grain she im- ports from Odessa and Fangarog," and adds: "It would be indeed a sad day for us should the heresy of Luther ever ireach the heart of Russia."
On the Due d'Aumale's estate, near Palermo, a powerful hydraulic machine is used to press the olives, and the oil is filtered, being made to pass through three thicknesses of woolen cloth, by hydraulic pressure.— Cor. S. F. ttuttf''an
The Ol-'ve In California;.
This hardy little tree, the, olive, is always assigned the ugliest ar.d stoniest and meanest bit of land to be; found on the farm. And the olive takes kindly to any place you choose to put him. He takes roottrom the slip and grows right along, and in due time drops his little black and oily apples down in the tall grass in such abundance that you can sometimes see the oil spreading over the rocks and running down and enriching the soil in the hot sun.
What a country this will be when the olive becomes established here as in Italy! At present it is not abundant, for the olive is a slower grower as compared with other things here, and so the planters have been slow to cultivate it. Yet I believe that now almost every ranch has more or less olive trees grow- ing, for there is a great demand not only for the oil but also for the olive 'itself.
It begins to look as if olive oil may take the place of butter out here after awhile. Fancy a group of little children on a farmer's porch, with bread in hand, dipping it into a dish of olive oil. The scene is so frequent here that I asked a woman not long ago why she did not give her children butter on their bread instead.
She answered me that her children would not eat butter if they could get olive oil to sop their bread in. And I think they are about right. I have found myself more than once prefer- ring olive oil to butter here. And the butter is of the best. But any one who has a taste for pickled olives, either natural or acquired, will find himself becoming very partial to the oil of olives.
Yet never before did I find this taste for olive oil so supreme. Even in Italy and Spain and Palestine, places where there is no butter fit to eat, I did not jare for olive oil. But this here is so superior to that ot all other lands that, xs I said before, I suspect it may drive jut the use of butter to some extent. The people h.fMf"t their pickled olives with great relisn. The plate of little" purple.olives is ever present on the table and is* soon emptied. This purple or blac»%live is a now invasion of the old
custom. AIK, ,u. why anyb'xly ever pickled the olive green I do not know. Certainly no one who ever ate a purple ripe olive would ever eat a green one. Maybe the olive was put up green in Spain and Italy for better transporta- tion. Be that as it may, I desire to call attention to the little purple California olive. This oily, luscious and soft little pickle is a new delight for the epi- ure. And no one who ever tastes a ripe olive properly prepared will ever touch one of the tough, old-fashioned green ones from over the sea. This olive here is prepared for the table in the simplest way possible. They are gathered, thrown into a tub of water, where ,the few bad ones float off, and then they are simply packed in brine. That is all. — Joaquin Miller in durum ~OHve Oil in California. ,
7
in 111
CO
THR nameof El wood Cooper is held in high esteem by all ton vireum, for to his intelligent perseverance they owe one of the rarest of table delicacies. Pure olive oil had almost ceased to exist as a inar-i ketable article when he established his noted ranch in Santa Barbara county, but at the present day it • can always be j had if one can afford to pay for it. To this gentleman the State of California' 'owes a debt of gratitude, in that he has started and brought to assured success j ' an industry that promises to be one of the^ most valuable on the coast. So superior is the California olive oil manu- factured by El wood Cooper that it com- mands a price far in excess of the best foreign importation, while its sale is limited only by the amount of its pro- duction. The choicest olive oils of, France and Italy, after they have passed! from the manufacturer through the bandsj of numerous middlemen, and after they (. have paid the cost of transportation and customs duties, sell for from 30 to 40 cents per bottle less than the oil that is pro- duced at our doors— because the latter is; the acknowledged standard of purity and palatableness. This statement is no " advertising puff," for it is impossible, to puff an article for which the demand j is infinitely greater than the supply, and the object of this writing is simply to call the attention of California farmers to a valuable and too much neglected pro- duct of the soil Last evening a reporter .of the Call met Mr. Cooper in the Lick1 ^ House, and asked him for an account of' . his experience as an olive grower and aj '- anufacturer of olive oil. A lengthy ^conversation ensued, and the gist of it is here given for the benefit of those who may profit by-it. Avoiding the form of dialogue, the substance of Mr. Cooper's remarks was as follows, portions of them here and there being scraps that he read from his brochure on Olive Culture :
THE FIRST PKACTICAT, OLIVE-OHOWIXO.
•j1™8''8) came to California in 1868," said Mr. Cooper, " and was at that time merely travelling for pleasure. Much that 1 saw here delighted me, and I wasl especially charmed with the climate of -anta Barbara. There the idea struck me that I would like to live there if I could only strike upon some interesting an. 1 remunerative occupation. At each ol the missions visited f found a few itty olive trees, and the possibility of oming an olive-grower struck me fa-
iioOiIiiL'1,1- I),,,
its culture, nor of the manufacture of oil, but I did know that it was a valua- ble product of Southern Europe, and felt that with equally good soil and climate an American ought to do as well as an European. At that time the ex-j periments made here in olive growing had been at the Catholic missions for the sole purpose of supplying the absolutely pure oil necessary for the Church service, In this connection I may remark that all the oil now used in the Catholic churches;? out here is grown and manufactured at the Mission San Jose. On returning East, the new project survived the jour- ney, and I at, once got together all the literature I could that bore on the subject. [After long and careful reading, I reached the decision, which subsequent experi- ence has proved to be true, that no part of the world was better suited to olive- ' growing than a large belt in Southern j California. The olive belt of the world is very limited, as the tree will stand neither excessive heat nor cold, nor any amount of moisture where there is a high degree of temperature. In other words, it is only to be found in those parts of the -almost semi-tropics where severe frosts are unknown, and where the atmosphere is comparatively dry, although tempered by a, certain amount of moisture from the sea, It may be said that the olive belt of California ex- tends from the lower part of Shasta county, on the North, to the Mexican line on the South, and runs East to the base of the foothills. The hot season in the foothills of the Sierras is too long and ' dry. It is generally best to have your olive grove somewhat removed from the sea, but the tree will thrive directly on the coast where it is not exposed to the severe north-west trade winds. I may say here that a rich olive belt is also found all along the South-east coast of j Australia, as good a one as anywhere in ; Ijjje world, probably. — Sun Francisco
TBK XEEI>9 jrfi1 TIIJ5 OLIVE. It is an ancient error that, the olive does not Hourish in situations away from the sea. This error obtains to some ex- tent in California. It should be dissi- pated, as it nas a tendency to check the extension of fljhat ought to become a great industry throughout the interior of the State. An examination of the reports made byjtJnited States Consuls, upon frait culture in foreign countries, affords abundant refutation of the mis- chievous notion that we have here to deal with. Writing from Milan, Con- sul Grain remarks tha~, the olive is found in Italy "at great distances inland,'1 and that "it has been erroneously claimed that the olivewould only grow near the sea." Coisul Welsh, at Florence, says the olie "thrives well on the sea-coast or <& the hillside.'' Consul Oppenheim, at Jadiz, thus testi- fies : - "/,,
The ancient dictum. IJd down both by Latin and -Arab auth»<, that olive cul- ture could only be j'osecuted within thirty leaguiM c.f the ba, has been dip- ' proved by inoituir
Consul Marston, at ?al*ga, says that olive trees do not gro- to any extent near the sea-coast in tKt province "ou account of the sea wirs, which arc in- jurious.'' From Consintinople Consul Heap furnishes this 'formation :
Although it is not ts most suitable sit- uation for them, oli\ orchards times planted near tulle sea . -on , and in mich places inn, . ly spfn ex-
tending to witinn a f/y.-irds , f Hi In su> . "(ten suffer from
exposure to cold vvds, and are not so Jiealthy.
Consul Jtobeso at lii-hut, wrj that the olive ixiards of Syria ex- tend from the coato places •_'. above the level of he sea. His
planter
ineiit is followed by that of Meshaka, of Damascus, who, to the rniestion of "how near to the Coast are. the olive orchards ?" answers: "Forty- five to 75 miles." From Haifa, also in .Syria, Consul Schumacher writes that the olive trees are planted "within half a mile of the sea, and from that dis- tance throughout the interior country." ^Consul Abela, at Sidon, says the olive "thrives both near the coast and in the mountains, where it is found at an ele- vation of 3,000 feet," and that "the best soil is the red, porous soil of the hills." One of the most efficient of American Consuls is Colonel F. A. Mathews, a Califoruian, stationed at Tangier. He has furnished the State Department with a most interesting and valuable report on the olive, which is largely cul- tivated in Morocco. He finds that the olive tree "prospers and yields abun- dantly on the top and sides of moun- tains, amongst rocks— matters not the shallowness of the soil- in gravelly and stony ground where neither wheat, barley nor oats will grow." '
The most essential conditions for the successful cultivation of the olive j are those of temperature. There must ! be a sufficient mean annual temperature ' to ripen the fruit, and the mercury must at no time fall below 16* or \S' Fr. These conditions of temperature in, the Mediterranean are not often found remote from the sea, which tends to equalize the climate. But the influence of fogs and moist sea air has been found to be uufavorable. The dry air of the ! interior, wherever the requisite condi- ; tions of temperature are found, is much' better than sea air. The successful cul- tivation of the tree at Marysville, Chico, Colusa, Smartsville, Oroville, Auburn, Sacramento, Florin, Winters, and other interior points in this State, is a practical confirmation of these de- ductions. It has been found that the climate of the southern coast counties promotes the multiplication of the scale insects (the olive's worst enemy), which do not thrive in the drier air of the ulterior. The very best locations for olive culture in this State are to be lound m the foothills of Northern Cali- fornia.
Jm SAN FERNANDO OLIVES.
f-y ' I ,- /.OS Anyfles Il-'ralci,
To a lover of the ancient, historic and most use- ful tree, the olive, the symbol that the earth was tillable by the children of men, and has shown by its persistence of life that it meant to stay and demonstrate the truth of the proposition contained in the rainbow, by laughing at the centuries as they pass, a eight of the sturdy olive trees of Ban .Fer- nando that have faced the storms of a hundred years and are now more laden with fruit than was ever before witnessed in California, is peculiarly exhilarating and instructive.
All aronnd the ancient enclosure built by the Franciscan Fathers a century ago stand the olive trees, which they planted with reverent hands be- fore the Constitution of the United States was adopted. Like that Constitution they have borne \ fruit ouly for the good of mankind, and to-day are gracefully bending beneath a load of nutritions fruit for the benefit of the people.
The old trees of the San Fernando Mission, ow- ing to a legal contest of title about the land on which they stood, were neglected for about ten years, and left nnprnned, while the land wan left nntilled. Still the grand old trees maintained their living, hut with limited f raiting.
Abont three years ago, when the title was set- tled, Mr. P. Cbznuavo took ctargaof the grounds and plowed them thoroughly. He then pruuod the trees judiciously and awaited results. These have been most gratifying and Rnrprising. With- out delay these oentennarians commenced sending oat hundreds of thousands of new branches, and loading both young Hod old with precione fruit, while all aronnd th» hsavv crop of barley thrives, ind the trees, though they hare received no irriga- tion, each year produce a glorious crop of hand- eome olives, that will mate a rich return for tri- fline labor. Ou the .bending bfanchae of these
an c'i'ent trees tiidUFSil ia now bnmzing nncior trw sonny ekv of San "Fernando, and ne?t month will furnish 10,OuO gulloaa of r.livas for. oil or p'.cklos, HS may be desired by the owner.
Mr. Cazanave is now htiildicR on the new San Fernando Colony eronnds the largest olive 01 tory iu tho State, BO that he can nsa np B olives grown iu Southern California. Thfl BigM fheao rmcient trees with tbott rewarding frail should be an incentive to others to plant tins kind of frnit on the warm, hiqh mesaa, whera the sci bugs never come, and the crops never fail, and the tree outranks Methneelah and beats taut fora thousand years.
OLIVECULTURE IN CALIFORNIA.
Suggestions as to Varieties, Modes of Cuture, and Care of the Trees.
TUB culture- of olives in South Califor- nia on the dry mesas of the interior val- leys and on the fog-covered hill-sides of the coast hills, is attracting such univer- sal attention just now, that we gladly make room for the lengthy and exhaus- tive bulletin on " Olive Culture," written by W. G. Klee, present Inspector of Fruit Pests, and issued by the I'liiversity of California some time since :
The olive is attracting a great deal of interest in this State, and justly so. Cal- ifornia is the only State in the Union that possesses a climate suitable for it. Abundant testimony exists to show that that tree will thrive throughout the larger part of California. The greatest point to be made in favor of the olive is, that if will grow on a soil too dry even [for the' grape vine and too rocky for any fruit tree. The hills and mountain slopes, not fit for the pasture of even a goat, can be made to produce olives/ Precisely such will product! the fruit much earlier than the ric'h valleys, although in the latter the tree will attain1 a larger growth. The olive will till the largest gap inotir cultures, and its sphere 'is such that it, will not encroach on any other culture. It is perhaps not as great and valuable product for export that the greatest importance attaches to the olive in California, but rather as a food pro- duct for home consumption. If has often been said that the olive is truly the ipoor man's tree. In a country like Cal- ifornia, where a scanty rainfall is the characteristic of many parts, pasturage, and consequently the production of meat and butter, must necessarily be limited, relatively more so as the population in- creases. The olive can largely supply his growing deficiency. It is the richest mil most nutritious of all fruits," for upon { 'and bread alone a man may be sus- aiiied so as to perform the hardest of abor. In the Mediterranean region the •live is of such vast importance that a allure of this crop is a public calamity. IA few facts and figures will convey the ibest idea of its financial value. The crop of Italy, for instance, is estimated j to be worth about I'OO.OOO.OOO francs; Southern France, (H, 000, 000 francs; in Spain it is variously estimated at from 84,000,000 to 100,000,000 francs and in the Ottoman Empire at L'4,000,000 francs annually.
That both olive oil and pickles of the '. finest quality can be produced in this 'State, is a fact not to be questioned, after Mr. Kllwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara, has taken the prize at the Paris World's Fair. Years ago, when the Mission fathers first, landed in California, they brought with them two varieties of olives, one of which especially has been propagated throughout the State, in dif- ferent localities. Although a most ex- cellent and hardy variety, and, as we have lately learned from Mr. F. Pohn- ilorff's investigations, one of the be.-t Spanish vaiieties, known by the name of Cornezueto, it is here, as in Spain, adapted to the warmer parts of the country only. In a cooler climate the maturiivg of the fruit falls so late in the season, that it, interferes sensibly with the blooming of *he next. The impor- tance of introducing earlier ripening varieties is, therefore, apparent, Hence jl is a matter of congratulation that pri-
fvate iiidh Mtials, as well as cn'ferpriMii:.' 'nurservmen, have begun to import and fifopagatc French and Spanish kinds. B the experimental grounds of the RJniversity, we have received, through Mr. Polmdorff 's importation, two valu- lable varieties, the Ne.vadtilo lilimi-n, an byal-Bhaped olive of medium size, ripen- ing very early, and the Manzanillo, a rather large "olive, of more rounded . Ishape, also of farly maturity. No less than thirteen kinds are the generous gift ' of Mr. Kock, of San Jose; while Mr. Gould, of Auburn, a gentleman who has been very active in proving the adapta- bility of the olive to the foothill regions lof the Sierra Nevada, has presented rive_ [specimens of the Picholine. This is a very hardy and rapidly growing variety. In addition to these, six varieties have been propagated from seed. While the latter are not sure to develope anything valuable, the differences in foilage and habit of growth indicate widely different •types. All the kinds have been planted along a road in a soil and exposure well suited to their development, and we hope before many years to ascertain some- thing definite as regards their value.
VARIETIES.
As might be expected, a tree cultivated |for such a long period of time, has de- veloped numerous varieties. Owing to their great similarity many writers upon the subject, among them Gasparin, avoid the study of these varieties and give this advice: Cultivate the best variety foi your locality, /. e., the one that gives the Ibest oil in the greatest quantity. It seems, therefore, that the best we can d< in California is to try a large number ol varieties, as it is safe to say that in oui diversified climate no one variety will \ everywhere succeed equally well, son..
From the experience of the older coun- tries, as well as that of California, it seems that the olive will grow in a variety of soils; the most important point to be observed being that they should be warm and well drained. The most striking instance of this kind that I can recall is from my own experience. Some few years ago I brought a few rooted olives to a place in the Santa Cruz mountains. They were set out in the best of soil, in rich and comparatively moist ground. The growth here for two years was almost nothing, although the trees were well attended to. In March of last year they were removed to ditler- ent places, some being planted on a high knoll, where the soil is very sandy but contains considerable lime; others ;in small pockets on a southeast slope, the soil in this case being very rich in humus. With the former, small rooted cuttings but a few inches high were planted. In many instances the holes in which they were planted were made in the rock, and the roots spread on almost hare rock. Without any further attention than being hoed to prevent weeds from smothering them, all grew right along, the older ones making sev- eral feet of growth, where they had be- fore made but a few inches. Of thq feasibility of setting out such smalf plants I shall speak later, hut desires here to draw the attention to the fact 'that the. locality in question is a coinpar- iatively cool one. This experience illi trates the fact that in different sectioi the exposure should be different. In a warmer section, such as Winters or Yaca valley, evidently the southern exposure jon a sunny slope is not needed to pro- 'duce abundant growth. \Ve find this on Mr. John It. Wolfskill's place, on Putah Creek, perhaps the largest, trees for their age in the State. Some of these growing on level ground, and -1 years old from khe cutting, when measured' by me sey- '••ral years ago, were over six feet in girth.
l'KOl'A(i.VriON.
The mode almost, exclusively used in California is Irom cuttings, which are set either in the permanent site or in nursery rows. We quote "Mr. Cooper in his treatise on "Olive. Culture:" "The common and preferred method is toi
plant' the cuttings taken from trees 01 j sound wood, from three quarters of an •noli to an inch and a half in diameter, ami from 14 to Hi inches long. These uttings should be taken from tie during the months of December and Jannaiy, neatly trimmed without bruis- ing, ainl carefully trenched in loose sandy soil. A shady place is preferred. Tliey should be planted in permanent sites from February 20th to March L'Oth, depending upon the season. The ground should be" well prepared, and sufficiently dry so that there is no mud. and the weather should be warm. In Santa Barbara, near the coast, no irrigation is necessary; but very frequent stirring of the top soil with a hoe or iron rake for a considerable distance around the cuttings is necessary during the spring and sum- imer. About three-fourths of all that are 1 well planted will grow. My plan is to set them 20 feet apart each way, and place them in the ground butt end down, and at an anale of about 45°, the too to [he noith barely covered. Mark the place with a stake. By planting them obliquely, the bottom end will be from 10 inches to one foot below the surface." | This mode of propagation, especially, in a changeable climate, is liable to sev-j eral objections. One is that the large! cuttings often remain dormant for several years, thus causing an uneven stand] By first rooting the cuttings in nursery rows this, of course, is avoided, but never will so fine a root system, almosa equal to that from seedling plants, ha developed as by starting the trees frortj small herbaceous cuttings. For at leas] ,<•; the cooler parts of the State we do noj hesitate in recommending this method?. Take from young, growing trees the. young tops, when neither very soft norl j perfectly hard, having three to four sets? i of leaves and cut with a sharp knife below a joint. Put in a little frame with sand. In the course of three or four months the little cuttings will have rooted, and should then be potted in small pots, where they should remain until well rooted. In a lew months more they will be found ready to set out When verjjj warm weather prevails a thin mulching around the little tree may be advisable! but when a moderate temperature pre^j vails a few waterings in a month will be all that is necessary — and even this in only an unfavorable spring. It should be added that nothing is gained by set-?- ting out the tree before the soil is warm, ;as it will not grow. The trees referred to previously as planted in the Santa Crux, mountains, were propagated in this manner, and have received no irrigation since setting out. Trees raised from such small cuttings resemble closely young seedlings, and form a beautiful root system.
To get cuttings from large truncheons, such as are imported from Spain and other countries, proceed in the following manner: Cut the truncheons in pieces about 18 inches long, split these pieces in two, put the halves so made into the ground horizontally, with the bark sidei up, covering with soil four to five inches) deep. Let such bed be in a warm, well- drained place, kept moderately moist. 'In a few months a large number of young 'shoots will break through thej ground. When of suitable, size and; hardness, as before described, take the cuttings and treat in the manner pre-1 viously mentioned.
GROWING OLIVES K1JOM SKKD.
This is a mode little practiced so far in! this State, but worthy of adoption. Ofl course the process necessitates grafting .or budding. It is the general practice in France to do this after the tree has. formed its main branches, either bud- ding or grafting into these during the! month of May or June.
The advantages of seedling stocks over! cuttings are many: First, vigor of the tree, which produces for a longer time, and more regularly; second, its great' hardiness and ability to accomodate •itself to the most arid and rocky soil; third, great abundance of horizontal as well as deep-growing roots, especial}' deep-growing ones, the latter enabling
.hetree«,l>..uerres,s, ft-vll"n<i
pulp,!'"* must be cleaned of this either by letting them rot in a pil« or by n , i. them into an alkaline solution. P\ pie wav to hasten germina.u.n is to. break the pits, taking, care not to 1, „ the germ. An instrument similar to the; nut-cracker has been 'invented in I'nvnce which irf said to work very well, the kernels 'are deprived of then shell, ev are steeped in a compost or mixture,
0 "cow dungand Bandy soil and are sown thickly in the month oi April. If
iuuht too much work to take „,„ ««.el out of.the pit,. they must be o-iked in an alkaline solution. 8°The seedling olive grove at the experi- mental grounds were treated with art
1 "kaline solution of one-fourth pound of concentrated lye to the gallon of water Most of them sprouted the first yeai, although there were a few stragglers pro- duced the next year. Planting the , aked kernels gives the quickest result.
i Without using .this artificial means the seeds will remain dormant at least fc
tWTheefailure in growing plants from the , olives produced in this State iBclearlv 'due to the fact that the common Mission olive has, at least in most parts of the State, but a small percentage of well- Hpvdoned trerms. This has been ob- nrved bv Mr. J. R. AVolfskill, of Win- ters who told me that he had broken hundreds of pits without finding a sound verm. Our experience at Berkeley has been similar, although the last year s crop showed a larger percentage than was the case in previous years. Mr. E. LCooper in his treatise speaks ot the failure to get any Mission olives to grow from seed, and I find upon inquiry that he has also observed the non-developi ment of the germ. It is my belief that other varieties, and perhaps even the •'common Mission, in other localities will be much more fertile. The following facts seem to substantiate this :
To obtain, more insight in the matter, . Mr. 0. H. Dwinelle obtained for me from1 Mr. A. S. White, of Riverside, some dried olives, which, upon examination] proved to have nearly 50 per cent, of apj parently good kernels. The result ot sowing was however very small, spmd ftve or six per cent, only germinating; nevertheless, enough to prove that thera is a difference in the fertility of the seeds of the Mission olive in different parts of, the State ; although, perhaps, the cause! may lie in difference of variety. There . exists in Southern California at least one j, other variety besides the common Mis-i sion — a variety of more straggling habit, and with larger fruit. It is generally, mixed with the ordinary kind, and not often recognized as being distinct.
The percentage raised from the Euro- pean seeds of six different kinds was
about 15 to 20 per cent. To savt nsid-
erable work in selecting olives for seed, they should be put in pure water; all those that sink at once will be found to have the seed wholly or partly developed.) In Europe the wild olive is much used! for grafting stock ; this species is nearly always fertile, and it would pay any one who desires, to grow olives' on a 'large scale to get a quantity of its seeds.
TIME OK HEARING.
It is argued by many people that the olive requires an excessively long time to come into bearing. In favorable locali- ties this is by no means the case. In the southern part of the State, large olive cuttings commence to bear in the fourth year. Mr. Cooper, of Santa Barbara, reports two gallons of berries on some of his best trees at that ago, and as much as 30 gallons from the best at six years. Mr. Kimbali, of National City,' San Diego, reports similar results. Our own experience at Berkeley, when the sum- mer temperature is very low, must lie termed very encouraging. Two small trees, but a few feet high, brought from
the Missi if San .lose, were planted in
IS7:;, by Mrs. Jeanne Carr. For two
years after .Mis. (air's departure, they wers neglected, but answered very quickly to kind treatment; and after six years from planting produced some fruit, and have produced full crops every two years, steadily increasing. The yield at eight years thus was about 50 pounds ; at 10 years over 100 pounds per tree, while this year each tree averaged 225 f. pounds. In the ofl' years the yield has been about one-quarter as much. Com- pared with warmer localities, where the Mission olive ripens earlier, the yield perhaps looks small, but with varieties better adapted to our cooler climate the result would doubtless be different. As olives are worth four cents a pound the profit would be very good. Judging from what we know about the adapta-- bility of the olive, it would seem that an olive grove would be one of the safest in* vestments all over the State, provided no over-production should take place.
ENEMIES OF THE OUVE.
There are, however, a number of "drawbacks, chief of which are the insect pests. So far, with the exception of twig-borers, the only insect enemy the . olive-grower has had to contend with is the scale, coupled, however, invariably with the black fungus, which it is now pretty well understood feeds upon the viscid excretions of the scale. So severe has the attack of this scale been in the moister parts of the State . that only the most persevering men, led by Mr. Cooper, of Santa Barbara, have suc- ceeded in its suppression.
I do not believe as some do, that the . sole, remedy for this evil is to leave the (•oast and seek localities where owing to the intensely dry air, the olive scale seems to be an impossibility. Other factors governing the condition of the tree, and not often considered now,' will show themselves. It, must be remembered that with the influence of the sea we also lose the more uniform climate which always has been considered of prime importance to the ; olive. But by starting with thoroughly clean trees and keeping them so I think there need be no fear. For the purpose of keeping the trees clean from the first, whaleoil soap dissolved in a decoction of tobacco water, viz., one pound of soap and one-half pound of tobacco per gallon, is to be recommended. It is here that the small green cuttings previously de- scribed are much to be preferred to old cuttings, which nearly always are more or less infested with scales. But the I scale is by no means the only formidable enemy the olive-grower of the Old World has to contend with.
The principal ones to he feared therei are the l)e<-un n/m-, a dipterous insect af- fecting the pulp 'of the fruit; the olive moth, Finea vleela, which like the apple moth feeds on the seed of the olive;' finally, the Psylla, a hemipferous insect. Of these three, the first, Dccna olece, is by far the most destructive. According t:o I'ouchet it destroys in France yearly :>, 000,000 francs worth of olives; and the .other coasts of the Mediterranean do not escape its ravages, li seems to breed all the year round. The fly lays its eggs, one to several, in the pulp of the olive, and the larvie when hatched live on the! pulp next to the pit. It remains here asl chrysalis, and finally leaves the olive a flying insect. Whether it has left the fruit before the harvest, or is crushed with the oil, it is almost equally objec- tionable. This insect is In vtouch? of the (French and marhn, ilel olirn of tin- Italians.
The olive moth works almost like the apple or codlin moth. The eggs are laid while the pit is still young and tender, the larva living on the kernel of the olive until it leaves it a complete moth, caus- ing the fiuit to drop prematurely. This insect does not, however, confine itself to • the fruit alone, but works also on the leaves and bark, causingluberosities and crippling of the leaves. *
The I'ysllaoli'u'is a hemipterous insect, which like the dreaded white cottony scale, covers itself with a white viscid covering, fastening itself on young foliage and fruit.
It iJHinnolrnced that an i t ion of olive trees is to be established in Solano County. The growing of olives and the manufacture of oil have already i beyond the experimental st;ige. In San Diego and Santa Barbara counties, in particular, olives have been grown for several years at a very handsome profit, while the California olive nil is so noted for its excellent quality and freedom from adulteration that retail- ers in New York buy tip all they can of our present product, and one or two have re- cently made large contracts for se.ve, ' years to come. This makes it more difficult for San Francisco grocers to buy enough for their own trade, hence prices both here and in New York are said to be higher than for the best brands of foreign- oil. A leading San Francisco dealer, when asked the rea- son for this demand and the high prices, re- plied, with emphasis: "Because it is known to he pure. Of course it is free from adul- teration."
"We have been sending onr wines and fruits to the East for a long time. They have gradually made their way against foreign rivals, slowly at first, but rapidly of late, until there is no longer any fear that we shall have a surplus which we cannot dis- pose, of. It is so with what olive oil nn>. pickled olives we shii' East. Authorities in such matters declare that both if sent from here in large quantities would immediately overcome the most formidable competition of Europe. If our oil is as fine, relatively, as its admirers claim and the demand for it evidences, and our olives also, then there seems to be no reason why our fruit-grow- ers should not pay more attention to this fruit. At any rate it will do our fruit- growers no harm and cost them nothing to look into the matter a little more closely. It might result very profitably for them.
.
E. Cooper' of Sahita Barbara has an olive grove of 6000 trees which yields him 50,000 bottles of the finest oil ah- .nually, worth $1 a bottle, orJIOOO per
.( ,-/. i / / {£ Jf -Li, l-a^
OLIVE CULTURE.
An Interesting Essay from a Practical •
been invested with a pecuHar interest. Originating in the distant East, where
[tradition locates that earthly paradise, the Garden of Eden, it has remained
jjihere to sustain, satisfy and gladden suc- cessive generations, and also been carried
"by man as something essential to his comfort and pleasure, through all his wanderings and journeys westward, even
v*p our own fair land upon the shores of the western sea. The olive and its product, oil, figure
fmost prominently in the sacred writings.
phe tree is frequently referred to as
A.\ KMBLKM OF BEAUTY,
Whether clothed in its profusion of white flowers In springtime, or in its evergreen foliage in winter. Again it is presented as an emblem of profusion and irladness when its branches are bending with fruit ready for the harvest. By Divine direc- tion olive-wood was used in constructing certain parts of the temple at. Jerusalem, while its oil was made a. constituent part of the offerings of the Mosaic ritual, and was also used in consecrating Hebrew kings and priests to their high offices In the literature of the Eastern empire especially Mythology, we also find the olive frequently mentioned. Sacred to Minerva, it was to the polished Greek of that early day an emblem of peace and chastity. In reading Plutarch's lives of thereat men whose names have been preserved, we find that when the people wished to bestow the highest honor upon their favorite, the investiture was made by publicly placing upon the brow of the candidate a crown wrought of the spravs the fflive. And in the celebrated Olym- pic games, amidst the acclamation of'the multitudes ot spectators, this was l,e-
^[hcat prize with \\ HMHf' r'ory and Bu^Ht war, when ,
V:m'H '',| wished to approach his poW- '•|1ul ' pptnfclit, In -carried aiinlive branch as a token symbol of a peaceful disposi- lioii. When we make
A • I.'ITIOAL STI 1)1 01 Til].; IH.IVE
We find it distinguished for- its great longevity and its wonderful usefulness to ' In respect to longevity it rank- the orange,. although the famous tree in the garden ot the Vatican in Rome is said upon good authority to be a thousand years old. A high degree of reverence is awakened when we see the photographs ot tho>e noted olive trees of Syria and Palestine, still standing as monuments of the dead past, spreading their green. 1'ianches to the summer sun, and invit- ing the weary traveler now, as they did Titus and his Itoimin legions, to rest in their grateful shade.
It is reasonable to suppose that a tree, living on in a healthy condition from age to age, should, under favorable conditions, attain a great size, hence we[ are not surprised to read the statement of travelers giving the measurement of .some of these grand old giants of the I'.ast u mentioned having a di-
ameter of fifteen feet at the ground. Tliisi
I.HKJ^T TENACITY OK LIKE
Permits a treatment which wonld kill an ordinary fruit tree. If its leaves and branches have become infested with smut or insects, tfie er.tire head can be cut laway. leaving only the main stem, which will send. out new branches, forming a new head with renewed fruitfulness. Olive-wood is used extensively in Europe for cabinetwork. At the Cape of Good Hope, on account of its hardness and strength, it is called iron-wood. In China the flowers of the fragrant olive are used for flavoring tea.
THE OI.IVK UKLT OF THE WoKl.li
Is quite extensive. Beginning with its home in Asia it extends westward, in- cluding parts of the northern coast of Africa, Southern Europe, a. part of the .•oast of Australia and the southern coast of California.
Its true home is a semi-tropical cli- mate, and go where you will along this belt you find it within hailing distance of c >ea. From three to ten miles cover- 'g the foothills, and sometimes along the Mediterranean it is planted near the water edge. There are exceptions to this rule; at Damascus it is in a flourishing' condition fifty miles from the sea. The extreme heat of the interior valleys is unfavorable, also a tropical climate with its accompanying heat and dampness. li is also quite as sensitive to cold. Itwill i iot hear well where severe frosts occur, at midwinter, as the leaves and branches are killed when the mercury reaches' fourteen degWles above zero.
In southern Europe, where the condi- aie favorable, olive culture is a piuirked feature of industry among their jilt-use population.
In Italy, Spain and the south part of France eight million acres are devoted to this industry, producing one hundned and sixty million gallons of oil, besides a large amount of olives in barrels for ex- port. This business in southern France is considered very lucrative. The well- to-do farmer makes oil or prepares the i'rnit for domestic or foreign market, 'while in many parts of Spain and Italy poor are largely dependent upon their olive trees for their support. When' coin |» ''led to sell their homesteads, when- ever it is possible, they reserve their olive trees.
.•Court of this belt on the Mediterra- nean, between Genoa and Naples, we can duplicate on this coast from Point Conception to San Diego. Our sea breeze .is much stronger, carrying its vitalizing power farther inland, penetrating the •nearest valleys— as at San Fernando — :. nd thus making the area of cultivation much more extensive. We cannot of e, now. u'ive a definite estimate of mie area of this belt on the Pacific coast i \\hert! olive culture will give profitable
Wit We leel sure, judging Irom
f results of the work done at Santa •bura, San Diego, San Fernando, and n what we have done here and at | other points, that we have heie a true "olive belt, side by side with that devoted jto the orange, the raisin and the fig.
Now, if the conditions here are favor- fable to success, and we know the amount 'jof imports in fruit and oil, have we not the motives for extension in doing some thing for ourselves, and in providing the means to save the large amount of money gent to southern Europe for these pro- ducts?
Many of our own producers thought we could never compete successfully with •he Mediterranean oranges in the mar- kets of our Eastern cities, but that fallacy bas been destroyed by our shipment's this year, through the Orange Growers' Union. It has been demonstrated that
THK HEST KIND OF OUVK Oil,
Can be produced here, bring a price in market highly satisfactory to the pro- lucer, and when the plantations are large inough it can be made in abundance to supply the demand in the market of our' whole country.
But again it is said we can not cure olives to supply the demand in market when brought in competition with those "rom abroad. Our answer is, we have made a good beginning and we can im- irove, as we have in the process of cur-: ng raisins.
There are men still living, who looked in with incredulity, when the first efforts n the raisin industry were made in Kiver- side ; but who will go to-day through the lextensive factories there, and not be conr vineed of the ability of the people to cuM raisins. So it will be in curing olives^it can be done, and well done too, by the producer who will work carefully and in- telligently until he masters his business. T^his work can also be done by co-opera- tion in factories, where skilled labor is employed. I have been requested to give
SOME PRACTICAL DETAILS,
.ccording to my own observation and ex*4 crienee. My iirst effort in olive culture •as made in 1876, when I planted twenty rell-rooted cuttings of the Mission va- iety, giving them all necessary care and ttention they made a very rapid growth, nd in 188-1, gave the first full crop of ruit. Selecting two of the largest and nest trees, kept a careful account of the erries and when all were taken from the rees in February, I found the amount to e seventy-five gallons. These olives after being prepared for the table were etailed by two of our merchants in Po- mona for seventy-live dollars. I sold my crop in this way by the barrel, for sev- enty-five cents per gallon. For three or four years previous to 1884, I had been making experiments and reading every- thing I could find, explaining or giving direction in the curing process. Being thus prepared, when the full crop came 1 was able to handle it without loss, and put it upon the market at a very satisfac- tory price. This curing process is effect- ed with alkali, water and salt. A thor- ough knowledge can only be obtained by working with a person who has mastered his business.
The same trees which bore so heavily in 1884are now bending under the weight of fruit, requiring numerous supports to keep the limbs from breaking. I have been oll'ered
KK.IITY CENTS A GALLON
For all that I can prepare for market. Mr. K. T. Palmer, of Pomona, in connec- tion with his preserving and crystallizing business, bottles the olives and sends them to the large cities on this coast and alsojjnto the Territories Kast.
My trees are planted upon gravelly mesa mnd, and did not require water un- til they bore a full crop, and very little then, applied when the crop began to ' jcolor. Be it well understood that they have a good soil and thorough cultivation.
Irrigation required by the orange would prove highly injurious to the olive. It does
Hot do well = ir:ldeil, HI fTTP lea-l b\- other'
;rees, and as we know it lives for centur- ies and attains a great size, we should jive it ample room for expansion, I should say from thirty-three to forty feet apart would be a proper distance on rich hill sides, found along the base of the moun- tains from Pasadena to San Bernardino. The olive will find a congenial home and in return for .care and attention will bless the husbandmen in "basket and in [store."
So far the Mission olive holds its own for making oil and also for pickling. The Franciscan Fathers knew what they were about when selecting this variety from all those in cultivation in Spain. Itwill be a difficult matter for us to improve upon their choice for oil or pickles. My neighbor, Mr. E. E. White, has thirty varieties growing in his nursery ; only one has yielded fruit up to this date. We shall watch the fruiting of these trees with great interest. The tree bearing fruit this year came to Mr. White labeled "Picholine," or Oleo, Oblonga. I am quite sure it is a misnomer, as it answers jfully the catalogue description of the »l,-n \Subtratunda, being very small, perfectly, 'round, and intensely bitter, ripening itsT fruit now October 15th, while the Mis-} sion is still green, showing no sign oft color. If thie tree bearing this small fruit is sold by our nurserymen for the Picholine, it will result in great disap- . pointment, as it is entirely too small for pickling. It is used in France for oil.
Our nurserymen are charging from twenty-five cents to one dollar a tree, according to size, age and variety ; plant- ing thirty-three feet apart, forty trees to each acre would be required.
If desired, I will give, in a succeeding number of the RURAL, directions for pre- paring olives for domestic use according to the Spanish method, discharging the bitterness by water alone.
And now-, Mr. Editor, in concluding this letter, I will only add that my high- est wishes will be gratified if anything has been written that will awaken thought and interest in this matter of olive . culture. Strangers are coining among us to make new homes, and a word in season will sometimes help ma- terially in directing attention to the new forms of industry peculiar to this coast. C. F. LOOP.
An IiUorowtifis: K««ay froum. Prao«i«-a: Man. ! J-
iKural California!!.
[ From the earliest days the olive has
been invested with a peculiar interest.
Originating in the distant East, where, tradition locales that earthly paradise, the Garden of Eden, it has remained ,here to sustain, satisfy and gladden suc- •essive generations, and also been carried iy man as something essential to his :omfort 'and pleasure, through all his wanderings and journeys westward, even to our own fair land upon the shores of the western sea. (&
I The olive and its product, oil, figure most prominently in the sacred writings. The tree is frequently referred to as
AN KMIILEJIOF HB.UTY,
Whether clothed in its profusion of white flowers in springtime, or in its evergreen foliage in winter. Again is it presented as an emblem of profusion and gladness when its branches are bending with fruit • ready for the harvest. By Divine direc- tion olive-wood was used in constructing [certain parts of the temple at Jerusalem, 'while its. oil was made a. constituent part ! of the offerings of the Mosaic ritual, and was also used in consecrating II kings and priests to their high ollices. In the literature of the Eastern empire, especially Mythology, we also find the olive frequently mentioned. Sacred to Minerva, it was to the polished Greek of •that early day an emblem of peace and
chastity. In reading Plutarch's lives oi the great men whose names have been preserved, we find that when the people wished to bestow the highest honor upon, their favorite, the investiture was mad- by publicly placing upon the brows of the candidate a crown wrought of the sprays of the olive. And in the celebrated Olym- pic games, amidst the acclamation of the multitudes of spectators, this was be- stowed as the highest prize with which to crown the victor with glory and rever- ence. And in time of war, when the vanquished wished to approach his pow- erful opponent, he carried an olive branch as a token symbol of a peaceful disposi- tion. When we make
A CRITICAL STUDY OK THE OLIVE
We find it distinguished for its great longevity and its wonderful usefulness to men. In respect to longevity it ranks the orange, although the famous tree in the garden of the Vatican in Home is said, upon good authority to be a thousand years old. A high degree of reverence is awakened when we see the photographs of those noted olive trees of Syria and Palestine, still standing as monuments of the dead past, spreading their green branches to the summer sun, 'and invit- ing the weary traveler now, as they did Titus and his Koman legions, to rest in their grateful shade.
It is reasonable to suppose that a tree, living on in healthy condition from age to age, should, under favorable conditions, attain a great size, hence we are not surprised to read the statement of travelers giving the measurement of some of these grand old giants of the Fast . Some are mentioned having a di- .ameterof fifteen feet at the ground. This
GREAT TENACITY OF LIFE
Permits a treatment which would kill an ordinary fruit tree. If its leaves and branches have become infested with smut or insects, the entire head can be cut away, leaving only the main stem, which will send out new branches, forming a new head with renewed fruitfulness. Olive-wood is used extensively in Europe for cabinet work. At the Cape of Good Hope, on account of its hardness and i strength, it is called iron-wood. In China ;the flowers of the fragrant olive are used ifor flavoring tea.
Till-: OLIVE KELT OF THE WORLD
Is quite extensive. Ki-^iniiiiig with its home in Asia it extends westward, in- cluding parts of the northern coast of •Africa, Southern Europe, a part of the'
• coast of Australia and the southern coast of California.
• Its true home is a seuii-tropicai cli- mate, and go where you will along this belt you find it within hailing iV; lance of the sea. From three to ton miles cover- ing the foothills, and sometimes along the Mediterranean it is planted near th water edge. There are exceptions to this rule; at Damascus it is in a flourishing •conditions fifty miles from the sea. Tho extreme }-catof the interior valleys ia unfavorable, also a tropical climate with i's accompanying heat and dampness. It is also quite as sensitive to cold. It willi
.not bear well where severe frosts occur' at midwinter, as the leaves and brandies are killed when the mercury reaches fourteen degrees above zero.
in southern Europe, where the condi- tions are favorable, olive culture is a
marked feature oi industry among their dense population.
In Italy, Spain and the south part of France eight million acres are devoted to this industry, producing one hundred and sixty milion gallons of oil, besides a large amount of olives in barrels for ex- port. This business in southern France is considered very lucrative. The well- to-do farmer makes oil or prepares the fruit for domestic or foreign market, while in many parts if Spain and Italy the poor are lagely dependent upon their olive trees for their support. When compelled to sell their homesteads, when- ever it is possible, they reserve their olive trees.
A part of this belt on the Mediterra- nean, beteen Genoa and Naples, we can duplicate on this coast from Point Conception to San Diego. Our sea breeze is much stronger, carrying its vitalizing power farther inland, penetrating the nearest valleys— as at San Fernando- arid thus making the area of cultivation much more extensive. We cannot of course, now, give a definite estimate of the area of this belt on the Pacific coast where olive culture will give profitable returns, but we feel sure, judging from the results of the work done at Santa Barbara, San Diego, San Fernando, and from what we have done here and at other points, that we have here a true olive belt, side by side with that devoted to the orange, the rasia and the fig.
Now, if the conditions here are favor- able to success, and we know the amount of imports in fruit and oil, have we not ithe motives for extension in doing some- thing for ourselves, and in providing the means to save the largj amount of money sent to southern Europe for these prc* ducts ?
1 1 iVno^ynCr^>r^oyT!Veryt'Mn*aii -o woman, who is the oWiier of land, miri or less, to plant the Oriental olive. Th< .olive grows freely anywhere in (lie !Sac ramento valley and foothills, iiutMhis planting has already ceased to be an ex- periment. Tin; olive is now grown in hundreds of i'anners and amateurs, and it has been demonstrated to a certabiU that an acre of olives will net the growei more dollars per acre than any other fruit in this State. The oil commands a com- mercial demand at a high figure. It is neither bulky or perishable like peaches, pears, grapes and oranges. The trans- portation on $1,000 worth of oil is tri- fling in comparison with other fruits. Pickled olives are also . heaply marketed, imperishable, and pay well for pickling. It is no more work to put up olives than small cucumbers, am} in the jar they command a very remunerative price. , The olive being an evergreen, it is not only useful and profitable but ornamen- tal. There are a number of olive trees growing thriftily in this city which j|^M planted purely for ornamental purpoJH Those trees demonstrate the fact that they will grow hereabouts, and bear heavily. It grows with a shapely top and its green foliage renders it sightly and attractive. If its culture was en- tered into largely it would furnish to the laboring masses, as it does in Kurope, a healthy substitute for both butter and meat. : i;, (he poorest rocky
aio*
tr^P
soil, and with lens cave and cultivatio
almost any other nut or I'r.iit tr. It >-rows as r"adily from cutJRfes as the iiu'. and the first cost of tre.« in there- fore nominal, When hearing the . •
i
fjf f ' +^xant« Mariu
. V.a were shown yesterday a sample ot olivas from Mr. Selbi's orchard, near the Mission of Santa Vines, that would be hard to beat in any country. The orchard is only tlirne yeara old, yet it ie bearing a good crop. "lr. «. W. Lewis brought ns the frnit and he enye that A. M. Boyd has i tine one-year-old orchard of epvoral thousand trees all growing well, »nd will plant <>nt forty acres more the coming season. Mr. D'ljrb<m wii also put ont twenty acres to this fri. season near the town of Ballarde. ' -•'/ '
Itiverside Orange
p.
'ohnson paid $8000 for a forty-acre tract if land which was planted to orchard, /ineyard and alfalfa. On his place are 1500 Muscat vines, some of which wen jlanted after he bought the place. They, yielded 1650 boxes of raisins this year ' ind 1200 boxes last year. He has an orange orchard in partial bearing o) , fifteen acres, we believe. He has been offered $8000 for his crop this season— the same amount that he IWid for his whole. place six years ago. fo / f.
A. J. Twogood last sffring sold bis- home place to Mr. Hewittson for the sum of $27,000. A portion of the place was planted to orange trees, but some of them were not yet in bearing, and an- other was only in light bearing. About six acres, we believe, were what might be considered in good bearing, and now the owner expects' to take $10,000 for his orange crop on the trees. He has been offered $8)00, but declines the offer. Thus, in six month's time he g«ts back one-third of his purchase price from a single crop, and has his place left ready to grow and increase in value and get ready to come into full bearing.
Again we ask, what are , orchards worth in Kiverside ? — Riverside Press.
OLIVE CULTURE.
, An Exceedingly Promising Branch of Horticulture.
Kspeclally Adapted to the San Joaquln Valley — Already Extensively In- troduced In Tulare County.
7^^-^-Js^
"An olive plantation," says an old Italian proverb, "is a gold mine on the surface of the earth." For centuries it has been an important product ofGreece, Italy, France, Spain and the Islands of the Mediterranean, and the extent to which it is grown will probably be a cause of surprise to those who have given little thought to the matter. In Italy aloue, which has a total area of 114,000 square miles, considerably loss than Calfornia, not less than 2,225,000 acres are devoted to the cultivation of the olive. An inferior variety of the" fruit was first planted along the coast of California by the Spanish padres who established the mission settlements to- ward the close of the last century or early part of the present. They were never '' -..ed ia large numbers in any place but v.ere found to grow admirably and bear Well, and their cultivation was found to be <fMte profitable in later years. The Mission olive is a good on,
ird year in the orchard » siimle tree been known to bear 1000 olives, Iml ni.s is far above the average. At live of age they become quite profit- able, and when seven years old and ever after yield abundantly. They are long lived and grow to immense size. In Italy there are olive trees said to be one thousand years old.
PLAOTING.
When first planted about one hundred trees are set out on each acre, and it necessary in after years they can be thinned out. The wood is durable and highly prized. On stony hill land they are planted farther apart; and when planted in consociation with grape vines — that the land may be made pro- ductive before the trees come into bear- ing— they are set sixty to seventy feet apart, witu rows of grape vines between. As the trees increase in size the vines are removed. In California the average number per aere is about one hundred. The fruit is gathered usually from No- vember to January, or later. When pickled whole they are divided into different grades, and will average seventy-five cents per gallon in value, and are usually put up in barrels. The best are worth $1.25 per gallon. If made into oil the olives are crushed thoroughly and pressed. Water is then added, when they are again pressed b.nd a second quality made. They are pressed a third time making a third •jiiality, and a fourth grade is also made. In Italy the residue is pressed into bricks and used for fuel, but in California this ps unnecessary. The oil is worth about. $5 per gallon, and the receipts from a California olive grove reach as high as $2,000 per acre. But with a yield of 200 gallons to the acre (which is a small amount) valued at $5 per gallon, the returns from each acre would amount to $1000. In Italy occasional cold years blast the crop and in some instances df- stroy tfie trees, but in California loss from this source would be unknown. In the interior of California they should also be free from the ravages of insect pests or diseases. And when attacked the trees may be cut back to the stump, from which will shoot a new and healthy growth. In France it is calculated that about 1,250 gallons may be produced each year from an acre. In California, with a more even climate and more fer- til soil the yield should be much larger. There is no likelihood of over pro- luction, for there is a comparatively imited portion of the world adapted to the cultivation of the olive, the demand for which is increasing constantly. The olive crop of Prance is worth $100,000,000 annually. The United States imports "rom Europe 500,000 gallons yearly, which is paid a duty of $600,000.
,k of the methods of cultiva- preparing the fruit for the market, making the oil, the expense and profits, :etc., will not be attempted in the present article, but the DELTA will have more to say concerning the olive in future issues, for some day, certainly, this valuable and beautiful tree will be largely grown in California, and should he in Tularc count v.
TU
America's
Ancient Fruit. Now Onr of _ t?£$c Orc'iit Products.
New York Mall and Kxpress. From ancient witlings, Including the Hoi I Scriptures, it can be ascertained that the olive j Is one of the oldest known fruits. The Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem, Is famous In history. Long befoie butler was known olive oil was' i used in the preparation of food. I.aree qnantM ties of the oil have from tinr; to time been 1m-' , ported here fiom the shores of the Mediterranean. f.Sea, whence most of the product has been ob- t tained. The climate of California, not being un- ; like that o! the Mediterranean, was considered suitable for the growth of the olive, and an ex- periment was made which has proved success-; | fui. The tree itself is pretty and «rnamental. In springtime It is covered with a profusion ot while (lowers, and in the winter it has an ever- green foliage. When ready for the harvest it is so prolific that the branches bend under the , weigh tof the fruit. Olive wood is also beautiful, and was chosen as uarts of the ornamentation ot the spacious and magnificent .Solomon's tem- ple. The oil is considered by many as something sacred. As such It is used in consecrations and coronations. The ancients used the xpiay ot olive leaves to crown their great men, as It was believed to he an emblem ot purity and peace. It was considered the highest honor to be crowned witli olive leaves. In time of war an olive bianch borne in the hand was a token of peace, and is even now spoken of as such.
The olive tree llvesfor along time. Some ot the trees on the Mount of Olives, in Jiulea, are said to be fifteen feet indlamater and over two thousand years old, while that in the Vatican at Rome has a record of over a thousand years. The olive Is very hardy aud will euduio treat- ment which would kill other trees. If infected with insects the entire head can be cut off and thrown away, while the tro.nk will sprout attain with renewed vigor. In Southern California it has prospered beyond expectation. Being sen- sitive to excessive heat or cold. Its home is In the semi-tropical bell, represented by tlie I'acilic Slope of tho United States. It prospers best near thesea, but can be cultivated a short distance Inland. With ordinary culture the olive in Europe will produce over twenty gallons of oil per acre, besides allowing a large quantity ot the fruit to be used for eating. Although yet In its infancy in tills country, experts have said that the oil produced In California is equal 10 any which has been Imported. Growers say the California coast from Toint Conception to San Diego, is equal to that between Geneva aud Naples for tlie production of olives. The ira- I portatlons amount to a large sum annually, aud if the best olive oil can, as is claimed, be pro- duceiUiere and in sufficient quantities, that pro-; duct 9>1 form another addition to the wealth of j the Uryted States. So far as the curing of the: fruit is concerned, expeiience is likely to teach the proper treatment, as it has with the raisin crop. The cuttings of two trees planted in 1876 yielded well in 1884— the ordinary time required for bearing being ten years. The crop of these two trees was then seventy-live gallons of fruit, which sold readily at. Jl per gallon after being prepared for the table. When taken from the tree grower realized seventy-live cents per gal- k Ion. The same trees were loaded down with fruit this season, and in February will produce a large crop that can be readily sold at the place of growth at eighty-live cents per gallon. I he trees are placed upon hillsides, about inlriy-flve or forty feet apart, to allow tor expansion, as they will live and produce for ceutuiies. An acre of ground will hold about forty trees. The small fruit is used for oil, while the large or queen olive Is pic % led for eating.
Olive tiees can be planted on rocky lauds where the Vine would fall, and the cost of plant- ing the former is about cue-third of the latter. The crops are more easily gathered than graues, while the outfit for preparing olive oil Is about one-tenth of that necessary to produce wine. TJie insect pests can be fought much easier and , with less cost than the phylloxera or other . enemies of the vine. Being so prolific It becomes . sooner profitable to the grower, and each year ] after bearing the olive tree produces a good crop until it icaches its [nil development, when it pays a much larger revenue than a vineyard, bcai ing a crop ot from Unity to forty gallons of fruit per tree. The olive oil is also not so .much affected as the vine by drought. I'roirf the, experiments already made and nicli i-muiis it is believed that the American olive groves will in a few years become successtul rivals to those
of tlie Mediterranean. _,
^^ San Fernando Olives./ •
,y^ f-Xos Angeles Herald. '/t^/jQ \ To a lover of the ancient, historical™ most u-eiul tree, the olive, the syinbi-1 • that the earth was tillable by the chil- dren of men: and has shown by its persistence of life that it meant to stay and demonstrate the truthpf thepro;io- sition contained in the rainbow, by laughing at the centuries as they pass, a sight of the sturdy olive trees oi Fernando, that have faced the s of 100 years andareoow more 1 with fruit than was ever before \vit- 'nessed in California, is peculiarly ex- hilarating and instructive.
All around the ancient inclosure built by the Franciscan Fathers n cen- tury ago stand the olive trees whi'-h they planted with reverent hands bc- , fore the Constiution of the I
was adopted. Like that Const*
tution, they have borno fruit only t'oi
the good of mankind, and to-day art
fully bending bcne:itli r, Imd o'
nutritious fruit Tor the benefit of the
r the old trees of the San Fen. Mission, owing to a legal, r tnl.
ahout the land on which were neglected for about ten years am tef unprvmed, while the land was lef untiled Still the grand old trees mam tained their living, but with limit*
fr Abont throe vrars ngo, when the tiU, was settled. l>. Cazanave took charfre d the grounds and plowed them thor
loi?^wK^re« s^^/Ssnir'issss:
i' fi
ing branches of these anc-ient .trees the ^fruit is now bronzing under the sunny skv of San Fernando, and next month will furnish 10,000 gallons of olives for oil or pickles, as may bo desired by the owner. *v.«
; Mr Cazanave is now building on th new San Fernando colony grounds the largest olive oil factory in the State, so that he can use uj) all the olives grown in Southern California. The right of these ancient trees with their rewaru.ng, frulbshould be an incentive to others topnint this kind of fruit on the warm high mesas where scalebugs never come and the crops never- fail, and the tree outranks Methuseleh and bears fruu for a thoi^and y<
ILIVK ('! I/1TKF,
Exceeding'ly Promising Branch of Horticulture.
-
Eepecinlly Adapted to the Sari1 Joaqulii Valley — Already Extensively In- troduced In Tulare County.
&-- • fa
"An olive plantation,' says an old Italian proverb, "is a gold mine on the surface of the earth." For centuries it, has been an important product of Greece, Italv, France, Spain and the Islands of thn Mediterranean, and the extent to which it is grown will probably be a cause of surprise to those who havq «iven little thought to the matter. Iij Italy alone, which has a total area«ol 114,000 square miles, considerably less than Calfornia, not leas than 2,225,OOC acres are devoted to the cultivation ol the olive. An :->feriqr variety of the fruit was first planted along the coast ol California by the Spanish padres whr
iished the mission aettlemente to^ w:\rcl the close of the last century or parly part of the present. • They were never planted in large numbers in any place but were found to grow' admirably and bear well, and their cultivation was found to be quite profitable in later
-. The Mission olhe is a good one on which to graft better varieties, of which there are many, but should not be planted with any other object in view. In some nurseries in the southern part of the State are more than thirty varieties, most of which are preferable to the Mission. During the past twenty years, and more particularly during the last ten, the cultivation of this fruit has received considerable attention from ex- perienced and intelligent horticulturists, and is now developing into an impor-, tant industry. The few groves that are : hearing are proving themselves more profitable than any other kind of fruit, »nd there is no dottbt that ere many years the olive will figure as one of the
important products of California.
Ali/THI) TO 'flllO TSTTERTOK.
!•' The character of the tree, meihods of cultivation and of preparing tile fruii for market, are little understood, and many erroneous ideas .regarding it pre- vail. For instance, it is t night by many that it will not thrive- when far removed from the sea coast. It does not in the countries pf southern Europe, where it is mainly grown, because the valley or hill lands between the sea shore and the mountains in those countries occupy a narrow belt, and the mountains rise peroipitously height where the cold of winter , great for them to live. In California the topographical peculiarities and mildness of climate make it possible to grow these trees much farther from the sea and at a greater altitude than in Europe. During a long term of years these trees have been grown as ornaments in many counties-.of this State, and seem to grow to perfection in the mountains surrounding the upper Sacramento valley, from the iruit of| which an excellent quality of oil has been produced. They are growing to-day in nearly every county of cen-^ ral and southern California, and those who have had experience with them are preparing to engage more largely in their cultivation. They were first planted in the San Joaqnin valley about fifteen years ago, and began to bear at an early "age ; and it may not be k'nown to many readers of the DELTA that there are more of these trees grow- ing in Tulare than in any other of the counties in or bordering upon the valley of the San .Toaquin, yet such is the case. ''They have been tried in the prairie lands and in the foothills, and the suc- cess met with in their cultivation in both is such as to encourage oar oreh-j ardists to plant then, more largely, for| have many things to recommend i hem. They will grow on stony foothill [lands, too sterile to produce any othei fruit tree, or crop of any kind, but will, of course, yield more on better land. The current idea thit one must live n lifetime to gather the first crop from a newly-planted orchard, is erroneous. The seeds are slow to germinate, and the young trees require close attention for two or three years before they are !it in their places in the orchard, and in Italy it was sometimes forty or fifty years before the trees came into full bearing. lu California they are propa- gated from cuttings, and as early as tin third year in the orchard a single tree has been known to bear 1000 olives, but this is far above the average. At five years of age they "become quite profit- able, and when seven years old and ever after yield abundantly. They arc- long lived and grow to immense size. In Italy there are olive trees said one' thousand years old.
J'J.AXTIXi;.
When first planted about one hundred are Wt out on each acre, and ii". necessary in after years they can be thinned out. The wood is durable and ily prized. On stony hill land they planted farther apart; and when planted in consociation with ,urapc
viuls— that the laud ma.> be made pro- ductive before the trees come into bear- ing—they are s& sixty to ,|,art, witli rows of grape vinos bet-' Vs tl,, -rease in si/.e the vine?.
are-removed. In California the aveiage t aere is about one hundred. •ihered usually from X<>- ntiary, or later. When pickled whole they are divided into different grades, and will,, average .-eventy-five cents per gallon in value, and are usually put up in barrels. The best are worth -41.25 per gallon. It made into oil the olives are crushed •oughly and pressed. Water Kdded, when they are again nn - and a second quality made. They are pressed a third time making a thin I quality, and a fourth grade is also made In Italy the residue is pressed into brick and used for fuel, but in California thi is unnecessary. The oil is worth aboti $5 per gallon, and the receipts froiv : California olive grove reach as high a $2,000 per acre. But with a yield o 200 gallons to the acre (which is a sinal a mount) valued at $5 per gallon, th returns from each acre would amonn to $1000. In Italy occasional cold year* blast the crop and in some instances de stroy the trees, but in California from this source would be unknown. 1 the interior of California they shou also be free from the ravages of n pests or diseases. And when ntla the trees may be cut back to the stump from which will shoot a new and healtb> growth. In France it is calculated tha aboqt 1,250 gallons may be produce! each year from an acre. In California with a more even climate and more fer til soil the yield should be much larger There is no likelihood of over pro duction, for there is a comparative! limited portion of the world adapted t the cultivation of the olive, the demam for which is increasing constantly. Th olive crop of France is worth $100,000,000. annually. The United States import from Europe 500,000 gallons yearly on which is paid a duty of $600,000.
To speak of the methods of cultiva tion, preparing the fruit for the market making the oil, the expense and profits etc., will not be attempted in thepresen article, but the DELTA will have moie u say concerning the olive in future issuei for some day, certainly, this valuabl and beautiful tree will be largely growi in California, and should be in '! county.
OLIVE CULTURE.
Interesting Essay by Rev. C. F. Loop, Pomona.
WHAT AN EYE-WITNESS SAW
In Italy and France — Statistics of
the Industry In These
Countries.
From the earliest days the olive has nt?£ m™ste.d ^Jth * Peculiar interest. Originating in the distant East, where tradition locates that earthly paradise, the Garden of Eden, it has remained there to sustain, satisfy and gladden successive generations, and also been carried by man
as 80m»thin<r Monntial to his CO11
pleasure, through all his wanderings ana journeys westward, to even our own fair land upon the shores of ^e western sea. The olive and its pro- '-ict, oil, figure most prominently In the sacred writings. The tree is frequently referred to as/
AN EMBLEM OF BEAUTl'J/^^W/
Whether clothed in its profusion of Vv-h«e flowers in springtime, or in its evergreen foliage in winter. Again it is presented as an emblem of profusion and gladness when its branches are bending with fruit ready for the harvest. By Divine direc- tion olive-wood was used in constructing certain parts of the temple at Jerusalem, while its oil was made a constituent part of the offerings of the Mosaic ritual, and was also used in consecrating Hebrew kings and priests to their high offices. In the literature of the Eastern empire, c >ecially Mythology, we also find the f 16 frequently mentioned. Sacred tc Minerva, it was to the polished Greek ol that early day an emblem of peace and chastity. In reading Plutarch's lives ol the great men whose names have been preserved, we find that when the people wished to bestow the highest honor upon their favorite, the investiture was made by publicly placing upon the brow of the candidate a crown wrouf,nt of the sprays of the olive. And ill the celebrated Olympic games, amidst the acclamation of the multitudes of spectators, this was bestowed as the highest prize with which to crown the victor with glory and rev- erence. And in time of war, when the vanquished wished to approach his powerful opponent, he carried an olive branch as a token symbol of a peaceful disposition. When we make
A CRITICAL STUDY OP THE OLIVK
We find it distinguished for its great long- evity and its wonderful usefulness to men. In respect to longevity it ranks with the orange, although the famous tree in the garden of the Vatican in Rome is said, upon good authority, to be a thousand years old. A high degree of reverence is awakened when we see the photographs of those noted olive trees of Syria and Palestine, still standing as monuments of Ihe dead past, spreading their green branches to the summer sun, and invit- ing the weary traveler now, as they did Titus and his Roman legions, to rest in their grateful shade.
It is reasonable to suppose that a tree, living on in a healthy condition from age to age, should, under favorable conditions, attain a great size, hence we are not sur- prised to read the statement of travelers giving the measurement of some of these grand old giants of the East. Some are mentioned as having a diameter of fifteen feet at the ground. This
GREAT TENACITY OF I/IFE
Permits a treatment which would kill an ordinary fruit tree. If its leaves and branches have become infested with smut or insects, the entire head can be cut away, leaving only the main stem, which will send out new branches, forming a new head with renewed fruitfulness. Olive- wood is used extensively in Europe for cabinet work. At the Cape of Good Hope, on account of its hardness and strength, it is called iron-wood. In China the flowers of the fragrant olive are used for flavoring tea.
THE OLIVE BELT OF THE WORLD
Is quite extensive. Beginning with its home in Asia it extends westward, Includ- ing parts of the northern coast of Africa, Southern Europe, a part of the coast of Australia and the southern coast of Cali- fornia.
Its true home is a semi-tropical climate, and go where you will along this belt you find it within nailing distance of the sea. From three to ten miles covering the foot- hills, and sometimes along the Mediter- ranean Sea it is planted near the water edge. There are exceptions to this rule; at Damascus it is in a flourishing condition fifty miles from the sea. The extreme heat of the interior valleys is unfavorable, also a tropical climate with its accompa- nying heat and dampness. It is also quite as sensitive to cold. It will not bear well where severe frosts occur at midwinter, as the leaves and branches are killed when the mercury reaches fourteen degrees above zero.
In southern Europe, where the condi- tions are favorable, olive culture is a marked feature of industry among their dense population.
In Italy, Spain and the southern part of France eight million acres are devoted to this industry, prodrtcinp: one hundred
and sixty million gallons or OTrueBuJcH a large amount of olives in barrels for ex- port.. This business in southern France is considered very lucretive. The well-to- do farmer makes oil or prepares the fruit for domestic or foreign market, while in many parts of Spain and Italy the poor are largely dependent upon their olive trees fc their support. When compelled to sell their homesteads, whenever it is possible,'they reserve their olive trees.
A part of this belt on the Mediterranean, between Genoa and Naples, we can dupli- cate on this coast from Point Conception to Shm Diego, Our sea breeze ia inunb
stronger, carrying its vitalizing power farther inland, penetrating the nearest valleys — as at San Fernando — and thus making the area of cultivation much more extensive. We cannot of course, now, give a definate estimate of the area of this Belt on the Pacific coast, where olive cul- ture will give profitable returns, but we feel sure, judging from the results of the work done at Santa Barbara, San Diego, San Fernando, and from what we have done here and at other points, that we have here a true olive belt, side by side with that devoted to the orange, the raisin and the fig.
Now, If the conditions here are favor* able to success, and we know the amount of imports in fruit and oil, have we not the motives for extension in doing some- thing for ourselves, and in providing the means to save the large amount of money sent to Southern Europe for these pro- ducts?
Many of our own producers thought we could never compete successfully with the Mediterranean oranges in the markets of our eastern cities, but that fallacy has been destroyed by our shipments this year, through the Orange Growers' Union. It has been demonstrated that
THE BEST KIND OF OLIVE OIL
Can be produced here, bring a price in market highly satisfactory to the the pro- ducer, and when the plantations are large enough it can be made in abundance to supply the demand in the market of our whole country.
But again it is said we can not cure olives to supply the demand in market when brought in competition with those from abroad. Our answer is, we have made a good beginning and we can im- prove, as we have in the process of cur- ing raisins.
There are men still living, who looked on with Incredulity, when the first efforts in raisin industry were made in River- side; but who will go today through the extensive factories there, and not be con- vinced of the ability of the people to cure raisins? So it will be in curing olives, it can be done, and well done too, by the producer who will work carefully and in- telligently until he masters his business. This work can also be done by co-opera- tion in factories, where skilled labor is employed.
I have been requested to give
SOME PRACTICAL DETAILS,
According to my own observation and experience. My first ett'ort in olive cult- was made in 187G, when I planted twenty well-rooted cuttings of the Mission varie- ty, giving them all necessary care and at- tention; they made a very rapid growtl and in 1884 gave the first full crop o fruit. Selecting two of the largest anc finest trees in February, I found th< amount to be seventy-five gallons. Thes( olives after being prepared for the tablt were retailed by two of our merchants it Pomona, for seventy-five dollars. I sole my crop in this way by the barrel, foi seventy-five cents per gallon. For three or four years previous to 1884, 1 had been making experiments and reading every- thing I could find, explaining and giving directipns in the curing process. Being thus prepared, when the full crop came, I was able to handle it without loss, and put it upon tho market at a very satisfac- tory price. This curing process is effected with alkali, water and salt. A thorough knowledge can only be obtained by work- ing with a person who has mastered his business.
The trees which bore so heavily in 1884, are now bending under the weight of fruit, requiring numerous supports to keep the limbs from breaking. I have been offered
EIGHTY CENTS A GALLON'
iFor all that I can prepare for market. Mr. E. T. rainier, of JPomona, in con- nection with his preserving and crystal- izing business, bottles the olives and sends them to the large cities <jn this coast and
also rnto the t -
! !•<-•<-< are planted upon gravelly mesa land, and did not require water un- Jl they bore a full crop, and very little then, applied when the crop began to color. lie it well understood that they havo soil and thorough cultivation.
Irrigation required by the orange would prove highly injurious to the olive. It does not do well shaded in the least, by other trees, as we know it lives for centu- ries and attains a great size, we should give it ample ?oom for expansion, I should say thirty-tkj Je to forty feet apart would be a prope:- distance on rich hillsides, found alont .he base of mountains from 1 asadena ti. San Bernardino. The olive will find a congenial home, and in return for care and attention will bless the hus- bandman in "basket and in store."
So far the Mission olive holds its own for making oil and also for pickling. The Franciscan Fathers knew what they were about when selecting this variety from all those in cultivation in Spain. It will be a difficult matter for us to improve upon their choice for oil or pickles. My neigh- bor, Mr. E. E. White, has thirty varieties growing in his nursery; only one has yielded fruit up to this date. We shall watch the fruiting of these trees with great interest. The tree bearing fruit this year came to Mr. White labeled "Picho- line,"or Oleo. Oblonga. I am quite sure it is a misnomer, as it answers fully the cata- logue description of the Olea ISubtratuncta, being very small, perfectly round and in- tensely bitter, ripening its fruit now Octo- ber 15th, while the Mission is still green, showing no sign of color. If this tree bearing this small fruit is spld by our nurserymen for the Picholine, it will re- sult in great disappointment, as it is en- tirely too small for pickling". It is used in France for oil.
Our nurserymen are charging from twenty-five cents to one dollar a tree, ac- cording to size, age and variety; planting thirty-three feet apart, forty trees to each acre would be required.
If desired, I will give, in a succeeding number of the Mural, directions for pre- paring olives for domestic use according to the Spanish method, discharging the bitternes* by water alone.
And now, Mr. Editor, in concluding this letter, I only add that my highest wishes will be gratified if anything has been written that will awaken thought and interest in this matter of olive cult- ure. Strangers are coming among us to make new homes, and a word in season will sometimes help materially in direct- ing attention to the new forms of indus- try peculiar to this coast.— O. L. Lo< < the Rural Cali/ornian.
POMONA-«ftt- IB- !«««- •••••^^^
A PROFITABLE OLIVE OR-
IN a recent visit to Ellwood, Mr. Cooper's farm, twelves miles west jpf Santa Barbara, a general sur- prise awaited us. There could be i no room for doubt that Mr. Cooper had been very successful in the management of his farm of 2000 acres, as the four-horse wagon loads of English walnuts and al- monds coming into town recently from his place gave abundant evi- dence, but we were not prepared to spend a half-dny on such a farm, with its tens of thousands of trees jof various kinds, its hundreds of acres in cereals, and its large dairy of blooded stock, and after a close look at many parts of it never to see a single weed, even by the road- iside. That was a real surprise; but the astonishing thing to sec iwas his olivo orchard of about fifty acres, all the trees clean, healthy and strong growers, the branches all bending with tho enormous weight of the fruit, many of the seven-year trees having a full barrel of olives to the tree, the larger nine and ten-year-old trees having on them two barrels of olives apiece. On the other hand, in Santa Bar-
trees" fnucTT~oldei, will not produce a hatful to the tree, and simply because they are not kept • free from the black scale nor prop- erly pruned and cultivated. Por] example, near Mayor Fernald's on the south, is a block with two or three acres of olive trees on it, and the ground on which they stand is used for a cow pasture, the trees are fruitless and worthless, and near the lighthouse more than- two hun- dred trees about ton yeajs old have just been dug up and .Ait into fire- wood. All tide neglect and <le- -tr .-tion arorind Santa Barbara would be exceedingly discouraging ihad not Ellwood Cooper cour-| ageously set himself to work to de- stroy the scale bug instead of the tree, and he is now rewarded with the astonishing crop hanging on his 5000 trees and just ready for .the oil mill. Our readers are aware that a barrel of olives will produce about four gallons of oil, worth $5 a gallon, or $20 to the well-laden 'tree seven years old. He has just completed an oil mill on a large plan and in the most substantial manner, which is capable of reduc- . ing 4000 pounds of olives eaCTi< twenty-four hours, and will be run flay and night for a week at a time (until his crop for the year has been turned into oil. Let oliye skepticsj go and see the olives and olive trees at Ellwood. — Santa Barbara Press.
rcfi!s in
,PV, <>
Those -seeking aprofitaWe tree to plant in the hills where water is scant should carefully examine the oljve. It thrives with the lea's't possible amount of moisture,, is grown £1*011) seed or cut- tings, comes into bearing at five, or six years old but reaches its full develope mentat thirty and continues to bear for one hundred and fifty years.
The (-sti mated crops are from 1,000 to 4.000 gallons of olives to the acre : worth seventy-five cents a gallon, thus giving from $150 to $3,000 an acre, it stands frost better than the orange, its fruits can be, easily transported aucfc the market for pickled olives and olive 1 'oil extends over the habitable world. THE OLIVE TREE.
It Yields Its rrult Probably for t'eii- lurles. ^ , .
San Jose Times. '•/ //<//
Among the many trees now claiming the attention of the people of Santa Clara County and the whole State, few give !>r<miisp of more flattering ;eturns than the olive. This is an ancient, historic and useful tree, living through centuries and yielding its fruits to the generations as I hey come and pass away.
Tliu cultivation of the olive, like that oi Uir grape imd tin- date, was introduced into California by the. Catholic fathers around the old missions, lii.t while much attention has lias been eiven to the grape, it is only during the lust few years that any consMgfcfe a'tterSfcn has. been paid to the oiiviir- Some of the trees about, the i old [mitt-ions in Southern California are
now a century old and arc still as vigor- ous as could be wished. .
There is no variety of tree that thrives better or needs less care than the olive. The trees can be planted on rock lands where the vine would fail, and the cost of planting these trees is not one-third Unit of vines. The crops are more easily gathered than grapes and the plant neces- sary tor the production of olive oil is about one-tenth that n crss.-iiy for mak- ing wine. The insect pestH affecting the olives are the same as those affecting other fruit (rets— no more difficult to fight, and not ne;;r so much to be dreaded as the phylloxera. I'- will stand drougth, will endure neglect, and prosper along fences, avenues and other uncultivated places.
The olive requires a longer time to bring in returns than some other kinds of fruits, but when once in bearing it yields prolific crops, and continues with proper care, ti- improve ! r centuries. It does not, like the peach and some other kinds of fruit, die out in a few years, but yields increased returns each year for genera- tions ; thus making itself one of the most profitable of trees.
The tree can be propagated from cut- tings, and there is no trouble about pack- ing and shipping, as with green fruits. Th4 transportation difficulties, so dis- couraging to the producers of grapes, peaches, etc., hardly enter into the busi- ness of olive growing.
Froft^ what has been said the im- pressiojS must not be received that olives arc only suited to poor soil, and need no care. While they produce well on' poor, and rocky soil not adapted to other kinds of trees, or even vines, they grow much better and yield much more handsome returns when planted on good, soil and given a generous cultivation. It is not adapted, however, to very damp land; and even on rich bottom lands, while its growth is vigorous, the fruit is said to be inferior. The " Mount of Olives," mentioned in the New Testament, near Jerusalem, is a high rock ridge ::-iin feet' above the sea ; and near the tinted ruins of Baalbec is an olive grove which seems to grow out of a mass of rocks.
Italy has an area about one-third as great as California, and the acreage in olives in that country is two and a quarter millions. Large quantities of olives are used for pickling and other purposes, and about 90,000,000 gallons of oil are pro- duced. The exports of oil alone bring the Italians an annual income of over !?4 ',
The ancient Greeks and Romans as well as their modern successors in occu- pancy, and indeed the entire people who inhabit the countries on both shores of the Mediterranean, held, and hold, the olive in the highest esteem. It grows on the summit of all their rocky heights and furnishes them with an element of food scarcely less valuable than bread-stuffs. Many olive trees planted before the Christian era still flourish. A tree 100 years old, drawing its sustenance appar- ently from rocks, yields what is equal in nutritious value to two pounds of flesh meat or half a pound of butter daily, so that with good bread and olives the hard- working peasant keeps up his energies of
daily toil.
. Intelligent and educated native:
Southern Europe have no relish •
•egaFUing dairy products generally as( incleanly and only fit for semi-barbarous people to use as food. But the olive they regard as correspondent to .purity and mental cultivation. They adduce the disgusting diseases prevalent among people who largely use hogs' flesh and other animal food as nroving that the highest civilization of the world has been reached where the oiive supplies, directly from nature, the carbon element so needed in nutrition, 'inese latter were evidently the first to reach civilization, and, it is believed, that they will excel, when freed from certain disadvantages, nations who depend mainly upon cattle and bogs for their subsistence.
These sentiments are said to be largely shared, though not distinctly formulated, by all grades of people in Southern1 Europe. It is certain that carbon in some form is indispensable to healthy nutri- tion; that it cannot be secured, with reasonable certainty of purity, from flesh or dairy products, but can be from the olive. In this aspect of the case, Califor- nia can, by its cultivation and extensive use, secure a position in advance of any people on the globe.
The salted olive has been highly recom- mended as a remedy for dyspepsia, causing no nausea, but healing and sooth- ing inflamed surfaces.
The tree is much hardier than the orange, growing in portions of Italy where snow often falls to a. depth of a few inches and sometimes to two feet. Rain freezing on the tree is fatal to the smaller twigs, but the tree and roots remain un- injured. There are very few portions of California cold enough to prevent the olive from growing. It is very tenacious of life and easily propagated. The usual mode of propagation is by cutting one to three inches in diameter and three feet in length.
For use as oil the berries are allowed to ripen which they do here about January 1st. They are then dried, and the oil extracted much the same as in flax seed, but the filtering must be done with great thoroughness, or the oil will becojne rancid, while if pure it will keep for a long time.
If the berries are for table use they are picked a little earlier and soaked in water for six weeks, the water being changed daily to remove the acid taste. They are then placed in brine, and the process is complete.
For olive oil known to be pure, $4 per gollon can be obtained, though imported oil, believed to be largely adulterated with cotton see.l oil or lard. m.-y be Dbtained for half the money. The berries 3ell for fifty cents a gallon, and on-1 man ^an eather from 150 to :!."id imiiiids si duv It is now stated on good authority tin. another important railroad move \vil shortly be made, being the extension d the Denver and Rio Grande railroad iron Frisco, in Utah, to the Calico mining dis- trict, in San Bernardino county, ami thence to all important points in Califor- nia. The object of this extern i>n, it is said, is to have an outlet for the product of the anthracite coal mines of Crested Butte, Colorado. It is believed that coal can be supplied to all J-'oiithern Califor- nia at very low prices. And another oi.- ject in seeking the mining districts <>l Southern California is to take return freights of ores to mix with the. ore* f i
the I >on\er smelter.;. Ueiinito news "s te the intentions of the Denver and \i\n linmde it is believed will be in de public in a few days. With a direct line through to Colorado a valuable section of San Diego's " back country
rconiiniinie;>. xT^Olive Plantii1,;;.
^^^diS
taught by observations in the countries of Europe and Asia where it has been ; for centuries are evidently outlined as follows : 1st, a semi tropical climate. A temperature of 14 degrees is said to bf fatal to them, and it were better if thr limit were never reached.
2. The olive loves the air of the sea, not close to the shore but from live to fifty miles aivay where the winds are I, at tempered. No tree is more sensitive to chilling winds than the oil and torrid summer heats are equally un- favorable.
;'.. The soil must be dry, not permit- ting water to stand on or near the sur- face ; hence that of gravelly nature is the best. We have all of these conditions in Santa Clara county. Wo have the cli- mate everywhere. We are exactly the proper distance fruin the sea. We are protected from winds, and never have the extreme heat of valleys farther in- land. Of soils we have many thousands of acres exactly suited. Almost all of our mountain lands, much of the foot- hill country, and many locations in the even valley are suitable for planting. KO IllKlOATIOS Y
Is ever required, and lands that must be irrigated are not desirable, and we do not, believe- that success will even attend .-•;lt are on such lands. The olive roots vn deep into the soil, and wi'l creep down between the crevices of rocks even, preferring to find the proper moisture far below the surface.
THE PRODUCTS
Of the olive trees are oil and the fruit preserved as a 'pickle. Pickled olives are made both from the arc-en fruit, and that which is mature. As picked from the trees the olive is not eatable. Prepared iby soaking in alkaline water, and preser- ved in strong brine, there results an article of food, more and more sought after 'is it becomes known. People ac- quire a taste for pickled olives in a short time. They are very appetizing and nourishing, and seem to impart vigor id energy. A slice of bread, a dozen lives and a tiny glass of wine make a inch that cannot be surpassed. The oil is in use everywhere, and so real is the demand for it, that there are ot olives enough in the whole world to upply it, and as a consequence, cotton eed oil, peanut oil, and other vegetable oils are bottled and sold for pure mater- ial. People will have the pure oil if they can get it, and will pay almost any price for it. Mr. E. E. Goodrich OWIHT the largest orchard in Santa Clara county, partly planted twenty years ago and en- larged from lime to time, till it now comprises 80 acre*. He makes both oil and pickles, the latter selling at. fifty rents' per gallon, and the former at $6.
It does noi require an extensive plant! to take care of the crop. A few tanks for pickles; a simple grinding mill, cou- I Sisting of a large stone lolling on its edge on a circular lied, with a small horse power for its propulsion ; a small but powerful oil press, and tanks of brick- work lined with marble, comprise the outfit for manufacture.
VARIETIES ANI> PLANTING. The Mission olive has been grown hero for a hundred years and is good both for oil and pickles. The Picholine olive has [been planted some of late, and Mr. John Rock, the present manager of* the Cali- fornia Nursery Company at Niles, has secured some new varieties which mil only come into bearing (vithin t«o 01 three years after planting but seem t< •possess all the qualities required of a good olive. Olives are propagated by cuttings, pieces ot large limbs or any- thing taking root freely.
The present practice seems to be to lant the trees and to plant vines at. the same time. At two years the vines begin . to yield their fruit, and will more than pay for the cost and care of the whole i by the time the olives come to bearing, which will be in four to six years. The vines are then to be removed as fast as I they are in the way of the proper develop- ment of the trees, until the olive is producing; full crops, when they may be all removed. Olive trees require good cultivation, careful pruning, and spray- ing occasionally to keep them free from scale.
A LONG LIVED TREE.
Once planted the olive tree will grow and bear fruit for a century. If the toj becomes too large it can be cut down to a mere stump and the whole renewed with new and vigorous wood. The tree grows about twice as fast in California as il does in Europe. According to past ex- perience in six or eight years from plant- in;,;, amounting, at present prices, to full} jlO per tree or £800 to §1000 per asre.
NO DAXCEU of OVKR n:o].ui;TioN. There can be no possible danger of overproduction. California is the only place in the United States which seems adapted to olive culture. Oregon has too much rainfall, and in most places is liable to be too cold in winter. Of the count ries bordering us, Mexico is probably to. hot in summer, except in the northerr portion. With this limited area for pro- duction, and the fact that the. imports into the" United States from Europe amount to half a million gallons, with a constantly increasing demand for a pure article, there is no reason why there should not be A market for every gallon th'-it can be produced on every acre in the btate of California that is adapted to olive culture. The harvest comes from •mber to March, a season during which there is no rush of other work, and enabling orchardists to keep their trusted hands the year round.
The wood is very haul, with a beauti- ful grain, and susceptible of a high polish, adapting it to the manufacture of orna- mental articles.
\Ve therefore advise such of our people as have hind* in suitable localities to make arrangements to plant a few aerea
liven. Ji ne culture in tins (State has passed beyond the bounds of experiment and the prospect for financial success is as well assured as with fruit or vines. Besides this it introduces an element of diversity in our productions which is always desirable in any country. Wt believe the main reliance should be placed on the production of oil, yet the use of the pickled olive is increasing every year, particularly, among our own people ai they become accustomed t.. *'—:
OLIVE (TLTIKK.
A :!emarkal>l*.> Handy , LVoVflo, Valu- able and Lona-limI Tree.
Its Cultivation Well Adapted to the S«n Jonqutn Valley T.amls and Ad- jacent Foothill Region.
ts,-£T'
S/4 •" ' The cultivation ol the olive is a metier
that has received a considerable amount of space in these colnms, as the region is well adapted to the growth of tins valuable tree. The following art. which is an extract from a private letter from William A. Lawson to Dr. L. M. Agard, will well repay reading : .
"I have read Mr. Whitney's articles on olive culture, and have been sur- prised to find him expressing the opinion that it is wrong to plant our best land in olives. Does it not seem r that if it pays to grow the olive at all, one should choose the land best suited to the purpose? The truth is that - is a great deal of land in the foothills that will scarcely support any othri profitable tree than the olive, hut it by no means follows, for that reason, that better land should not be devoted to th< tree. The fact that the olive is planted on the steep slopes of the Alpes-Mari- times, whore costly terracing has t resorted to, is rather an indication of
else-:
Of course the oraneecould not bo grown in such sitivtti.- ' in'is!
irrigation. Besides, those mountain slopes are manured at great cos labor, the peasants toiling up (lit races with baskets of fertilizers upon their backs.
Mr. Whitney seems to 1, >»kcd
the well-established faet. that olives grown on hill-sides yield a finer quality of oil (than those grown on valley land, a
i to induce p the rougher lands. Goo.l drainai
ia] t,. the- olive, and bottom lands are, hence, unsuited to the tree.
You remember the letters from Si it liffe that appeared in
net year, relative to the olive:' Writing from France he said that tin ilive is there more profitable (" in an irdinary state of prosperity ereala or vine. And be wei ..ith the sp ing the subject ot ol'n
It is possible, ns Mr. Whitney say-. that the duty on olive oil will - later be taken oil'. But the true of wine and br.indy, ra- nnts. oranges, lemons, prunes and other, pni'l'i ml and vineyard. And?
his ;\rgiiin.-nt, sippli.-d t,. the olive, ofj, c I'lipptiti"!! with li : labor ul
the \a«<y
-
orange, almond, prune, etc. Why' should the olive be singled out? It can be grown with much less expense and care than the orange or the grape. I think the true idea for California is to grow such fruits as can not be produced elseivhere in the United States ( Florida perhaps excepted), fearless of European competition. Thousands of years* of the closest kind of competition have not destroyed the profits of oli>'e growni:. in the countries about the Mediterranean . France has 400,000 acres in olives; Itah 1,500,000 acres; Spain an enormous area planted to the tree. But France can not, or does not raise olives enough to supply the foreign demand for oil, and notoriously uses cotton-seed and other oils to adulterate the insufficient product; of olive oil.
Mr. Whitney says that ' in point ol fact we get a great deal of the very best oil that is made in France or It.ily.' This is contrary to the opinion of U. S.l Consul Walsh, at Florence, who has officially reported to oiir Governmeni that ' no pure oil is exported from Italy. ' Twenty-five per cent,' he declares, ' o the liquid exported is composed of cot ton-seed oil, and the mixture sometimes contains fifty per cent.' Our Consuls ai France have made like statements. Tni is the ' virgin Italian oil" that can be bought iu San Francisco at $2 38 n gallon.
E'.Iwood Cooper of Santa Barbara has had to compete against all Europe (save for the duty of $1 a gallon), and bis oi is quoted ;' $13 50 per dozen 'quart bottles, and hard to get. He has told me that ten-year-old trees should giv< an average of 150 pounds of berries each, and that 15 pounds of berries make one bottle of oil. His trees are all of tin Mission variety, and the soil .is good — some, of it (or much of it), adobe.
The yield of Mr. Whitney's tvvelve-or- thirteen-year-old-trees (forty-five pounds each) is certainly small. This is prob- ably the eauseof his poor opinion of the olive for profit. A judicious pruniuv might greatly improve their bearing qualities. A ten-year-old olive tree blew down last winter in this city. [!.* owner, (Peter Run 7,) told me it bore 150 pounds a year. Isaac Lea, at Florin. has some twelve-year old olive trees that he says bear 1'2~ pounds each. There are some very old Mission trees at San Diego that have borne 150 gallons (,i berries each annually, for two years in succession. In Ellwooii Cooper'spamph- let on the olive, he - 78 he
took over thirt> g.iilons each of!' a few ot his best trees, his orchard being tnen :mly six years old. He a. Ms t'.iat he thought some of his eight-yea won • M,.
Whitney* (roes dc tv
» fair criterion of tin- yield of tne oiivcin California. Our vinrin soil gives fai bett.ei- returns t,h:iu those obtained in K'irope with the 111.- Thus in Veniii.-v. sixceen-year-nld are said to yield bin four gallons offier- ries each, and throughout the Medifr- ranean regie,, i un;': L_{kujsii] 0pp. f!B.,];7, rn,,,rt«;
that ' the best' olive groves give a net income of $58 an acre, and that the average is $20 an acre. He estimates the net income of oram.v orchards there at $30 an acre. Consul Roosevelt, at Bordeaux, has estimated the net returns from the vinyards of that district at $23 an acre; not a bad showing for the olive, i in comparison. I may add that one of I our consuls gives the average net returns of the best olive orchards in Tuscany at $62 an acre. Manuring is there a heavy expense. In a total annual expense of 424 lire per hectare (2J acres), the man ure cost 300 lire.
Leaving oil out of consideration, there ; ought always to be a good profit in Cali- fornia olives for pickling purposes. Pickled ripe olives make up a large part of the food of millions of people in Europe. These are not the pickled green olives of commerce, but those taken from the tree after they have turned black. There is no more whole-: some food. America will consume many millions of gallons of such pickles annu- ally, when they can be retailed at a dol- lar a gallon, which would leave a hand- some profit to the grower. The pick- ling need cost no more than ten cents a gallon.
At present imported pickled olives1 coat about $1 50 a gallon, wholesale, in San Francisco. The California pickled olive /.fission variety) sells readily at from 80 cents to $1 a gallon, to whole- salers.
I believe with Mr. Flamant of Napa. (who has sixty acres in olives) that ' the cultivation of the olive is going to at- tract much more interest in California than viticulture, because either by pick- ling or making oil, it will pay three or four times as much.' He was brought up in France among olive trees and vines, and his opinion is certainly valuable. He has an extensive vineyard, in addi- tion to his olive orchard." THE OLIVE.
i
Us History ilnrdiueat- Conditions of Growth - I'ropiiitrujon— Z*rocc*< rf Oil Makins;— Iin- portimce of Its f;i:ui: in Sun Uiego County.
[The foil" ,' book on
Jive culture by Frank ,S. Kinibull. of Na- Uouul Ciu ,cd cany next
'month, hay, :>liy furnished 11
publication. Jn • i.hciu
.Die author explain* tlr.it Che; ily detached ;uul therefore more or i
0'J/jy, To the Kt'i/Ser./O -f •
The v,
study, h;.v.
bo' widespread learn if the probability . returns will w n , that every ./W relating to
•j the •
aimed ;i( in the preparation of il; chap!
rojRY.
The written history dates that of any other repr. the earth's Horn. which
Ation. d <ii its exlenae<
conclude tl. othc. ncces--arv to supply tin
v?an; so restricted in its area <>
profitable cultivation, elea'Iy pointing t<
fact, that wherever it can be. ; ftillycultivaled.no other tree can equal i for profit.
VVhen cultivated. within the limiis 01' it- natural habitat, the hardiness of this tree iceurcs to it a prolonged existence — in fact, it may be said t» "live forever." Indis- putable evidence exists that to-day there is growing in Pescia, Italy, an olive tree more than 700 years old. From all historical reference to the olive tree, we know that by the ancients it was held in high esteem, ami hem was considered an emblem of peace.
CON'DITIOXf:.
Soil,, climatic conditions and latitude
the introduction of the olive into several of the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf Stu: well as on the Pacific coast. Its culth Ju California dates from the period im- mediately subsequent to the cnabli-'1 of the iipt Jesuit Mission on the :
which was founded in l'« i3'.:>,ata]<o;nt aboui six miles northeasterly from the bay of Sati Diego, in !:an Diego cot:
In 1809, when this Mission orcbar been planted for a century, I counted 347'
could
be found, a larp/ been barn
camp (ires, while the Mission \ by Ijnilcd 8 tales soldiers after the cl the war with Mexico.
For years past this y been in the hands of those wh"
cs are cruel," and it is fii to a forest of tnalya; and , '•i' is that there exists a n
whore ,!u,,
fcerra laid the foundation of the 0 ilifortia,
TE> ,l'F,.
Search through na ntion to the flora of our globe, and tl uot found another plant wnieb h a hold on existence. Kvcn the pins . secured to the ground the lo:
• iron of cavalry, which accoin] Imperorof Morocco on a |o!..i-;, ! tosBrrender their o deep into wa rd heaven. Their posi' >
once sec. i.-nts of
soldiers. Tn ;.
which I planted 1,1 1873 , one of the <•
Summer of 1876, and the- in the inn
.igation is t -> i.tke li;; trees—selecting only those frorc
best iieurers—cu: ten inches long, plant in ro aalt to three feet apart and about on
•• rows, tlie toil - above ihe surface of the gn
'.', which v,, wnona be conve: , by the i ryer ground ai
'"'"lln •:.-, eel.
I. The cutting-:
pecial care must be taki I'S the earth fir tnips, which, for orchard Kit be less than an inch in . ground around the cul t ; "
•ol perfect tilth, to insure t!,
There are various theories in re«ird to
ween trees in the or.',
Some planters .nlopt forty feet as the proper distance, others plant ol thirh ;:ll others at iwenU
1 h:lv "t twenty and at hventv-
imirieet, ami in future shall plai [rfhtances, depending on location am. kind 'Land by the quincunx mei
AF XT
v'1" iesol man
!iolds a parallel relation to the ,
ipoaition apylics not only to the'
• all
here nivili/.- an ex 1,1 „ ,.
n to
• uT a. i by
or's rve their divinities.
In a
: it must stand aiatJRr i-
-
posed
ta of preparing ihe known at this early
c
>v./wer to dry his oliv ••• I" a '•cr-
onlj ! .'iic':,
that no peculiar or
uay 1)0 communi IP oil
. ii.h any sulxstnn pro-
done
hall
•atnr
iwingduy
ough
i on t!"
•
nen!
; ten v
Th idapt*
• rich ^land in v !
.eviT
v'rtst and increasing dtaiumd for the vavi' 'ii
limited competition tin] ila
:!d he a million iono. The more tlie
will ti I'ur ti.U '!• i':'.r :.;. IK.
viKij) .\M> i-iionr OF OLIVES.
1 have not sooner answered
Whitney's application because I did not like to offer only new hypotheses and suggestions, but wanted to state facts. It might have seemed doubtful if Mr. Cooper reallv received net returns of $SOO an acre for his olives. T received a low .lays ago some information from Mr. Cooper on that point. 11;; does no!
nre either the olives or the oil, bui weighs all the olives in and counts the bottles out. By keepintr separate a. lev years ago a seven-year-old orchard, h< found that the trees, iarg" and small vieided 122 pounds on the average, and thai in. ."ii; pounds were needed lor om larsre bottle of oil. This gives 1 1 'L. bottles to the tree, or in round numbers1 if 12, as the bottles \\etv sold twelve for $i:>. The expenses amount to twenty- live per cent, which leaves net returns-1 of if!) a tree. If the trees are twenty feel apart, or 100 to the acre — seven-year-old trees, however, have room and liirh! enough even at twelve feet distant, or :!00 to the acre— there is a net return o;' ^!)72 an aero without counting the pomace, which was fed to the pigs after i the second pressing. Last year Mr. t'ociper says lie had a small crop, and 12'.. poundsyatare needed to tin' bottle.
The next aueslion is, may we count on the Califorhj&.foothills for a similar regular crop, first in olives, then in money ? In a former article I mentioned an eight-year-old tree, near Auburn, which yielded sixty-eight pounds. Mr. .Whitney calls it an exceptional tree. 'Well, it is an exceptional tree, since it had no irrigation, and, standing close to the road, little cultivation, and it is rooted in very shallow ground, where the bedrock comes up to within eight inches of the surface. With ordinarily deep ground, irrigation the first year, and due cultivation, we may expect much higher returns. How is it, then. that Mr. Whitney's trees averaged onlj 4")1., pounds'.' — Auburn Correspondent Placer Herald.
Koiuo I.M-i.vi,,,; in, -is «ou !><•<•( r<l
MIIII ii-. <.,.,>.. n. i;ic Uon •llx'.v
Maii«i-e it |M AM* Minor-Mr. Van
I l.t'nnt>|» Ijjis SuiiK'ilaniM J-'ni liter lo Say Atoi.ut !(,.' tyr... ,.
'7.'CA-<'(' ~ L / ' V^Cxy
i EDITOR AKQUS— Finding my coni- uuinictUion of Febiuary 23d la.it in your pi.pr-r of the 24th, I conclude it W:;S acceptable and J will make an- : ;<n.-mpi T«t the same line, hop- ing I will not be considered oslenta- tmu« in doing so. I \\i-\\ fust to ciunct a mi.-tuke which occurid in one place in liu.t uriicle. Y'our type made me suy that "citrus trees become common and more plentiful as you proceed noi.tb " — II should bo as yuu proceed south." '//^
'J'bere are some grceral causes tie- eensaj-y to note, btHid.-s elitllale, Ihat iiilliHM cen the L'Ultivutinn of tvri»in fuiiUt in dillere-t localities in Auia MiLor. The expense of tr:in.-porla- lion, tlie oppression of in>- ayiicuilu- lul cluss, the Wuiit ol tnttrprise and tlie old r.iti of custom are some of i hem.. Ti nuspiii lipu is mostly done ou beat-is of burden; euiuels, horse-,
mules aud donkeys. J,, ,|,e i orthern pnrt wagon* with md id wooden wheels drawu by oxen are also used. The expense of transporting pioduce a hundred or more miles is fruiueully greater than Uie original valjie.
The tax^tJ»re sold by the Turkish Goveruiueiif to ti;.j hi-bt.,t bidder who has tli-'ii authority and pouer to levy the tux. This Iliey do with U() Cement baud, getting all they can to be got by opprts=ioii, abuse, and fear.
^10 redress from tile abuse ai;d i.p. (precsiou of ilie luling c.a.-.-; „„ thut Iheie is no encouragoiueut iu pro-- Itss and enlefpri.-e, no new iileas aie devub'ptd by emulation, succtss and enterprise of others, but on the con- trary ihe old ruts ot custom are fol- lowed an the gure.t and sulist Hguins; awakening thecnpidliy of their rniers For example, the cullivaliou of rai- «iu grapes baa beeo Uevelujed vety much around the Bay of Smyrna anU iuctriaiu loculiues in ihe Aiul.ip.-la- go by tue deOiaLd (or tl:u Iruii in j;,i- rope and tlie lucnjiies of shipping tliese localities bll'-ud, wlnle gmpt.8 for >vjne used in the cuuulry ure raisid iu other places ojore remote t.oiii '.lie cou.-t. Ine olive tries aie eiiber old trees or gralis ou the wild stock, which wtl-e .tti on clearing Ihe laud. It is not tbe custom ot the couuiry to plant oicbuidj of olive trees and they are not found excepi tuooe planted l.y enterpiislnjj Euro- pe-jiiH, reeidei.ts of tbe country, and this, tbotigb tbeoiive is a necessity to lo the natives and olive wil au article of borne cousuuiplioii, as of expori. Tobhow this uioie apparently u i» utcessa.y to stale the va.ue loe nu- livta plucti on ibe tree aud the fiuit.
i..c OHM. is iiiosliy ealeu WLeii ripe, or put u, in ui>i.» wun sail kept tor winter u=t. Tlio usiilves tuaiie a pjeal of olives and bread. Tl.e owneis ot olive trees put Ui.m up for home use and pack them tor sale. You i. >. i he in at native gruceiies especially iu town put up lu hogs- iieads as described above aod ibtre li.e meciianic mill coiuuiou luOoier supplies Uie needs of his family, li.e best on extracted horn n, is used lor cookiug purposts, us bulier in used iu ll.is Uotiutiy. It is a.»u used ill aalad wait vinegar. Tlie Infill. ii1 Ki'ui is ustil ii> lamps. Tbe reader will rcii.cmliei lu cotini'Cll MI with thin the hciip'.uic pal able ot tbe w ibe and foollah v i rt. i i s.
The grind stones or mills put, in motion generally by women ami cbildien are the public propel ty ol the village u round which Ibe olive trees are Uuu.d. Tue Iiun.-poi talion ot oil is doue iu skin bottles ou bt-nsl,- ol buiden, by placing a buttle on eucli »idu of tbe pack-saddle. Tliese are the bottles referred lo by Christ, Mullu w IX— 17.
Tbe possession cf olive trees is re- giudid a good deal like tbe possession ol a cow in tins country, Dial is, an economy to tue huiiai-hc-ld and us piovidiug a cheap uitan^'of sub.-is teuce.
The olive tree attains a very old aye,
\
after the truuk and limbs grow old ami there Is much decayed wood, lliey are cut down am) used tor luel, while the new growth sent forth in a year or two is a bearing tree, having renewed vigi^r. Young nets aie louml in thickets, tbe seed having been de- posited bj birds. In clearing the land I i:e natives preserve them ami gi*!l tin-in usually In place, so that, ;.,- staled before, you seldom find I lie uiivu li'tta in itfcuuiily luid oichaiuti or glove*. Tbe trets ure frtqueully owned by people not owners »f tue lai;d on wlncli they {.TOW. For ex- ample, I owu an acre of land with a vineyard in which there are linen or four trees. II for any iv.is m I want to sell them and nut tlie laud and vine- yard, I do so, auti the buyer cau sell iliein again, anil so ou. The owner ot the trtfs h-s a maik to distinguish IbeU). It is frequently the case thai you tiud a lieid witu olive tree* owned
uy several different ^ersons. Tbe tiem ulive is used comparatively mile, very uiuuU as we use. pickles in UiU couiury.
Il would seem very strange to American* tl.al uiore attention IN not jia/d to Hie culture of Hie olive in reg- ular groves ami as a special industry, Out to those wlio have lesided in that country and have known liow the i people follow their old customs atij| liabils, and seen thu ninny oOstacles «i*t at every step dy agnculiuiiats, it : \* no mystery. A'so the cupidity, in- juslice and opposition df ,i|i« i tiling classes nave dm] ti)(fir effects in every biai.ib of industry it. Tuikey.
D. VAN LKNNKP. , April 6, 18b7.
PROFIT IN THE OLIVE.
PRO!
A Tree B
ee Remarkably Well Adapted For The Foothills.
Homo Old Trees In California Tha Annually Bear ISO Gallons Each.
Handsome Kcturns From Kither Olive Oil or 1'IckJcrt Oil
/ — »----i — •-" haviirg reached im: office in regard to the culture of the olive, we republish from the Placer Republican the following extracts from a letter writ- ten by (he editor ol Uic AwKAL „, Dr. L L Agard, of Auburn, who bus a young Wive orchard of twenty or thirty acres •
1 have read Mr. Whitney's articles on Jlive culture, and have been surprised to bnd Inm expressing the opinion that it is wrong. to plant our IX-M land in olives., Uofis it not seem reasonable that if itOIIH to grow the olive at all, one should .
e land best suited to ihe purpose? The truth ,s that there is a great deal of land tlie foothills that will scarcely support other profitable tree than the oiive '•by no means follows, for that rea- on, hat better land should not be de- voted to (he true. The fact that the U « lsvrpla.n.ted °11 ">° st-ep slopes of the hasto'be* ' Whef-e OOMtly terraci»S
tion of- the value of the'treeVhan" any- thing else. Of course the orange could
" H*!8™*'1 "MU(;-h situations, because
those
Air. Whitney seem* to have overlooks the well-eetaWfehed fact that oliw grownon_hiU-side8 yield a finer qv
ol' oTrtTfarTtBose grown on valley' la?;<IS~. • Good drainage is essential to the and bottom lands are, hence, unsuitedto the tree.
You remember the letters from §jitliSe that appeared in thu San Francisco, Chroniefclast year, relative to the olive?) Writing from France he said that the olive is there more profitable ("in an ordi- nary state of prosperity") than cereals or the vine. And he went abroad with the special purpose of investigating the sub- ject of olive culture.1"
It is possible, as Mr. Whitney says, that the duty on olive oil will sooner or later be take'n off. But the same con- sideration applies to wine and brandy, raisins, figs, nuts, oranges, lemons, prunes and other products of orchard and vineyard. Axid his argument, ap- plied to the olive, of competition with the cheap labor of Europe, applies as well to the vine, orange, almond, prune, etc. Why should tlie olive be singled out ? It can be grow n with much less expense and care than the orange or the grape. I think ( he true idea for Califor- nia is to grow such fruits as can not be produced elsewhere in the United estates (Florida perhaps excepted), fearless of-' European competition. Thousands of' vears of the closest kind of competition. have not destroyed the profits of olive j growing in the countries about the Mediterranean. France has 400,000 acres in olives ; Italy J ,500,000 acres ; Spain an enormous area planted to the; tree. But France can not, or does not raise olives enough to supply the foreign! demand for oil, and notoriously uses' cotton-seed and other oils to adulterate the insufficient product of olive oil.
Mr. Whitney says that " in point of (act we get a great deal of the verv best oil that is made in France or Italy." This is contrary to the opinion of U. S. Consul Walsh, at Florence, who has officially reported to our Government that "no pura oil is exported from Italy." " Twenty-five per cent." he declares, "of the liquid exported is composed of cot- ton-seed oil, and the mixture sometimes . contains fifty per cent:' - Our Consuls at France have made like statements. This is the '' virgin Italian oil" that can be bought in San Francisco at $2 38 u gallon.
Elwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara, has had to compete against all Europe (save* for Ihe duty of $1 a gallon), and his oil IB quoted $13 50 per dozen quart bot- tles, and is hard to get. Me has told me that 10-year-old trees should give an av-i erage of 150 pounds of berries each, und that 10 pounds of berries make one bot- tle of oil. His trees are all of the Mis- sion variety, and his soil is good — some1 ot' it (or much of it), adobe.
A tenzyear-old olive tree blew down last winter in Sacramento. Its owner (Peter Kunz) told me it bore 150 pounds a year. Isaac Lea, at Florin, has some twelve-year-old olive trees that tie nays bears 125 pounds each. Thert are some very old Mission frees at Sar Diego that have borne 150 gallons of ber rh'8 each annually, for two years in sue- Cession. In Ellwood Cooper's pamphlet wn the olive, he says thut in 1878 he took fiver thirty gallons each off a few of his best trees, his orchard being then only; sjx years old. He adds that" he thought some of his eight-year-old trees would | bear over forty gallons each. Our vir- gin soil gives far better returns than those obtained in Europe with' the most costly fertilization. Thus in Venitia, six- teen-year-old trees are said to yield but jour gallons of berries each, and throughout the Mediterranean region the olive tree does not bear until ten years of
Leaving oil out of consideration, there jiught always to bo .a good profit in Cali-» lornia olives for pickling purposes. Tackled ripe olives rmike up a large part of the food of millions of people in Europe. These are not the pickled green i olives of commerce, but those taken from fi>6 tree after they have turned black. There is no usore wholesome food. America will consume many millions of i gallons of such' pickles annually, when j
thev can be retailed at a dollar ga'U»>. Which would leave a handsome proti ihe "rower. The pickling w '- cost no more than ten cents a gallon.
At present imported p.-^ clues cost about $1 50 a gallon wholesale n Son Francisco. The California pickled olive (Mission variety) sells read, ; from SO cents to $1 a gallon, to whole-
I oeiieye with Mr. Flamont, ol iNap_a. .'who hr.s sixty acre? in olives) that rue cultivation of the olive is goin_g to at much more interest in California tfwn viticulture, because either by pickling or for making oil, it will pay three or four times as much." He was brought up 11 France among olive trees and vines, and hia opinion is certainly valuable. »n extensive vineyard, in addition tc ,olive orchard.
Olive OiJ^rospeci
in doubt about the outlook of the in- dustry, and the possible adjustment of demand and supply, will find much com- i fort in some remarks which the Los Ange- les Tribune reports as coming from Ellwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara, the well-known ol- ive-grower. He said olive oil-making (if you know how to do it) is the easiest possible way of making money. The demand U increasing 10 times as fast as the supply. Last year he sold his oil for §12.60 per case; this year he has advanced the price to $24. He says this ad- vance puts the oil beyond the reach of most people, it is true; the demand will be for inva- lids and medicinal purposes; but he can sell all' he can make at that rate. He is increasing his olive plantation as fast as possible.
This confidence of Mr. Cooper is certainly re- freshing when mails and telegraphs are bring- ing such doleful items as the following:
The former great industry at Florence of making their flasks for oliv« oil is said to be wholly destroyed by the English flooding the market with cottonseed -oil imitations, which is now almost universally sold under the name of olive oil. The matter, it is said, is going to be raised in the House of Commons, under the Adulteration Act.
It ia quite possible that the last sentence gives the key to the future of olive oil. If legislative enactment in all countries can be had against selling cottonseed oil as olive oil, the genuine article will certainly be vastly helped. Cottonseed oil is a good oil, but not to be sold under a false name. Let it be sold for what it is. Keep it out of olive oil, keep it out of butter, and it is all right. It is quite possi- ble that relief may come to the olive oil as it has come to genuine butter, by laws against selling the false as the true. California has asked Congress to do this, and will continue to aak it, although with the great cottonseed in- terest to fight in Congress, the right will be a difficult one to gain.
THE OLIVE.
/ ,
"
,
Further Information Regard/off tMo Val
u:>hle and J'riifltable Fi-iiil.
_.
Ine culture of the olive is a, branch oj the .fruit-growing industry which is yet iff its infancy on this coast but we believe! that, in a lew vears, it will become one oij the most important as well as profitable fields of horticultural enterprise with us, as it is at present with many countries >n the south of Europe, whose chief- revenue is derived from the export of
Olive oil and pickled olives. The olive tree is distinguished for its
great longevity and vitality. A tree in
the garden of the Vatican at Rrmie is id to be a thousand years old. Dunn-
the_ Greek revolution the Turks eta
jj Stumps, with the result (hat, three 1 hereafter, the shoots from the
'•I slumps commenced to give ;i. crop.
has generally I .con supposed that: lii(1 "live rather prefers a roekv and
what hamm soil. In Europe it
•nly flourishes in places where -., US would hardly grow, hut Major
iys it is a great mistake to presume that the olive can lie grown on a barren ! without fertilizers. IV manure •liberally, and use it to an extreme de-
to supplement the lack of irri-
i. The olive is a voracious feeder, iud will appropriate enough plant food luring the months of winter moisture to • •nrry the tree through the dry summer
i. provided there is an abundant !'<>od supply ready for storage and assimi- lation. The Mission is generally rec- oraraended for oil and the European •'live for pickling. The .latter, also, is preferable for propagation, as the small limbs will serve for cuttings, and will root where a Mission cutting will fail. European olives ripen two months in advance of the Mission olives. Trees should be planted in an orchard, and cuttings in a nursery. . Plant not less than thirty-six feet apart, or you will regret it in after years; remember in planting that the olive root is more sensitive to exposure than the orange.
The olive is easily budded or grafted, •io there is no trouble in obtaining .•arieties. Small, one-year old trees can ie bought for twenty-five cents or less •ach. The roots of trees should always be puddled before shipping, and great
iken against exposure. The bus! c'-ss of propagating the trees should be. left to the nurserymen except in a case 'where a party cannot afford to buy
Irees.
When it comes to profits, olive grow- ers can show figures which should satisfy the most exacting. Major Utt has an ;i!ive orchard of twenty-five hearing trees, planted in orchard seven years, to in- clude 188(1; the product from ten of them last year was 750 g illons of olives. He sold the surplus crop at forty cents per gallon, casks furnished, of $12 p -r Fifty gallons of average crop to the tree at twelve; years from the plant- ing of the orchard would be a low esti- mate, and this amount would make six rind a quarter gallons of oil. Ellwood Cooper gets $10 a gallon for his oil. In- n-eased production will lower the whole- sale price to $4 per gallon or at the $25 per tree, equal to $900 per Allow one half for expenses and st on investmet, and you have the •mi ot $450 i.er acre as net profit- Mr. Loop has been offered eighty cents : i. gallon for all the pickled olives he can pri pare for market.
Of the great future which awaits the uilture of the olive on this coast there irwbe no doubt. We are still in the ;i,ienlal stage. In fact, olive cult- about where the raisin in-
Tr-v»s shotild Ij.'^f&airrted in an orchard . and cuttings in a nursery. Plant not (less than 30 feet apart, or you will re- fgret it in after years; remember in plant- ^ng that the olive root is more sensitive I to exposure than the orange. s/J. &/1? The olive is easily budded or grafted, .so there is no trouble in obtaining varie- ties. Small, one-year-old trees can be bought for 23 cents or less each. The roots of trees shouht a^ay-i lie puddled before shipping, and great care taken against exposure. The business of propagating the trees should be left to the nurseryman except in a case where s party cannot afford to buy trees.
When it comes to profits, olive grow- ers can show figures which should satisfy the most exacting. Major Utt has au olive orchard of 25 bearing trees, planted in orchard seven years, to include 1886; the product from ten of them last year was 750 gallons of olives. He sold the surplus crop at 40. cents per gallon, casks furnished, of S12 per tree. Fifty gallons of average crop to the tree at 12 years from the planting of the orchard would be a low estimate, and this amount would make six and a quarter gallons of oil. Ellwood Cooper gets $10 a gallon for his oil. Inoruased produc- tion will lower the wholesale price to 84 :per gallon, or at the lowest, |25 per tree, equal to 3900 per acrp. Allow one- half for expenses and interest on invest- ment, and you h*^e the neat sum of §450 per acre as net profit. Mr. Loop has been offered 80 cents a gallon for all the pickled olives he cau'prepare for market.
Of the great future which awaits the culture of the olive on this coast there •;an be no doubt. We are still in the experimental stage. In fact, olive cul- ture stands about where the raisin in- dustry did ten years ago. — [San Joaijuin Valley Jiesources.
THE OLIVE.
-Ills
--.___. ^Z^-K-^^Z^-^ • lie following article from the
San Joaquin Valley Resources is .vorthy of consideration by the hor- .iculturists of Santa Barbara county: "The culture of the olive is a Branch of the fruit-growing indus- ;ry which is yet in its infancy on .his coast but we believe that in a 'ew years it will become one of the nost important, as well as profit- ible, fields of horticultural enter- prise with us, as it is at present with many countries in the south of Europe, whoso chief revenue is de- rived from the export of olive oil and pickled olives. jf"%2 f/f 7
"The olive tree is tffstinguislied for its great longevity and vitality. A tree in the garden of the Vatican, at Rome, is said to be a thousand years old. During tho Greek revo- lution the Turks cut down the olive Itrees and burned over the stumps with the result that three years there- after the shoots from the scarred stumps commenced to give a crop. , "It has generally been supposed ithat the olive rather prefers a rocky land somewhat barre« soil. In Eu rope it certainly flourishes in places where a cactus would hardly gro'w, but Major Utt says it is a great mis- take to presume that tho olive can be grown on barren soil without fer- tilizers. Use manure liberally, and use it to an extreme degree, to sup- plant the lack of irrigation. The olive is a voracious feeder, and will (appropriate enough plant food during the mouths of winter moisture to carry the tree through the dry summer season, provid- ed there is a large food supply T-eady for storage and assimilation. The Mission is generally recom- mended for oil and the European olive for pickling. The latter, also, is preferable for nvnniirmHnn no *!,„
small limbs will serve tor cuttings, and will root where a Mission cut- ting will fail. European olives ripen two months in advance of the Mission olives. Trees should be in ^11 orchard, and cuttings in a nur- sery. Plant no leas than thirty-bix ifeet apart, Or you will regret it in af- jter years; remember in planting that •the olive root is more sensitive to ex- posure than the orange.
The olive is easily budded or grafted, as there is no trouble in ob- taining varieties. Small, one-year- iold trees can be bought for twenty- five cents or less each. The roots of trees should always be puddled be- fore shipping, and great caro taken against exposure. The business of propagating the trees should be left to the nurserymen, except in a o^.so where a party cannot afford to buy trees.
When it comes to profits, olive- growers can show figures which should satisfy the most exacting. Major Utt has an olive orchard of twenty-five bearing trees, planted in orchard seven years, to include 1886; the product from ten of them last year was 750 gallons of olives. He sold the surplus crop at 40 cents per gallon, casks furnished, of $12 per tree. Fifty gallons of an aver- age crop to the tree at twelve years from the planting of the orchard would be a low estimate and this amount would make six and a quar- ter gallons of oil. Ellwood Cooper gets $10 a gallon for his oil. In- creased production will lower the wholesale price to $4 per gallon, or at the lowest, $25 per tree, equal to $900 per acre. Allow one-half for expenses and interest on invest- ment, and you have the neat sum of $450 per acre as net profit. Mr. Loop has been offered 80 cents a gallon for all the pickled olives he can prepare for market.
Of the great future which awaits the culture of the olive on this coast there oan be no doubt. We are still in the experimental stage. In fact, olive culture stands about where the raisin industry did ter years ago." ,
Ind
In>6 official report to^the British Government by the Secretary of the British Embassy at Rome, on the olive oil industry of Italy, he says: "Olive oil ranks next to wine as one of the mainstays of Italian agricul- ture. An average crop is estimated at 74,500,000 gallons, but since 1880, when these figures were reached, the yearly production lias averaged about 38,000,000 gallons. A full dive crop never occurs two years running. In no other country in the world is the olive tree cultivated so extensively ai in Italy. The largest production i obtained in the ex-kingdom of Naples and Sicily, but the oil produced in those regions, excepting the province of Ban, is of low quality, and is to ,the greater part fit only for rnanu- ' lecturing uses. Bari, Umbria, Tus- cany and tbe riviera of Geno pro- duced chiefly eating oil. Exports of the five years ending with 1885, averaged 16.000,000 gallons a year, worth about £4,500,000 sterling. But in 1835, ow- ing to the deficient crops in different [localities, the quantify fell to 9,633,- 000 gallons, valued at £2,000,000, of which 3.557,625 gallons went to France and 2,020,050 gallons to Great Britain. The finest olive oil in Italy is produced in certain hilly dis- tricts of Tuscany, such as Lucca, Ualci and Bnti. There the olive trees are of the best stock and care- fnlly tended; great care is also de- voted to harvesting the olives aud to crashing and pressing them. The oil so obtained, pure and uasophisti- , cated, wbich 1 had on opportunity of ; dnri ! to i'us-
V
tKK.
Ijltit ID tbc.se days of e_
ion, \vhen quality is u,,,ou caus- ticed to cheapness, it is not always an easy matter to procure the best qual- ity of T'"»3an or Lucca oil, as it is generally, out of Tuscany. Italians :) plain greatly of tbe almost im- possibility of obtaining ou the uiar- olive oil unadulterated by cotton- seed oil, of -which latter over 79,000 ,r\iiutals, valued at £270,000, were in J885 imported into Italy, and which, s it is stated, is solely employed for ad- . mixture with olive oil.—6Yw<;;- nn>i '<
THE MOST PROPtTABI
"The ol iyef is 't"he most Ditffifable tre I know of.(y So wrote £11 wood Cooper, of Santa Barbara, not long ago, in an- swer to an inquiry from the editor of the APPEAL. Mr. Cooper has had experience in California with almost every descrip- ion of fruit trees grown in the titate. He las a large orchard of English walnuts, nit lie finds nothing to com pare in profits ivith his fatuous olive orchard, of which he net yK ., lYum oil, has been prob- ibly not less than $800 an acre per an- lurn for a number of years past. o great is the demand for his oil that his season he has been unable to supply •ven his old customers the full quantity •rdtsred by thei. . And he has this year loubled the ' .vhich was formerly
3 53 per dozen quarts in the San Fran- laarket. At the present rate, Mr. er's profit must reach the enormous •urn of $1,500 an acre, and he has forty : twelve-year-old trees, besides a ierahle acreage of young trees, -he orange, though a very profit- j'ee, can show no example of such •splendid returns as, do Mr. Cooper'*.
ey
The olive is to be a source of ;jreat to California. It will flourish •-•tier than in Italy, where about , (00 acres are devoted to the tree, lay '• better," advisedly, becausy in new soil of this state the is fully double the acreage ituiaud in the worn Boil of Italy, uiere is no tree worthy of so much at- tention here. It is pre-eminently adapt- 'd to the foothill region, since it thrives in the driest and most rocky soils with- ml irrigation, and in such situations oil of a finer quality than that >ed from olive orchards on rich illavial soil. But both valley and foot- iills are suitable to the olive. It lemands good drainage, and with that supplied will flourish in any description )l soil. Perhaps, if tbe 'design be to nokle .the berries, valley land would give
financial resuiu than cou:
in the foothills. In rich «oilg the
is more abundant and the tre,-
^rows more rapidly, though the quality
•it the fruit is not so good as that from
-s; in hilly situations.
In nix years from the time of planting
rooted cuttings, BO Mr. Cooper has in-
brmed USj an olive orchard will give a
paying crop, and there will be a small
for a year or two before the six
An orchard increases in bearing
tapacity until a great age is attained".
a scarcely a limit to the life of thei
we. There are specimens belisved to
a two thousand years old. The root
system never wholly (He*, and constant-
p suckers that, in a state of
': '-ce the parent stem should
tne latter decay. An olive orchard, once broi >oaring condition, will
^ive a constantly increasing revenue dur- ing the life tim« of its owner, and re- main a source of revenue for many ^anerations.
The olive is a much hardier tree than r!i;? orange. It will stand ten or twelve more degrees of cold. It can be planted uiy where in tho .Sacramento valley, or in the foothills up to an elevation of 2,000 .eut or more, without the least danger o) injury frotn cold. And the crop in this tal! i be entirely unaffected by
:rost. 'i... ^ossoms appear about May 1st.
An olive orchard is much easier and nuch cheaper to establish than an orange irchard. Rooted olive cuttings, two years old, can be bought for 35 cents each, or f. v •:. outs, while a first-class ora:ige m ,ts at least $1 50. The orange demands irrigation; tbe olive :.; cone. The olivo can be success- 1 fully grown o;i ch.-ap land, while the ! orange calis for a deep, rich soil. And either .'or oil or for pickles the olive can '03 counted, upon to pay a larger profit than (he range for many years to come in California.
Comparatively few Americans realize the great food \a'u? of the olive. It is the value of the true'* products as nutri- ment that make it intrinsically of more th than any other tree known to man. i'here is a fable that illustrates how well 'lie ancient Greeks knew this. Athens, is related, was founded by Cecrops, who offered the privilege of .laming the ciiy to that one of the who should bestow the moat valu- able gift upon man. Neptune smote the earth with his trident, and forth sprang the horse But Athena gave the '••live tree.and the city was named in her ^nor. As no nation has ever had a ...gher appreciation of tho horse than . "id the ancient Greeks, one may per- i'rom this story the very high esti- mate they placed upon the olive. The consumption of olive oil and pickled ol;- is certain to enormously increase i America, as fast as those products are ^aced within the reach of the people at reasonable prices.
An oiive orchard at, the age of ten years should *'iei d an average of twenty gallons of berries to tre tree. Any quantity of pickled olives can now be sold at 75 cents a gallon in bulk. Wi.h 100 trees to the acre, as in Mr. Cooper's orchard, the yield per acre would be Callous, which,.at 75 cents a gallon, would furnish a return of $1,500 per acre. The cost of uicking is not over 10 cents a gallon. Even at as low a price an L'5 cents a gallon, the net return would be large.
The Appfl.u, hopes to see a large acre^ age planted with the olive in Yuba anc autter counties next winter. There are several young olive orchards in Placer county, and one of 50 acres near Wyan- dotte, in Butrt, owned by J. C. Gray, the District Attorney of that county. Mr. ( i ray's orchard, it is Kiid, has cot him about .fo.OOO up to date. In a few ynars it will be north .750,000, lor it will be, paving ten or twenty per cent, on that amount, with a c< if a steadily in-
creasing revenue an the yi^rs roll on."
Olives and Ol
Oil.
T •,
It isannounoed that an extensive plan- tation of olive trees is to be established hi Snluno county. The growing of olives and the manufacture of oil has already passed beyond the experimental stage. In San Diego and Santa Barbara coun- ties in particular, olives have been grown for several years and at a very handsome profit, while the California olive is so noted for its excellent qualify and freedom from adulterations that re- tuilers in New York buy up all they can of our present product, and one or two have recently made large contracts for several years to come. This makes it more difficult for San Francisco grocers to buy enough for their own trade, hence prices both here and in New York are said to be higher than for the best brands of olive oil. A leading San Francisco dealer when asked ttie reason for this demand and the high prices, re- 1 plied, with emphasis : " Because it is known to be pure. Of course it is free from adulteration." We have been sending our wines and fruits to the Kast for a long time. They have gradually made their way against foreign rivals, slowly at first but rapidly of late, until there is no longer any fear that we shall have a surplus which we cannot dispose of. It is se with what olive oil and pickled olives we ship East. Author- ities in such matters declare that both, if sent from here in large quantities, would immediately overcome the most formidable competition of Europe. If our oil is as fine relatively as its ad- mirers claim and the demand for it evi- dences, and our olives also, then there seems to be no reason why our fruit- growers should not pay more attention to this fruit. At any rate it will do our fruit-growers no harm and cost them nothing to look into the matter a little more closely. It might result ver,v profitably for them.— S. F. Call. ^
THE OLIVE.
\l\ Authority Culls It Hie
rr<>nta'> e fvee
' ^"^Marvsvine Appeal.
" The olive is the most profitable tree
I know of." So wrote Eliwood Cooper
of Santa Barbara not long ago in an-
swer to an in juiry from the editor of
tho Appeal. Mr. Cooper has hud expe-
rience in California with almost Vvery
-lioiiof fruit trees grown in the
State. He has a large orchard of Eng-
lish walnuts, but he finds nothing to
compare in profits with his famous
olive or.tlmrd, of whicli the net yield
Irom oil lias been priibaKy not less
than $ mi an ncre per annum for a
, lumber of year; past. So great is tb
; that II. is season be
in supply even his old
Ue full ijuantity ordered by
UK-MI; and lie has this year doubled
tin- price, whii'h \v:.s formerly $3 SO per
lio/tiiKjunrts in Ibe Sun [''rancisco niar-
nt rule Mr. Cooper's
mist reach tbe enormous sum of
' an acre, and lie has loriv ar-res of
twelve-yen r-uld Ivors, besides a consid-
erable aereage of, yuunc trees. Kven
the orange, though a very profitable
tree, can show p le of such
spleiid.d returns us do Mr. Cooper'.-
The olive is to be a source of great wealth to California, It will flourish here better than in Italy, where about*
• '.<-rl to tlv tree..
We SUV '• better" mlviseiily, lx-eau.se/fn (lie new -i • of ' iie yiela is
fully d(. ibl. • ihr utained in
Cie WI;IT> -i''il <>f Itttfy. There is no tree worilu Miion here.
It i< [,p ;i> the loot-
hill IT ive-i in tbe driest
uii't - without irri^n-
imis Rives oil of a
"ality M,;il, ti, hard
.[hills aiv ,
tlie olive. It good
• will
description t,( „„!! I'-rhaps, if tlie design be to pi • \ ;ue berries, valley land wc.ul.l financial resnit- ihiin could Uie foothills. In rich more abundant an,i tlie tree grow:, more rapidly, though the quality of the tniu is not so pood as that from or- • in hilly -i.ua'ions. < y; ar- from the time of plant- . • ••> Mr. Cooper has iu- lormcd us, an :>live orchard will give a crop, and there will be a small yield i'or n year or two before the six An orchard increases in bear- ing capacity until a great age is at- . There is scarcely a limit to the life of the tree. There are specimens believed to In- L'OUO years old. The root a never wholly dies, and con- st, intlv sends up suckers that, in a state of nature, replaces the parent stem should the latter decay. An olive orchard, once brought to bearing condition, will give a constantly in- creasing revenue" during the lifetime 01 •ier, and remain a source of revenue for many generations.
The olive is a much hardier tree than the orange. It will stand ten or twelve more degrees of cold. It can be plan tec
anywhere in the Sacramento valley, or in the foothills up to an elevation of 2000 feet or more, without the least danger of injury from cohl.' And the crop in this State eeems to be entirely unaffected by frost. The blossoms ap- pear about May 1st.
An oiive orchard is much easier and
much cheaper to establish than an
orange orchard. Hooted olive cuttings
Id ean be bought for 35 cents
each, or there.!1 .nuts, while a first-class
orange tree costs at least |l 50. The*
orange demands irrigation; the olive
".one. The olive can be success-
"wn on cheap land, while the
calls for a deep, rich soil. And
i'or oil or for pickles the olive can
'Uiitoil on to pay a larger profit
than the orange for many years to come
Jifornia.
.parntively few Americans re.il- .>f ill-.- olive. It of the tree's products as nutriment that make il in;- "i
Mirth than any otb"r tree l.nowii to man. There is a fable, thai illustrates how well ihr> ancient ' "in eks knew this. Athens, it is related, was founded by \vho i.U'eivd the privilege of naming the city to thai one of the gods raid bestow the most valuable .11 man. Neptune smote the ,rth with his trident, and forth sprang e. But Athena gave the olive id the city was named in her \snp nation has ever hart a appreciation of the horse than • ancient Greeks:, one may per- ;coive from this story the very high nsti- .1 y placed upon Ihe olive. The Motion of olive oil and pickled s certain to enormously iiv i-ricK as fast as those products are placed within the reach of the peo- ple at. reasonable pn<
An olive orchard at the age of ten b'nild yield «i average of twenty gallons of berries to the tree. Any quantity of pickled olives i an now_ be sold at V"> cents a gallon in bulk. \\ ith Ico tree to uie acre, as in Mr. Cooper s i.iclnrd, the yield per acre would he •inn gallons, which, at 75 cents a gal 'Ion. would airnish a return of $1500 re. The cosl of picking is not ,ov,,r in Even at as low
lit price as •>?, cents a gallon, the net re llurn would be large.
!,,,,„/ hopes to see: large acre- ,a»e planted with the olive in. Vuba and >utter counties next, winter. There arc s< veral young oiive orchards county, and one ot fifty acres near AVvniMottP, in Hutte county, owned l ..,- M. C. Gray, the Ptstnct-Attoruey of tl" -it county. Mr. Gray's orr-b.Vt, it is s i ha^cos. him a! oul to
date I" " few .vcars it will be Sfth $0,1100. for it will be paying 10 or a >~ 'cent on that amount, with a certain j of a steadily increasing revenue as tot years roll on.
OLIVE CULTURE.
An InU'rowUinr Itoi.u on the ^££gJ£,sAflolpbe Fiamanf.
The Spanish fathers domesticate^" the Solyvc and grape -and wheat, on the lands Wound the Missions they established in Cali- fornia, more than a hundred years ago. Their motive was to secure a supply of the bread, wine and oil used in the Hacranientrt of the. church, and out of this pious purpose sprang three, leading material industries of modern California. Mr. Elwood Cooper, seeking Cali I'ornui for the betterment of his health, noted the ancient olive trees shading the ruined gar- dens of the old Missions, and was tempted to li'y the commercial value of the olive. Tiio world knows the success of his experiment, and it has roused such intercut than many hun- dred thousand olive trees arc now growing iu this State, and California will soon divide with the, slopes of the Mediterranean the pleas- ures and profits of producing this luxurious oil. Joaimin Miller relates that, stopping recently in a wayside, farm-house in Alaineda county, near Mission San Jose, he found the children at lunch dipping their bread in u dish of olive oil, and upon inquiry learned that it was made on the place and was pre- ferred to cream or butter by old and young. So, two thousand years ago. did the children at the foot of the Mount of Olives dip their un- leavened bread in this sweet oil, and its use amongst the Hebrews, in preference to the grease of the prohibited pig, laid the founda- tion of that majestic physical type which, in the sens and daughters of Abraham, has sur- A'ived all vicissitudes to he the puzzle of the modern world, and the pride of its most an- cient race.
The ALTA notes with satisfaction the ap- pearance of the literature of olive culture, in a monograph by Adolphe Flamont, of Napa, which he calls, "A Practical Treatise on Olive Culture, Oil Making and Olive Pickling." In this he has treated of the soils and situations suited to its culture, with comparisons between California and the lands in which the olive is historic ; the methods of reproduction ; the different varieties grown ; the care of the tree from planting to production ; the cost of an olive plantation ; the diseases and insect ene- mies of tho tree ; the maceration of the berry and manufacture of the oil and its uses anil commercial value, and the pickling of the berry. The work was originally written iu French, hut the author fortunately yielded tc the urging of friends and translated it. It U written from a California standpoint, and but few Californians who read it will hesitate, i? their location he right, to devote some ncrei to olive orchards. The work is published b^ Gregoire &, Co., C Post street.
O11VE Ct'LTUKE.
Some
\
.Interesting Fa-t8 From i Practical Standpoint v, 7 Napa neglai*r^J-~//t>/<r/ Olive culture is gradually attractfnt more and more attention and is bouu. to become one of the most profitable fields for agricultural enterprise with us. For tiiis reason Mr. Flamant'! •• Treatise ou Olive Culture," just pub lished. will undoubtedly prove of great interest to those seeking leliable in* formation on this most important sub- ject. Whatever particulars we havf been able to gather thus far in reier- ence thereto were derived mostly trom short paragraphs iu newspapers, which were not complete, enough to do lull justice to such a vasWftbject. But by perusing Mr. Flamant 's treatise one haf a full bird's-eye view of the whole emes- tion.
Such works as this are of incalculable benctit to a country like ours, for, by their clearness and thoroughness of details, they induce boih labor and capital lo join hands iu r.ow enter- prises which seem to promise as good results to their promoters, as they will add to the prosperity of our flourish ing State.
following is the concluding chapter of Mr. I'Tainanf shook:
" In preparing for the public this brief treatise on olive culture, written from a California point of view, it was my object to enable agriculturists and cap Lkalists, who desire to avail themselves 1 of the uni me advantages it has over . ,thef culture, to ,onu a correct idea of its general features, from the choice of the land most suitable for the i olive tree to the marketing of its prod- ucts
• With this in view I thought it better to avoid lengthy demonstrations! or superfluous details, such as abound in some agricultural publications, the greater part of which is generally tilled with diifuse and extraneous matter, which causes the reader to glance hur- riedly from page to page, and to reach she last witnout having noticed what there can be of real interest in (hern.
" I al.-o found it nece-s.iry to consult tlie wo , writers on
olive cm tur i,cm freely,
•:h mv per- sonal observations, so as to ajd the weight ol their acknowledged authority 's. I thus hope •atise, which combines tne :eigu ami home experience, an. I wnicn 1 have endeavored lurnake brief (Clear and concise, will be instrumental in helping, to a certain extent, the de- velopment of olive culture in Cali- fornia, tor it presents advantages that. '« looked for in vain in any other agricultural pursuit.
'• Coliimelle knew what he was about when he proclaimed the olive tree 'the rstot all trees,' and I'armeutier felt himself well justiiied i generations after, 'of industry of man has made profitable the olive tree deserves, wiiho.n contra- diction, the very tirst place.' 1 there- tore consider it unnecessary to dwell any longer on a point ou which all the beat agriculturists, ancient and mod- ern, fully concur, and 1 will confine myself to passing briefly in review the mam reasons, given more extensively in the previous chapters, that contrib- ute to guc it this universal repu.a.ioii. " Iu the first place, the hill or mount- am Ian Is, dry and rocky, which appear to be the most propitious for the robust, constitution ol the olive tree, can be bought in California at prices ranging much below those necessary for the culture of other fruit trees or viiu
" The cost of planting on xi and care of the trees during the tirst tear will hardly reach $5 per acre; the purchase of one-year-old rooted tings will not exceed from $10 to ?13 per acre and the annual care will be /less than $5 per acre until the tr<- •- f come to bearing in four or five j alter planting the rooted cuttings."
"The machinery and appliances for picking the olive and for making the >'il are of an extreme simplicity, tioth operations can be done in a very short time and they are so easy that no far- mer with ordinary cleanliness and care can fail in turning out as good a prod- uct as obtained anywhere else; wiiilc this is fxr from being the case in wine- inaking, which re juirei special knowl- edge, as well as long and ied;ou<-- care before the product is in a satisfactory condition to 1)6 sold.
'•The gatheritw.of the olive berries can ,bt done gradually from November un- lit March. By allowing them to dry in the barn, weeks can e!ap-e before" ex- tracting the oil from them, which will enable a farmer to attend meantime to more pressing work, but. if he .-o fers, he can do it at "M6. .M""*' if he has no oil ci sTu<.'
n ship his olives in sacks or ooxes to iany distance, at a moderate rule of transportation, considering the \ of the product, under a small volume, thus avoiding the misfortune of K ing the prey of to/al monopolies. How ;di;ierent it" is with grapes! They are t.i be picked hastily when ripe; they 'must be pressed within a very short tune; they cannot remain Ion;- travel far "without, experiencing
aid loss; and if they are to be .-hipped to some distance to as-oid the tyranny of monopolies, or because there is no wine-cellar near by, the cost of freight, drayage, brokerage, short weight, added to the cost of picking and delivering, absorb a good part Of the value of a product which sold last year at an aveuge oi $20 per ton, and which is most likely to sell much :heapcr this coming season.
"On an e-jual acreage, and when from •ight to ten years old, the product ot nn olive grove will be worth severa sthat of a vineyard; and unde: fflb same volume the oil will bete limes more valuable than wine, so th t can be delivered in a more econom- ical manner. While with a four-horse team a farmer will deliver about -Mlluns of -wine per trip, representing a maximum value of sflOO, he can witt the same team deliver olive oil to a value of over $1000.. What an economy this represents.
" Much less cooperage, too, will be r< quired. Whereas for 100 acres of vine- yard room for 50.00t.> gallons might be calculated upon, 25,000 gallons will be all that can be expected from a sinula acreage of olive trees, and as tin tanUs and cans are mostly used, it will cost less. Moreover, oil can be made from November to March -and sold shortly afterward to the merchant, who will clarify it himself, so that by spreading over tho time of mal.inu- it a max!
ove of
f such pa
be si nd all tms ^-{jtA^: 2^-=~
:an be done and stored in wooden The capabilities of Southern Callfor-
a" wi!reSScetlRrrershSu0lderbee bmTt 'wHh nia as a fruit-raising state, have not}
stones or be exposed to the! been fully tested yet. AlUK>-f the
danger of hating the wine damaged or fl ,. ...^..-inpt* tint were tried \Y< spoiled during the *•'•!..— r months, if, "1st pi OU I.
it has not been :„. 1 i ,^.ore that time. ' anges and raisin grapes, and the suc- ' The gathering of the olive crop too, ceg,., ^tajned on these two has been
ries that have fallen .he ground are mainly due to persistent effort and
tirst picked, thei, the tree is shaken and experiments on a large scale to bring
the branches struck w. .1 long poles to r
cause the fall of the remaining fruit, them to their present perfection.
The few of them that may be found a These two fruits (taught the fancy of
Itttie moulded, 'iy a too long contact
with the earth, though good enough to the new coiners and hence their popu-
make good oil, are generally sot apart larity and the amount of time, money
when the low grade of oil is njade? i*t and skill lavished upon them. Tlu-> us compare this easy and rapid work, are both noble products, attracting wnere nothing is lost, with the picking ,
of grapes or the product of most ol the eye and palate, and are firmly fruit trees, which necessitates a certain ' rooted in the affections of the people,1 number ot hands at a given time, and , , * i,
requires special -ire so as not to spoil! PerhaPs too much so for the general part of it, while ihe fruit found on the ' good of the state, for to have it known
ES^bS". if n0t ei" abroad that the state ca° Produce only
"When the oil is made the residues, two fruits to perfection is injurious to
or™edTor"or™«rcl«tTherre^ its welfare, when the fact is there are thus not a farthing's worth of value in scores of other fruits and nuts that,
ulrVEd to Some'use?1"8 *"" ""* * "°* had they the Sam° caro alld a«ention, " The bitterness 'of the fruit of the would make California equally noted olive, of its bark and leaves, offers by :„ *.),„ wr>ri,i i,v their nroduetion itself a certain amount of protection l ' "•> l on-
against the attacks of insects and ani- , Among the neglected fruits we find
Eut-whtelt^VoiUdTe, ftr^from the , the °liw" •% tree is One of the most moist places which enginc-er most of [ liandsome tldgrOWS in tho state, but
SIS °te£bfc e^'as "&£ , th° fruit ls "Ot temPtinS tO the Palate that assail the vine, from the Oidium as picked from the tree, and requires
to tie Phylloxera, which alone, within ui-il] om] f>nlv> tn vnnke it m-irkptflblo the last twenty years, has brought bkl11 anU Car° ' mftKe ll maiRetabK..
do\v u the French wine production Oranges and grape.- can be picked and
from 85.000,000 hectoliters (about ,lnf llr)On the tiblp -it oner- re-iflv f,,t- •',0011,000,000 gallons) to 25.000,0 10 PUt UpO1
(about 625,000.000 gallons), and which: consumption, while the olive must un-
crops out slowly and relentlessly among dergO a process of preparation either our California vineyards.
-Dm -ing the excessively dry summers by pickling or compression into Oil
which are occasionally seen in parts of ancl jn either case the taste of the ma-
i'alfornia, when all the other agncult- .... . . . ,
nral nroduciions are affected and di- jority of people IS not educated up to,
minished in consequence, the olive tree, its U8e in either form, hence it is neg-'
this king of tne dry soils, where it vege- . ,
ttitcs best, will continue to be loaded lectea.
with fruit just as in the seasons most As a commercial fruit the olive takes
1^'S' st its true place in the world. When
eraiiy to valley land vineyards, seem to properly prepared it can be shipped i"KiS*a^i«*iBto»litSS *? market and consumed in any and best oil regions of Europe by excessive1 all seasons. Its production and pre- oold spells, which are absolutely un] paration requires skill and experience, known in our parts of California, sd but when that is attained, the owner that its culture, which offers great dan- of an oliye grove can truly say, as the jer there and keeps it from being more Italian proverb runs : "An oliveplanta- developed, presents an unquestionable .. • . _5 „ f
safety In Napa valley and such other t'°n ls a g,old mll"> on the surface of •sections where there is no danger of the earth.
>urh extremes of cold or hot weather, With the same care and attention both of which the olive tree fears to an| the orange and grape has received, eiual degree. the olive would prove equally as grof-
tinaliy, while an olive grove planted: ltaWe in thls section. One great dfaw- with one-year-old rooted cuchngs pays, , , , , ... , . otpknowled£re
when five or six years old, quite as uacK nas ' 'Yn ,me Iaolr,01 lowieu^e much as a vineyard of the same age; upon the subject and the scarcity of twice as much" when from seven to works treating upon olive culture,
ye:
the mo.s tution • Califor
fruit ti .
book, and that a careful perusal will repay anyone interested in horticul- ture.
Froir' losing chapter of the
.book we U the following:
In the lirt, ,, lace the hill, or mountain lands, di i,,d rocky, which appear to be ropitious 'for the robust consti- he olive tree, can be bought in at prices ranging much below *sary for the culture of other jr vines.
The cc. ,, of planting on such lands and : care of the trees during the first years will hardly reacb $5 per acre; the purchase of one year old rooted cuttings will not ex- ceed from $10 to $15 per acre, and the an- nual caro will be less than $5 per acre un- til the trees come to bearing, in four ori five years after planting the rooted cut- ting.
The machinery and appliances for pick- ing the olive and for making the oil are of extreme simplicity. Both operations can be done in a very short time and they are so easy that no farmer, with ordinary cleanliness and care, can fail in turning •out as good a product as obtained any- where else; while this is far from being the case in winemaking, which requires ^special knowledge, as well as long and te- 'diOus care before the product is in a satis- factory condition to be sold.
On an equal acreage, and when from 8 to 10 years old, the product of an olive grove will be worth several times that of a vineyard: and under the same volume the oil will be ten times more valuable than wine, so that it can De delivered in a more economical manner. While with a four horse team a farmer will deliver about 600 gallons of wine per trip, repre- senting a maximum value of $100, he can, with the same team, deliver olive oil to a value of over $1,000. What an economy ihis represents.
The gathering of the olive crop, too, is i very easy and cheap work. The berries ;hat have fallen to the ground are first picked, then the tree is shaken and the branches struck with long poles to cause1 ;he fall of the remaining fruit. The few )f them that may be found a little mould- ad by a too long contact with the earth ';hough good enough to make good oil, are eenerally set apart to be used only with ihe last pressures, when the lower grade of oil is made. Let us compare this easy and rapid work where nothing is lost, with the picking of grapes, or the product of most fruit trees, which necessitates a certain number of hands at a given time and requires special care, so as not to spoil part of it, while the fruit found on the ground is not marketable, if not entirely worthless.
When the oil is made, the residues or marcs, are used for fuel, manuring, or feed for horses or cattle. There is thus, not a farthing's worth of value in the product of the olive tree that is not turned to some use.
The bitterness of the fruit of the olive, of its bark and leaves, offers by itself a certain amount of protection against the attacks of insects and animals; and, when the tree is planted on hills, where it should be, far from the moist places which en-
wards, until, when about twelve to fif- ti-en years old, the tree reaches its full- bearing capacity, on what basis shall we calculate then the cash value of such an orchard? Were 1 to mention between $1500 and $2000 per acre many ie not fully ac,|uaiuted with this culture would consider it a gro.-'s exaggeration. If such orchards are worth over $1000 per acre iu Europe, where olive trees are liable to be frozen at frequent intervals, why should they not be worth more here on account of the absolute immu- nity of those trees against such danger? Do not also protective duties insure us better prices for otrr oil as they do for our wines? Should import duties ever be abolished on both products, which would sillier most, the oil that
at pvceupergalon wheh1 ismnrc'ihan double the value of the: ordinary wines in France? We wiir th ns see those prices of $1500 and J2000 per acre in California when ihe young live orchards planted within the last few years shall have given the full, i heir worth. Thev will con- lirm by their development the careful .lemuustrations I have endeavored to; jnaki: in Ibis .w.qrk._
now been met by turn to the Philloxera which alone, within Adolph Flamant of Napa, in a book of the last twenty years, has brought down nearlv a hundred pages devoted to the French wine production from 85,000,- this dne industry. This work is a very OUO hectolitres (about 2, 000, 000, 000 gal- valuable addition to the limited num- ions) to 25,000,000 (about 625, 000, 000 gal- ber of publications bearing upon olive 1,ons.) and which creeps slowly and relent-
iw^co-i wiTaf ;n «£ ^"^sssssrdV^ ss
r^nSfrn pmt^ular.yquaimed SSS^SS-ffS S&^tSii as an authority. productions are effected and diminished
The book treats in a plain and prac- m consequence, the olive tree the king of tieal manner of the soils and situations the dry soils, where it vegetates best will suited to olive cult,; re, with compari- continue to be loaded with fruit, just as in sons between California and tho lands the seasons most favorable to other onl- in which the olive has been cultivated "ires.
for thousands of years; the methods wjVhnonJ' ar o ^ gr°J? planted
of reproduction ; the different varieties " L"1 °° cuttings pays,
atom ; tho care'of the tree from plantj^^'^l^' 4"!^."?* a ing to maturity ; the cost of an olivojwhen from seven to eight years old a plantation; the diseases and insect ene-iuc.reases i,-um vear to yoar jts an " inies of the tree; the maceration of tho paying power toS.'ioo, $400, $500 per acre berries and the manufacture ol Uieand upwards, until, when about twelve' oil, with its uses and commercial to fifteen years old, the tree reaches its value in short, everything that is noc-'"" beanm? rapacity, on what basis shall essarv to know concerning the best^Sli??.'," «,e^Cre.cash value of such
to know couc.-i-ning the best "? «^'? „,__ . practical methods of olive culture jrJJ1^,','1^^ aci^ 7""°" California. We have no hesitation ir.fall' ao,luaiBtc(| with tuj " saying that this is a very valuabl(consia,. s oxaRKerat~ion."";,
;orchardsare worth over $1000 per acre iu be picked hastily when ripe; they must ccrteinamoitnt of protection againsf the Europe, where olivo -trees are liable to lie b pressed within a very short time; ''Hacks of insects and anjmala: ami, frozen at frequent intervals, why should ; ,_ when the tree is planted on I. ...a, where
they not be worth more here on account t> n not remain long, 1101 travel far ^ should be for from the .mo
of the absolute, immunity of those „ - .t experiencing damage and loss; wi,k-h enjender most of the priteotfvedutie. in8unrfuS better prices ; a,, if they are to be Dipped to some! fruit trees, it baa not t,, dread .sue! ' - She
trees against such danger? Do not also
E^^£sz£*S£«££5i TJ ~£ ;;;id" •,: ^-y~imo. t^ie enemies „ th0se that ,*aa u»
pZd0urctsd,^cTwo;fldabsu^r^n^,Te nopoli, 'or because Uere is no wine ^ne, from the Oidium to the Phylloxera,
oil that pays only 25 per cent on its value cellar "by, the cost of freight, dray- Yhich alone, within the last ' nty
paysfe^Uo^wnfcV^m^e^han ^' : ^age, short weight added to ,ears, has brought down the French
double the value of the ordinary wines in the cos.' of picking and delivering, ^ine production from 85,000,0&v, hec-
France? We will thus see that those prlc- abaorb a good part of the value of a ;olitres (about 2,000,000,000 gallons) to
w^h^'t^e ayo'un2g0oli>ve orchards planted product which sold last year at an aver- >5,000,000 (about 025,000,000 gallons)
within the" last few years shall have jage of $20 per ton, and which is most in,J which crops slowly and relentlessly
given ^e0'"1fl1nmej!;yurt(neirf dev'elopmen! likely to sel1 much cheilPer this coming 3n among our California vineyards.
theycareful°ndemonstrations I have en- season. During the excessively dry summers
deavored to make in this work. Qn an equal acreage, and when from ,vhich are occasionally seen in parts of
THE OLIVE. eiSnt to ten J'ears old« tne Prouuct of an California, when all the other agricultu
olive grove will be worth several times ra] productions are affected and dimin
that of a vineyard; and under the same 8hed in consequence,' the olive tree, the
A Plantation of Olives a Gold Mine on voiume the oil will be ten times more sing of the dry soils, where it vegetates
the Face of the Earth.
valuable than wine, so that it can be delivered in a more economical manner.
oest, will continue to be loaded with fruit, just as in the seasons most favor-
The Profits of Growing the most Valu- able of all Cultivated Trees— Adap- tion t» our Cl
While with a four-horse team a farmer ^ble to other cultures, will deliver about 600 gallons of wine The spring frosts, so disastrous gener- per trip, representing a maximum value any to valley land vineyards, seem to I of $100, he can, with the same team, have no effect on the olive. The tree is deliver olive oil to the value of over 3ften affected and even killed in the best.
A Mr. Flamant has just issued a work $100o What an economy this repre- 3ii regions of Europe by excessive cold on olive culture which is highly spoken tgentg_ Jpel|g) which are absolutely unknown in
of by such of the press as have been fur- Much less cooperage, too, will be re- 3Ur parts of California, so that its cul- nished a copy. For the benefit of our qu;re(j. Whereas, for a hundred-acre ture, which offers great danger there, friends who own land in the hills we v;neyard, room for 50,000 gallons might and keeps it from being more developed, give the concluding portion of his work, be calculated upon, 25,000 gallons wil] presents an unquestionable safety in and advise them to purchase the book: be all that can be expected from a simi- Napa valley and such other sections
In the first place the hill, or mountain jar acreage of olive trees, and as tin where there is no danger of such ex- lauds, dry and rocky, which appear tc tank8 and cans are mostly used, it will tremes of cold or hot weather, both of be the most propitious for the robusl CQgt ]esg Moreover, oil can be made which the olive tree fears to an equal constitution of the olive tree, can be from November to March, and sold degree.
bought in California at prices ranging 8bortly afterward to the merchant, who Finally, while an olive grove planted much below triose necessary for th£ w;]] ciarjfy it himself, so that by spread- with one-year old rooted cuttings pays, culture of other fruit trees or vines. jng over the time of making it, a maxi- when five or six years old, quite as much
The cost of planting on such lands mum of gooo or 10,000 gallons of such as a vineyard of the same age, twice as and care of trees during the first years packages will be sufficient. And all much when from seven to eight years will hardly reach $5 per acre; the pur- tnig can be done and stored in wooden old, and increases from year to year its chase of one-year-old rooted cuttings buildings of very moderate size, while a annual paying bower to $300, $400, $500 will not exceed from $10 to $15 per acre, wjne ceiiar should be built with stones per acre, and upwards, until, when and an annual care will be less than $5 or bricks, or be exposed to the danger of about twelve to fifteen years old, the per acre until the trees come to bearing, having the wine damaged or spoiled tree reaches its full bearing capacity, on in four or five years after planting the Curing the summer months, if it has not what basis shall we calculate then the rooted cutting. been sold before that time. cash value of such an orchard? Were I
The machinery and appliances for The gathering of the olive crop, too, to mention between $1500, and $2000 pickling the olive and for making the jg a very ea8y and cheap work. The per acre, many people not fully ac- oil are of extreme simplicity. Both berries that have fallen to the ground qua;nted with this culture would con- operations can be done in a very short , are grgt picked, then the tree is shaken 8ider it a gross exageration. If such time and they are so easy that no farmer, an[j tne branches struck with long poles orchards are worth over $1000 per acre with ordinary cleanliness and care, can to Ciul8e the fall of the remaining fruit. jn Europe, where olive trees are liable fail in turning out as good a product as The few of them that may be found a to be frozen at frequent intervals, why obtained anywhere else; while this is j little moulded, by a too long contact 8h0uld they not be worth more here on far from being the case in winemaking, witn the earth, though good enough toaccount of the absolute immunity of
which requires special knowledge, as make good oil, are generally set apart those trees against such danger? Do not aupll as long and tedious care before the to be used only with the last pressures, ajgo protective duties insure us better
done gradually from Novembi until picki, _ March. By allowing them to dry in most fruit trees, which necessitates)- a ,ent on ita value in the European the barn, "weeks can elapse before ex- certain number of hands at a given time^, [nariiet, or the wine that pays 50 cents trading the oil from them, which will an,[ requires spoeinl cure so us not to per ga]iOn, which is more than double able a former to attend meantime to 'spoil part oMt, while the fruit found on lne value of the ordinary wines in 're pressing work; but, if he so pre- the ground is not marketable, if «otprance? \vTe will thus see that those f he can do it at once. Moreover, if entirely worthless. prices of $1500 and $2000 per acre in
e has no oil crusher and press, he can When the oil is made, the residues, caijforrna when the young olive orchards hip his olives in sacks or boxes to any or marcs, are, used for fuel, m;iiiurmg,pi.lnte(] within the last few( years shall distance at a moderate rate of transpor- or feed for horses and cattle. There is, have given tlie fun measure of their ion considering the value of the thus, not a farthing's worth of value in worth, they will confirm by their de- oduct under a small volume, thus the product .of .the olive tree that is nO|veiOpment the careful demonstrations I avoiding the misfortune of becoming turned to some use. l,im, endeavored to make in this work,
prey of local monopolies. How The bitterness of the fruit of the olive. By a(iding to what precedes the in-
3
different -it is with grapes! They are to of -l(s bark ant
1 l.-av
hy itself «creuib)e longevity of the olive tree and
the immense consumfJfibn ' that
joyed by its product in all the civilized,ci)
11 the surpl
required for the successful cultivation of that tree which the Indians call "a mine on the surface of the earth." The meantemp' .-e for the year must be as warm as 57 jgs. 17-100. The mean temperature for the coldest month must be as warm at degs. 5-100, and at no time must th<- -ermometer fall and re- main at 18 degt «s below freezing.
E SHO'VINO MEAN TEMPEBATUBE IN OL^ ,'KODUCINQ BEGIONS.
1, th> 'urpose of comparing the1- above named pla- California with those of regions which the product of the olive is
40 cents per gallon, , mrnibi • '' $1? per tree. Fifty
parts of the world, it will be readily^ ,s Of average crop to the tree at understood why Columelle, Parmentier, twelve years from the planting of the and so many other famous agriculturists orchard would be a. low estimate ami of past and present generations have tliis amount would make six and a quar- called it "The first of all trees," and ter gallons of • ". Ellwood Cooper gets why the Italians, whose oil production $10 a gallon ic' .is oil. Increased pro- ±eeds that of any other country, have ^^ « ^^^ popularized the. proverb that we should gH PJ8J ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^_ never tire of repeating in California: [i(jlf'for expenses and interest on invest- " An. olive plantation is a -gold mine onjht ^^ and you have tjv, net Bum of $450 faceofllmeiH'lli." pur acre as net profit. Mr. Loop has
j^^THE^oj-fVE TJ f A^a / jbeen offered 80 cents a gallon for all the amom? the articles of the first agricnl-
The culture of the onW'i' (pickled olives he can prepara for market, tural and commercial importance, I
fruit-growing industry which is . Q{ the ^^ {uture whicb Wajt8 thc have compiled from Blodgetfs Climatol-
infancy in Santa Barbara a U 'culture of the olive on this coast there ogV the mean anuua 1 and the mean win-
the Pacific coast, yet we believe t i ^ ^ ^ doubt Wg are gtin in the ter%emp6ratures, as also the mean tern-
few years it will become one < ost imeutal -n f olive culture ^erature of the coldest month of the
important, as well as profitable B ^dg about where the raisin industry following prominent places m Italy,
horticultural enterprise with us, as it is ago.-Santa- Barbara 1,,^- HP*™. *«*«»" Franoe- *** and
with many countries in the south of j / / Palestine.
Europe, whose chief revenue is derived „ ouvic .
from the exports of olive oil and pickled
^lives. " Santa Barbara's production proacbing| we would again urge our within the past few months has just ,ner8 to Bet out olive cuttings. We don't1 doubled in value, which alone speaks for belicve there is any country better £ ^cj- its superiority over other oils. The San adapted to olive culture than Sonoma M.adHd.. Joaquin valley Ketua-res, in speaking of county. it grows from the cutting and the matter, says : The olive tree is dis- after the second year requires but little tinguished for its great longlivity and attention. It will grow for centuries and ^
vitality. A tree in the garden of the ^ear }ruit. It will thrive, too, on ^^^ KINI) OF 8OIIi THK OLITK BEO.UIBES. Vatican at Rome is said to be a thousand iand that will hardly produce anything This tree will grow in almost any soil years old. During the Greek revolution ela6) butj Oj course, the richer the land except that containing much moisture, the Turks cut down the olive trees and j lb_e more tbrjfty the tree will be. It will Marsh .tates "that it prefers a light burned the stumps, with the result that bear in this climate about as soon as thewarm ground, but does not thrive in
about four years, and when in rich alluvial land, and grows well on
jy \JLjl* Ei^fw *** ~*-f- • / ^
,1,,. ,,u*.n for tr,.., planting is a[.-
far- ,
Mesn of Mean of tern tempera- Derature for tuts for " year
tne winter
6D.05 60.03 69.03 28.03 (11.01 68.03 64.03 62.05 66.08
Mean tem- perature of the, coldest months.
"46.07 49.06 43.02 45.02 52.05 45.02 61.02 49.06 58.05
4K.OO 47.04 41.02 43.02 51.04 43.02 6302 47.04 67.C3
three years thereafter the shoots from
the scarred stumps commenced to give a crop.
It has generally been supposed that the olive rather prefers a rocky and somewhat barren soil, in Europe it certainly nourishes in places a cactus vould hardly grow, but Mayor Utt says mistake to presume that
plum, _.
bearing no ordiMftry a uit tree will equal hilly and rocky surfaces." Rernay days
it as to the constant yield or profit. And""** Jt thrives imd is mo9' Pro'ifio ,in there is another satisfaction about it^ry calcareous schistous.sandy and rocky pure olive oil is in such demand all over" natlons- The land must be natur- ",.„ ".,.-,.-_.i ,.,„„!,, »v,nf *^m ,•« ,irally or artificially drained. Its great
enemy is excess of moisture. It rejoices
the civilized world that there is nc
on barren soil
t is a great
,he olive can be grown
md without fertilizers.
.iberally and use it to
legree, supplant the lack of irrigation.
The olive is a voracious feeded, and will
. . . .
danger of a glut m the market
mechanical looseness of sandy,
) again, the pickled olives are m demancgravelly flnd gtony soil8! and jn freedom
f^iavciiy nun OWLLJ CHJIIO, 4*111.1 m J.J.C^U.ULU
everywhere. Again we urge our farmer! from fetaRnant nature." Brande states to plant olive trees. It is a handson* that it only growa well ,nd yle]da larfie ! i tree for shade, and in a few years froncropg uin a warm and comparatively dry 3 lime of planting, if you have a few acres climate." Dr. Robinson says; "It de- of them, will make you rich. Com lights in a stony soil, and thrives even mence with a few and increase as yoi On the sides and tops of rocky hills,
appropriate enough plant food during the vovf oider and wiser.— Petaluma Courier where there is scarcely any earth; herce
./* OLIVE OULTTJKE.
The Climate Required. The Kind of Soil in Which the Olive Will Thrive, and the Quantity of Hois- / ture .it Requires.
^^"' ' r^y . B. & BEDDING]
Geogra-
months of winter moisture to carry it nrough the dry summer season, provid- ed there is an abundant food supply ready for storage and assimilation. The Mission is generally recommended for oil and the European for pickling. The lat- ter is preferable for propagation, as the small limbs will serve for cutt'ngs, and. [BY THE LA' and will root where a Mis' jn ex.. Humboldt in his work on the ting will fail. European olives ripen two phical Distribution of plants, says that months in advance of the Mission olives/ the olive (Olea Europea) requires a Trees should be planted in an "f\hard climate of a mean temperature for the and cuttings in a nursery. Plan* Iessiveara8 warm as 57 degs. 17-100 Fahr- than thirty-six feet apart, or you wtl) re- enueit> nnd the mean of the coldest gret it in after year. Remember m month not to be below 41 degs. 5-100- plantin^that the olive root is more sen- The. area on the earth's surface with sitive to exposure than the orange. The * ' isotherm«l of 55 degs. are oompar- olive is easily budded or grafted, as there atlvely very limited where the mean of is no trouble in obtaining varieties.' the )ldest mon^ is but 16 degs. below Small, one-year-old trees can be bought for 25 cents or less each. The roots of trees should always be puddled before'
shipping, and great care taken against the coldest month must not bTTefow lure. The business of propagating 41 degs. 5-100, yet it will live and bear the trees should be left to the nursery- eight degrees more than the orange men, except in a case where a party can- Geo. P. Marsh, who has given much not afford to buy trees. auention 'to the habits and requirements
When it comes to profit, olive-growera of *'1's tree.says that when the themom- can show figures that should satisfy the eter falls to 1* degs. Fahrenheit, or 18 most exacting. Major Utt has an olive degs' bel°w freezlng.and remains -' this orchard of twenty-five bearing trees, P°mt for any considerable period, the Planted in orchard seven years to include' shoota are killed and the fruit of .' i 1886; the product from ten of them last ffcaS°n destroved- Thus, so far as R year was 7.VJ gallons of olives. He sold to ohmate> we haTe the condition!
mean f°r,t.he 7h°!e far- In this fl°n"8he8 a"d
the expression in the Bible, "oil out of the flinty rook." Hillhouse, in his ar: . ticle on the tree in Michaux's<SVh>a,says "The olive accomodates itself to al-l most any variety of soil, bnt it shuns ^.redundancy of moisture, and prefers loose calcareous, fertile lands, mingled with stones, such as the territory of At- tica and South of France. TLa quality' of its fruit is essentially affected by that of the soil. It succeeds in good loam capable of bearing wheat, but in fat lauds it yields oil of an inferior flavor, and becomes laden with a barren exu- berance of leaves and branches. The temperature of the climate is a consid- eration of more importance than the nature of the soil." Downing, in wri- ting of this tree in Southern Europe, says: "A few olive trees will serve foi the support of an entire family who would starve on what could otherwise be raised on the same surface of soil, and dry crevices of rocks and almost other- wise barren soils in the deserts, when planted, with this tree, become flourish- ing and valuable places of habitation.
ITS ADAl'TABILITY TO THE DBY PLAINS OI THE INTEBIOB OP THE STATE.
From this evidence it would seem tha( in the olive we have a tree that can bf grown on our dry plains and naked hilli sides. In the Eastern hemisphere itt limits of profitable cultivation are as fai north_ as the South of France, and as fai
Let us begin
the reproduction
'• rectly i- risk "(
south as Cairo, in Egypt. Wherever ot
He coast, from San Diego to Monterey, by th. and wherever in the interior of the State I4 muat be first understood that nu
within the limits of the temperature sta' ' ! 1? >rrowu hils U) bc gn>1
tpd fh<»-o ;<, „ ,f ,, " *' .otherwise remain a wilil tree,
ted, there is an annual fall of rain snf- givi- thus hut a poor and small pr-
ncent to produce barley or wheat-on '' l;" °« the other hand it i
rocky hills or sandy plains, when one, ' tm, .
rOOTPM fllia Tfdd ntill *-! *" ' * "" *3 IIIV-'IU V IK *_«1 V Li J . 11413 il t I • i ~ ". i i -'
.td this tree will thrive and bear, mor ..sting mMfr, resitts better cold j1'' be ir-vsplanted, winch will re. *or the valley, its extreme northern, weal .er, anePrriess delicate cm the j1 'te chances ot growth,
limit is at Redding, for at Fort Reddine clloice of sclil '" '•" those grown from v but twelve miles distant and with one X, . „£? "I^lyT useln'thc
,s of .urope. n the olive tree is so robust
oi.ivi: rri.TVRE.
on the ot' .Mid, li: pmced iii nursery .1, {.inference to much siuatler cuttings, their t:.j will be so developed, even only :.<ter a that through the medium of a -vuar °£ Stay therein, that it wi
: more vigorous, has a necessary -o cut it back when they arc
VnoCn i- Vurscr.v in >•
l i-li. <l
'•Tin' ;-I>( n I i
hundred and sixtee.i feet greater ele- oYive'rc^ vation, the meronry.in the thermometer J!u'
in
fell to 11 degs. in December, 1886 whi i b£ ""'«;-!»« little scrupulous, with --- ' w "i gard to the choice of soil, enjoys sucl- '
would be fatal.
THE OLIVE LIMITS IN THE SACBAMENTO, SAN JOAQUIN AND TULABB BASIN.
remarkable longevity, and has no c-\- cessive cold weather to fear in Oaiifor- nm. should it be raised by us from the
reduce ._. and
dst make them languid and n year or two. ilut the smaller- he cuttings, are when placed ,iurs;-ry Hie less will be the at transplantation within !i t disturbing thci- rneit system will necessarily ue h ss devcl- 'ped.
These smaller cuttings, fro., i six to is long, are generally raised
seed instead of the cutting, wh n by '"boss under glass, where they take 3 two lines starting from the first mode we have to wait ten o'r very readily; or in open ground in
Redding, which has an elevation of five
hundred and twenty-eight feet, one on fotlr or nve years by the second.
twelve years for the product again-:! !"lri;'ry when from eight to twelve-
inches long; but there their growth is
the west side of the Sierra and the other
on the east side of the Coast Hange,grad-
ually ascending as latitude is decreased
until they meet at Fort Tfcjon, in the ti'.
Tehachape mountains at an elevation of
3,240 feet, we would have the probable of reproduction.
Moreover," grafting which becomes very precarious. When ready for indispensable wh.fr ihe tree is raised !r,a!',sPIaIltatl011 within a year the
jHui>.ucii»Huic wujgr iue tree is ruiaeti ------- ' ** " c>1* me
frolu the seed, giving it thus additional whole root system can be taken with vi or, cim iu-t >ts v.'tll, if so d-sitvd, be '•'"-' so" adhering to it and placed in a- lied to the tree grown from the : '.'- lho ground without disturbing it, and
•
without losing therebv the ad- '•specially derived from this'last mode "
I consider this fast twho pronounce, himself in portance, for it is
without exposing' it to
ast point of great im- well known that all
limits in the Sacramento valley and ad-i favor of the s'ced,YeIl's"us"that"t'h'c. plant cve-rs.een trees, whoso vege jacent mountains below which the olive has to remain at least seven years- in ''early always active, are of a i
tation is
nursery, and that • fter oei'iig grai'ted h cult transplantation. The slightest e;^
re. mires three more years before it be- P°»ure of their roots tothea;r render
gins to bear fruit tue starting in their new places very
Hevnaud tells us also that he hag doubtful. Any one who has had occa-
Ihis tree when once planted, is plan- g<.en'in I- ranee, inlthe county of \r- "ion to transntot eucalyptus, laurels,
could be successfully cultivated.
ANTIQUITY OS THE OLIVE.
ted practically forever. Some trees in Europe still bearing, from the record of the tax-roll, are knov n to be older than four hundred years. It stands neglect and abuse, but repays neglect by onlj bea-ing on alternate years. In the South of France by cultivation and pruning it bears every year. It can be propagated from cuttings of the branches of roots, from layers, from suckers, from the little knots or excrescences that form on
the tree near the ground, called by the
dechc, as al:'ei
-
annes and in the
--- <lr~— — I ™
?»«« trees', etc., must be acquainted tins tact.
Jiyera islands, olive trees raised from seed; that they were ready to bt
grafted, but that this result had re- jrv"*' —
quired seven years. He, however, adds he I 'Mifcnix Herald, giving a few stnsi-
thai. the reproduction of the tree by 1'ie hints on the setting out of an orange
seed has boon found so slow that it orchard:
* ' TVi
o!';ill tiv<-s" i- i-c.-civillfr !i! dl' n'lrnl'uin ill N;>)i:i To Ml'. Ailolpllr I1 'I:llil 'lit
cri-ilit iniisl In- <;'ive>ii liy our peopj lor v;iln;il)U' lessons Icaninl in ee>n- ii.-clion willi olivi- culiiii-c. If'' <-s- t;ilili.slicd :in olive jtliiillMtioil oI'li.niM) lives near this i-ity :intl sU]iiileineiit- eil this pi'Mi'liral |iieci- ol' \voi'k wirli a mealy little volume treath HIP various liranehes of the ni; iluslry. He went liaeU to (lie
ginning of creation mi'l ealleil aiieii-nt < ireeee to show that si, Tile lands and sioiiy hills .Irli^iil to be covered with the hardy and perennial olive tree." To verify the statement he pointed (., his own i-oeky hills and the vigorous lives' lliev uiv wrowiiis'. 1 le has a nursery la-re- ami furnishes cutting and ad- viee win-never called upon. I
This much l>y way of iiitnxluein.';1 another uvnileinan veis.'d in olive cultnve to the community. .Mr. .). A. Canl'u-ld, lately from the east,
l.e-1
on
•the
' "'insupiiortof this theorv I extract hav|nB reC.Clltl-V P""*^^ ''"''''" the foi lowing from a recent article of of nicely situated l.md in Hanson :
seems pueni-i to have recourse to it.
Aruoureux affirms that this method is of nfi excessive slowness aud of very little practical use.
The greatest care must be exercised fu transplanting the orange not to al- •'>w the small thread-like roots of the ire-* to become dry, lor the moment
. ,
Charles Ktienno and Liebault concur they do so the tree is gune. The routs in saying that it istime and money lost Fuust u« carefully dampened till the to employ this method. trce is safe in the grouncf. This is one
In Elwood Cooper's treatise on "' the most important items to be ob- olive culture we also tind that when the Served in transplanting."
The olive is just as delicate to handle
T,-. , . - - ,, -
Italians uavoh, and from the seeds
the fruit. When the latter are used
pulp should be removed from the ripe
olive, and the seeds soaked for twenty- .
four hours in strong lye, to soften them. Kiomlet explains to us how the nil precautions will not always secure
They should be planted in a sheltered young olive tree, raised from seed de- success
veloiis always a long tap-root, which The small trees, when one year old,
place, and the ground occasionally wa- constitutes its principal and often its will develop with astonishing vigor
tered. Planted in this State in Feb- only support; and that when trans- when planted in their permanent sites.
their tap-roots will sink rapidly; they ...:„ _.._. .....,._... - "' ing, drought
more than
narv, the younc trees would make their planting it to a permanent site, aft*r a their tap-roots will sink rt
„. long stay in a nursery, the cutting 01 w"l stand, without sulfcn
appearance m July. The tree can be, s^$ tapfroot . which then becomes in- and hot weaker, and not _.
grafted or budded in every method used1 dispensable, inllicts upon its system n one 'n two or three hundred will fail to
on the apple or pear. , serious injury from which it is likelv Srow.JSotonly had I occasion to verify
1 pear.
OOLTUHE OF THE OLIVE TKEE.
to sufler for years.
It setins thus established that the olive irce grown from the seed — which
does not come to the limit of full age for twenty-five or thirty years.
this, but I have also observed that when so planted, without experiencing any amputation eif their roots and branches, they will overtake in life and
It commences bearing in six years but •
J ts the method most generally followed
fruit-: in the regions of Europe where the vigor beioretwo or three years those The severe winters experienced occasion- winch, planted older ami larger, have
avfiraoo nrodnct for each tree iq stated all.v raake it desuuble to render the had to Undergo the mutilations which average product I d, ^ ^ ^ ^ possible-has to be are rendered necessary by their greater at from ten to fifteen pounds of oil. kept about seven years in nursery, and oge and a consequently more developed When planted for an orchard, ihe trees that at its transplantation it will e'xpe- root system. are placed fifteen or twenty 'feet from rlenue » sevcre cheek which will be th</ ^>J^^«el" *'>oai em -»v»- each other. Pruning increases the pro- duct, and causes the tree to yield an- nually, as, like the vine, it bears fruit upon the wood of the preceding year.
->i « 1 1 j norj^tc VYHU iiu t tj UUL ' "ill fJ TI 11
Cultivation of the grounds is not esseu- studfed olive culture seem to believ 1>ac y " n™ nSra at age is attain tial, but it increases the product. After) that this is an inevitable result. \V scarcely a limit to the life of the tree, the thousands of vears that the olive had shall see by further explanations th;; ;!', lielieved to hft 2000 years old.
01 yea lit is not The i-oot system never wholly elies, and con-
been cultivated, a few varieties have jA,t us pass now to the consideratioi st;llltl.v "'-ilds up suckers that', in a state of ua-
,
Is it then at all surprising that a ha! orchard will 5ive a paying erop, and there w
generation should pass before the oliv. be a small yield for a vear or tw ha^ot - 8* -™ " ^^ ™01 ..... 8e
of nicely
Addition lo Xapa, west- of the Co House, has built thereon a jda.->- covered building 15x36 tv-er in si/.e for propagating tlie olive. The in- terior shows a "line of boxing ilowu the sides and one end, th<- height <
i which when filled wiih sand is ih-H of an ordinary table. The In. twelve inches deep, perforated al th| bottom with holes and rilled witji line. Sai) .loae|iiin sand. In this
: sand a number of hands were busy yesterday planting I'.",'""1 cuttings 'jusi received from Hie nursery of \V. A. ila.Mie, Jr., in Santa Barbiira county. Ass i as these ciutiiit;-
aiv rwidy for transplanting they wd:
! IK- set oiit in nurserv on ground pre pared for them. Mr. Can field Iue taken pains lo M-CUIV the very cholffl est cuttings and is eontident that the olive indtistrv will prove <-ne o: the most popular and lucrat known to Califoniia horticulture It makes possible Ihe utilization < hill'-ides heretofore considered reii ami promises rich, returns lho>e who follow it.
Mr. I'anlield will build a horrt for himself and family on the f\« which is also lo serve as a mns.\ •ind permanently settle here, are glad to welcome him : and to sjftV I here is room Who would deyvl.
before tl!' resouiyes.
1 produced. Where Du Broulli Keynaud and 'many othi
young trees are raised from the seeds, that a cutting coming from "an oiiv« they are invariably budded or grafted trt« ;hat has been grafted, and of gooi
orange
during
remain a source of
revenue for haulier tree than the
, from some of these well-known varieties, \ \°V™. orilI1Sc' U Avi11 |-tu1"1 ten "r nvl'lvo more
the chances are very remote that ?u, "from grafteTfre^ i^ ^ derive >r"OK °f,C?>'nn?C
. • - -ri\<. vation Of 2000Seetormo
ii'anicil up to an ele- •without tlie least
ve ,>nn
,,. • v-fi »u -<. vation Of 2000eetormoi , without
from a thousand seedlings one would be 're-ma point below the place where ,iaugel. Of injury li-om cold, and the
found of equal value to those now cul-lfc'';,,',1" . this state seems to be entirely unaff
found of equal
THE OLIVE
Some Practical Hints Unon
t^.-Adoiph fl«mknt f is
"
Pro
I •-
cutting, sucicers
th'e ramined
oot from the trunk
crop in
ima outu^ n^cuin tvi w i ti^relv unatfected bv
These cuttings can be made fk«ft.06t. The blossoms apnearlbout the lirst of those of a vine or any other cuttinsr, May.
only witfi this difference that the, olive An olive orchard is -nucli easier and much tree being an evergreen, one or more cheaper to establish than an orange orchard, sets ot leaves should ba loft on. Hooted olive cuttings one y.-.ar old can b.-
It IS dilheult safely to cut, the large, lun^ln fur 1.1 < ( nts e'aoli. or thereabouts, wliih: truncheons, because, when i JM from a first-class orange tree i-osis at least $1-10. - die tree or even when cut .1 litile t6 The orange demand the olive needs
Ireshen the buU end at plantation, none, there is danger of crusl: ,g the bark, which has -'
- -nip.
A note in the Alameda comity items of the /I'M recently says that three-year-old, olive trees, transplanted two years ago iuto( tbe orchard of Hubert McGlasher,, Live,-1 more Valley, are this season bearing olives.
In Europe the minimum bearing age ot the olive is seven years, and in some of the Mediterranean olive regions the tree is bar- ren until ten and fifteen years old. In such circumstances the times of waiting for a crop is too large a section out of a mans life and the planter of a new orchard u working for posterity indeed, since others must eujoy the fruit of the tree whose bloom he is not to see.
ID California the olive partakes of the procreative precocity which inner* in oul climate and physical conditions. Bat a- far as vegetable life is concerned, this pre cocity is associated with longevity. Th< peach in this State will bloom within the year that it germinates in the stone, 1ml the tree is practically immorial. We know peach orchards here that are thirty years old, and the trees bear annually with vigor and excellence undimiuished. The rich earth and elements of the air stimulated by sunshine seem to furnish a store of inex- haustible material for the support of plant and tree life. Therefore, while the olive is precocious, there is no reason to doubt that it will reach the age of those trees in Pales- tine which have a record of twenty cen- turies.
The olive growing area of California is ' vast. The slopes of the coast range and foothills of the Sierras, as well as lh(* minor valleys, all seem kindly to it.
From San Francisco we look over the bay upon the Bemi-circle of mountains which wall in Oakland. Their sides are bare except for occasional groves of euca- lyptus and bay trees. But upon those mountains Joaqum Miller has planted the pioneer olive orchard of nearly two thou- sand trees. They have net been in the ground a year, nor a half a year, but they have blus.iomed and fruit is upon them. It would greatly interest an olive grower to visit Mr. Miller's trees on that bald mountain side and see the sprightly, thrifty growth they have made. They seem to foretell the time when the summits which over hang the bay will be crowded with olive groves, and the picturesque moun- tains will receive new beauties, wedded to a utility now unknown.
--*-:
ie Views of a California Expert.
New Varieties Growing in This State.
His Notes on the Growth and Be- havior of Sixteen
Varieties.
WASHINGTON, August 22.— The Depart- ment of Agriculture has issued a number of bulletins showing the record of experi- ments in agriculture at the different sta- tions that have been established through- out Che country. At the California sta- tion experiments have been conducted for lime on olive varieties. The follow- ing is a brief introduction by Director Hil- gard of this station on an elaborate report by W. G, Klee, who has been managing the experiments. "The increasing prominence of olive culture in this State gives im- portance to all light that can be thrown upon the subject, the more so as the slow growth of the tree renders mistakes made in the selection of varieties both costly and difficult of rectification. It is, there- fore the intention of the station to sub- ject both the growing trees and the fruit and its products to the most thorough comparative observation and investiga- tion as quickly as the material shall be obtainable. In the mean time the observa- tions of Mr. Klee are of sufficient prac- tical importance to justify their publica- tion at the present time.
"Some have the impression that the oil of the kernel or pit forms a considerable pro- portion of the product, but the investiga- tion of this point made by L. Paparelli upon the common olive of central Italy showed this proportion to be as one to thirty, T, hile in the Mission olives, noted for the rarity of sound kernels, the pro- portion was found by A. I). Sommer of the university as 1 to 102. Hence, to the oil-maker as well as to the consume? of pickled fruit, the data given will be of sonic interest. The account of the observa- tinns made by Mr. Klee relates to the growth of a number of varieties of olives during several years.
"This is, of course, only the beginning of observations which will be continued for years to come. Nearly all the varie- ties enumerated arc ing at the four different experiment stations, namely, Berkeley, Paso Robles, Jackson and Tu- lare. Those at Berkeley were planted five years ago, while those at the other sta- tions were set out only a year ago, and if value. Obser- vations of the varieties growing on the 1 'alifornia nursery at Niles and at the Fancher creek nursery, Fresno, were also made through the courtesy of their respective manapers.
The tabular record gives data for sixteen varieties, their age at planting, whether cuttings or grafts, diameter of stem or crown, height and habit of growth and bearing at Berkeley and elsewhere. Notes of measurements of fruits, etc., are also given for thirteen varieties and notes on the growth and the general behavior fo* eleven varieties.
'
10 la.'t SrxiMY CniiONiri.E thrrc
'•scnte'i mi interesting array of
oncerning tha cultivation of the
orange and the lemon in California. A
pofflplete summary was Riven of what
.:en accomplished since the first
desultory experiment.-) were made in
'the production of those fruits upon a
'•reial basis, and much that was
:id interesting was brought out.
In this issue sketches are given of thu
know nothing of the great develop- ment going ou her« or at best have the most vague idea of it. For these the subjoined chapter.) will be found full of interest and worthy of more than passing notice.
THE OLIVE.
Frnit Which Is ll»pidly Becom- ing R General Favorite. The olive, like the grape, has occu- pied a prominent place in the history of the human race from the earliest times. The Bible, as well as all other ancient history, is filled with references to the olive and its producti, and it re- quires no great stretch of the imagina- tion to believe that this tree was fore- most among those which were given to mankind in the Garden o! Eden at the creation, with the command from God: " Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which is the iruit of a tree yielding seed ; to you it shall be for meat."
The supposition that the olive was one of the earliest and most favored fruits of the human race, and that its
i that has been made in the | cultivation became widely extended is
teuHivalion of the olivo and the fig. Although the introduction of these \YBS coincident with th»t of the ', not so much has been accom- 1 in the extension of their culti- Nevertheless a great deal of and experiment has been de- to both branches of horticulture, :SJA conservative but far-see rig men »re now of the opinion Hint in Be olive and the fig California 31 ere long find a source of ^^Hht second to none other. Re- •vkable success has attended tin- -.'.ion of both these fruits, and in th;j history of fruit-growing 6n this coast baa there been such a general interest taken therein or so ex- (• an area devoted for the first io their production. For these is tho present is an opportune ur presenting as briefly as possi- •jtateuieut of the demonstrated n relation thereto, both for the ^Krmation of thoae already partially BEilur with the subject and for tho
further attested by the fact tnat when, after the flood, Noah sent out the dove, in order to ascertain the situation of affairs outside, the bird brought back in its beak a freshly plucked olivo leal.
In this connection it is of inter- est to note that the olive has the honor of being one of the two fruits that are first noticed by name in the ]<ii;l«, and that all through, the an- nuls of the prophets, as well as of the Now To.-tament writers, frequent rices are made to it. Next tu the olive and the fig in this respect is the grape, and it is evident that, so far as this era is concerned. Noah was the pioneer in the cultivation of those fruits, just as he was of the vine.
From that period down to the present tir.ie the olive has never lost ils hold on the affections of the people of thoae countries where it is at homo. There are millions living to-day whose chief
figures with reference . to the area de- . voted to the cultivatihn of this tree The shores of the Mediterranean have - from the very earli.-st commencement ' been the center of the world's olive orchards. Bpain is the lending coun- ' try in this branch of horticulture, hav- ; .ing the immense area of 3,000,000 acres devoted to it alone. Italy has ' about 2,300,000 acres and France about SeO,000 acres. There are in Tun!*, on Ci*.southern shores of the Mediter- ' mott'ja, over 4,000,000 olive trees. Al- fcsHii has 3,000,000, Syria has more millions of them than lias ever been tstimote<l, while in Greece, Turkey and Asia Minor the olive is more abundant than any other variety of fruit.
Besides this immense area of culti- Tated groves, there are vast numbers Of wild trees, the fruit from which, While of inferior quality, IB utilized to a large extent by the poorer classes of. »atives, whose almost sole dependence ; It is for food. i
has at all ages been held is shown by the fact that even when conquering armies have despoiled cities and over- thrown the fairest, monuments of man's handiwork, they have frequently spared the olive groves, so that there are now actually in existence trees which are credibly supposed to date back to the commencement of or even prior to the Christian era.
The Greeks venerated tha olive to such an extent that it was dedicate,! to their goddess Minerva, while under the Old Testament dispensation olive oil was his: lily esteemed and made to play an important part in the religious cere- monials of the temples. The Biblical history is full of allusions to the olive, and an idea of the important part pl.-iyed by that tree in those times can be gathered from the legend told by one of the prophets, in the Book of Judges, wherein the trees are allege,! to have chosen a king to rule over them, and the choice tell upon the olive, which, however, refused the honor, saying: "Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over -the trees?" In the early sacred writings not included in the Scriptures are many allusions to the olive, which has indeed been held in great venera- tion by all Christians because of the intimata connection of the famous Mount of Olives, nt Jerusalem, with the life and death of the Savior.
Beginning with the twig brought to Nonh by the dove as a token of the cessation of the divine wrath, the olive has at all times been regarded as the emblem of peace. It was in the most ancient times an object of adoration among the heathen, whose altars and
article of food, as of their forefathers | temples were decorated with carrc.t for centuries, is the olive and olive oil. representations of the folinge and fruit ..MS be ruori readily
I of the tree, while the use of the olive branch as a toktn of friendly feeling is so old that its origin cannot be ( and nothing is more common to this day than to speaK of an antagonist as extending the olive branch, thereby signifying a willingness to abandon enmity for friendship.
The olive, in short, is surrounded with a halo of mystery and veneration such as pertains to no other fruit in the world.
But it is with the practical rather than the poetical or imaginative side Of olive-growing that the people of ( »l- ifornia are most deeply interested, though it must be confessed that the study of the ancient history of. the tree is , one of great fascination. Leaving that branch of the subject, however, it is apparent to all who have kept track of the development of horticulture in < 'al- ifornia within the past ten years that the time is rapidly approaching when olive culture will ba one of the princi- pal and most lucrative industries in this State.
The Spaniards brought the olive with them from their native land and found that the soil and climate of Mexico were partioulary adapted to the growth of the tree. Apparently it was those who bad in charge the re- ligious concerns o! the new-come™ who took the greatest interest in those experiments in horticulture an 1 agri- culture which have develops! so mar- velously in this portion of America, for no sooner had some new outpost of the church been established in the wilderness than at once orchards, vineyards and gardens were planted, which were tha forerunners of a growth of which the old padres, far- sighted and wise as they undoubtedly were, had not the slightest conception. When the project of establishing a rhnin of missions extending along the entire length of the Pacific coast was tirst undertaken each of these missions was made the means of spreading the cultivation of the fruits and vegetables that were so dear to the hearts of the expatriated pioneers.
The first of the Lower California missions was established at Loreto in the latter part of the seventeenth cen- ' tury, and as soon as possible various fruits were planted, among which was the olive. This was in IT'.'l. thereafter other missions were estab- lished, and at all o( them olives, figs and other fruits wet. successfully.
Toward the latter part of the eight- eenth century the missions in \v' now called California were menced, and here, too, fn. kept pace with other improven At *.m Die.rro, San Luis Key, S-an Juan Capisttano, San Gabriel, San Fer- nando, San Buenaventura, Santa Bar- bara, banta Ynez, !-an Luia Obispoand elsewhere olivo trees and other fruits were planted and flourished. The earliest visitors to the coast from other parts o! the world wrote entl. tically of the grapes, olives, 15s; other fruits with which they were re- galed at the missions.
San Diego was foun.l to be partk larly well adapted to the olive, and both at the mission of that name ana at San Luis Hey, were large orchard: at the Utter place several hundre acres were covered with olives, whic* have long since been destroyed. The olive orchard at San Diego was planted in 1709, and was undoubtedly the par- ent of all the others in the State. ISuO, when just 100 years old, trank Kmiball. the well known o of National City visited it, aud Sound
over
been u •>•.<! in the worst manner poisi- i bie for a long time, yet the earth was ill a duck mass of the siones from i!'6 iruit tliai had for years gone to waste, but which demonstrated the extrajruiuary productiveness of the trees. From this grove were taken numerous cuttings which were utihized in the establishment of olive planta- tions in other localities.
The history of the olive groves at the other missions has Been similar to th it of San Diego. At Santa Barbara there was a large grove but it was suffered to fail into decay, and now but a few trees I »"S left of what vas once a fruitful or- chard. A good work, however, was done by the plantation before it went to ruin, in furnishing cuttings for the noir famous Cooper olive urovns near by. After the secularization of the missions, the olive and other frait trees were neglected and rapidly fell into decay, but it is a proof of the in- heront tenacity and vigor of the olive, that it long survives after the other less hurdy fruits have become but a mem- ory.
Kven now there are numerous ,;n.rled, battered trunks remaining, which, in spite of years of maltreAt- mcnt, still bear fruit from season to season as an evidence of what thev would willingly do for man if afforded the slightest encouragement.
After the abandonment of the mis- "sions little was heard of the olive until the general interest taken in the various branches of fruit culture be- tween IS iO and 1370. That period was signalized by the thorough inoculation of Califormans with the belief that the gold mines were to occupy a secondary p.'.-ice to the farms, orchards and vine- yards of the State, and in the dis- cussion that ensued many opinions were hazarded as to tho.se branches of horticulture and agriculture which were destined to prove the most last- ing and profitable. The cultivation of the grape, orange and other fruits re- ceived a great stimulus at this time, while the olive was almost entirely neglected. Little was known about the proper methods of cultivation or of extracting the oil and making pick- Jos of the fruit, and as a natural con- sequence other industries concerning which there was no apparent mystery od ihe larger share of attention Ihere were a few persons, however ,-ho had become interested in olive ulture. largely from noting the re- sults that had been achieved about the ussion establishments, and amon- ie3e were Khvood Cooper of Santa arbara and the Kimball brothers of ban Diego. to whom California owes the greater portion of its development in this branch.
In 1872 Mr. Cooper set out several thousand cuttings from the old trees Santa Barbara Mission The totality chosen for the orchard was mesa between the ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains, about seven teen mile? west of Santa Barbara citv and a variety or soils was selected in order that a thorough test might be '»ade in this respect, so as to avoid ture mistakes. It may be mentioned ; this point that the general testimony long experience is that a light, well- ined sou is essential for the produc- •on of the best results. Damp soil is especially to be avoided, while, as with vines, the better lluvoreJ fruit and oil ara produced on l,Kht soil without a nindance of moisture There tli3 Cooper property olive trees thriving equally well in black adobe in Jeep bottom lands, in sandy soiMn atony and adobe hillside, and in table lands with a clay subsoil.
Mr. Cooper had traveled and read extensively and was thoroughly
to success in olive culture
never' a luMli««* «»«»<«*«*« nev< a moment apparently when
»>• woll.fouadgLJjL.heu" • - _?_ j|_j >_*M^B|niv
•Ue plant-US oniis flr,t trees .all crop of fruit was produced, from which oil of a high quality . was made. At seven years of a-'e | n cnrefui test was made of the product of the entire plantation, and it was found to average 122 pounds of iruit to each tree. From W\4 to 12 V£ pounds were required to make a single gullon of oil. Kach tree at seven years from tiie cutting thus produced ten bottles of oil, which were sold at $1 a bottle, though since then the price has been exactly doubled, so great has been the demand. Mr. Cooper's first orch- ard was set out at the rate of about 100 trees to the acre, which would thus give a product of $1UOD gross from an acre at the first figures inenlioned, or Jl'OOO by those since established. These are the acuial figures given by the largest olive-grower in the Stato as the result of his personal experience, and ought to be enough to convince any one of the possibilities that are inher- ent in the olive tree.
No one will maintain that olives planted under all sorts of conditions and subjected to all sorts of methods of treatment will yield so large a re- tuni as this. It must be remembered that ths Cooper orchard is in a very favorable location, and that it has been cared for in the best possible manner, and has had the benefitof all the ctudy and experience that can be brought to boar upon it. Besides, it is of course evident that with the increase in sup- ply no such prices can be main- tained for any length of time as those quoted. But even granting that the oil should some time in the future be sold for us little as 50 cents a bottle (and that is hardly possible), and that the average olive grove should not bear so quickly and so largely, still it must be apparent that the industry cannot help being highly profitable under any circumstances.
When it is remembered that the supply of olive oil, though amounting to hundreds of millions of gallons an- nually, is not nearly eu.ua! to the de- mand, and that as a consequence mill- ions of gallons of cotton-seed and other oi;, are used as adulterants t can readily be seen that there i slight prospect that prices will ever become so low as the lowest figures mentioned. If California I oil should be produced in such qnan- I titles that the price realized by Mr ' .ooper were reduced 50 per cent, the consumption in the arts as well as for ood would increase so rapirllv that a lower lirm, would hardly be reached. At present olive oil is scarcely uved bv the Americans as food, while pickled olives are eaten only |a» a relish bv a tew. But when the superiority of olive wloyer the imported or fraudulent J'Uer. and lards that are so freely u?ed is hotter understood,
"' esma.l y ^ *' then inst™' he small quantity of oil now used
rt™™^*™?^**?^
roves in California will reap the re- i df«? w.h";n.t')ey are justly entitled ! •1 for which they are now preparing, i Scarcely less profitable th.,,, the pro- •ct.on of oil i, the conversion of the iwmto an article of food by pickling? •itia erroneously called. The olive ts natural state.it is almost unne- :.«ry to ,Maia, is so tilttor >«
"™a »s to be unpleasant to the,
pickling process consists in the re moval of that taste by the application •i e. In order to gratify the taste of lose who regard the olive simply as a
palt'emeMt08iVe afiUpt° "»WeS palate, it is customary to gather the fruit while green, and then put it through the pickling and leaching process. The native to the mannef born, who use, olives as a staple arUcle o food, very sensibly waits until the
" ^'"''ture before preparing it for use When mlly ripe much of the
acnd.ty of the green fruit is gone. Te
olives are then pickled, and in this con- dition have a most delightfully ar<i-
An olive tree.
matic and nutty flavor, and may be consumed in large quantities.
The ordinary green pickled olive re- quires considerable education of the ta<>te before it is thoroughly appreci- ated, but not so with the ripe fruit. In all the olive growing countries of Europe the natives preserve the best of health and foilow the most laborious occupations upon a diet composed at times exclusively of bread and ripe olives. From actual experi- ence the writer can testify that a most satisfactory repast can be made from these two articles, and that olives so prepared can be consume! in large quantities daily without palling upon the taste, and at ihe same time with the most beneficial influence upon the health. A fair profit can be realized from the production of pickled olives, the price in California averaging about 50 cents a gallon. At twenty years of age olive trees in this Stato have pro- duced 150 and 200 gallons each, though that is a high estimate.. Yet with a much lower production the profit can- not fail to be satisfactory, while with a more general understanding 01 the de- licious character of the ripe fruit, its consumption can be largely increased. / Coincident wit), the experiments so successfully made by Air. Cooper at Santa Barbara, large plantations of olives were, made at National City, San Diego county, by the Kimballs, who are widely known for their connection with the development of olive culture on this coast. The old Mission trees allorded the foundation for these or- chards, and under the same amount of care equally favorable results I'-.ve been obtained at National City in the production of oil and pickled olives, which have brought most satisfactory prices.
The successof these experiments in Santa Barbara <ind San Diego coun- ties has been such that the planting of orchards on a large scsle has been un- dertaken all over the State. Because the original mission orchards, as well as those of later date which have been mentioned here, were all grown within the influence of the ocean moisture, and therefore without the aid of irriga- tion, or at best with only slight assist- ance in that shape, the idea was long prevalent that the olive would only thrive near the coast, and that it was useless to attempt its cultivation in the interior. This has now been proved to be entirely erroneous. While the olive thrives near the coast and with- out irrigation, so aUo does it reach per- fection in the interior, whore artificial moisture must be depended upon. It is indeed one of the few fruits which may be said to be generally. adapted to the whole of California. No essential difference cc.1 ilheolivei:.
Diego and of MI- :>oma and
:.n 1 of the lower slopes Oi :....- .
Oi'rt nil press.
every county of the State, except those located almost entirely in the upper j Sierra, the olive is now being success- fully grown.
During the last five years there has been an especial impetus given to dive culture, and the demand for yo'ing trees and cuttings has at times been greater than the supply. Thousands of acres of orchard have been planted in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo,
Monterey, Placer, Butte and other counties. The fact that soil which was not particularly adapted to other fruit would produce olives of excellent quality in large quantity has made this a favorite in the foothills and in places where there were natural diffi- culties in the way of the successful cultivation of many varieties of fruit, and as a consequence the area now de- voted to olive culture is very consider- able. No accurate information has ever been collated upon the subject, and even those who have made the cultivation of the olive a specialty are entirely at sea as to the probable area ot the olive groves of the State. It is, however, probably well within bounds to st te that by the close of the present season there will be at least 30,000 acres in existence, of which, of course, but a very small proportion is in bearing.
Coincident with ihe great interest I taken in the cultivation of the olive, | there has arisen a large amount of dis- cussion as to the respective merits of the several varieties of the fruit that have been introduced nere. Mr. Cooper and other pioneer growers have achieved their success from the culti- vation of the mission ojive alone, ami therefore are not disposed to en superiority to any other. The fuci that oil flora the mission oiivc <• ready sale at from $10 to $12 a gallon and that the demand vastly exceeds the supply, while the imported oil noes not bring more than half as much, is cited as 'it least illustrating most favor- ably the estimation in which our pro- duct is held. When better results shall have been secured from other varieties, then the defenders of the mission fruit will doubtless be willing to make concessions, but not until then.
The principal competitor of the mis- sion variety is the Picholine, for v various points of excellence are claimed. One of these is its early maturity by comparison with the mission, but tests made side by side do not sustain the claim, and it is more than probable that locality is a large factor in deter- mining the time of maturity. This jt*a is supported by the well-known Tact that tnere is from six weeks to two months' difference in the<', ripening of the same varieties of other fruits in various parts of the
other uirieties besides those have t:een introduced, but these combine the bulk of the orchards at present in exist. Like every other fruit, th iis encmi. •.», u- d '.hose who engage i:
ils i-uUivation must expect to lie i-ailsd upon to combat them. The worst of these, in fact about tlie only one wliic.h lias caused rain h trouble so far, is the black scale. The correct reme- dies for this evil, however, are easily ascert unahlc, and by diligence in their application the trees may be preserved from loss. Happily, the pest con lines its ravages Inr^uly if not exclusively to the region that i.s subjected to tUe in- liuencc of the fogs and moisture of the ocean, so tbat those whose orchards are situated in the interior valleys have httle to fear on this account.
A short description of the methods. of preparing the oil and tbe pickled fruit may be of interest to those who are not posted upon the subject. For oil-making the fruit is gathered when! lipe, which in this State is in No- vember or December. It is then spread out for a week or so in order to allow the superfluous moisture to be evaporaf**, ana when well wrinkled it is crushed in a mill formed of a stone or other vat in which a wheel m:ide of stone is revolved by horse or steam power. It Is considered essential in Italy th^t these imple- ments shall be of stone, but that cus- tom is not adhered to here. When crushed the paste is put into sacks made of coarse material, and a dozen or more of the full sacks are subjected to pressure at the same time in a screw or other press. The result of the fir«t
conclusion!
that the olive thrives side by sid the orange, and that it nuiy In-, successlully wherever the temperature j does not reach lor any extended pc-riod u 15 den. aliovf xero.
THK FIG.
the
What California Ilia Don
Cultivation of This Fruit.
From the earliest timo t!ie lig has played an important part in the do- mestic economy of the people who in- habited the countries that border upon the Mediterranean. Sacred and pro- fane history alike are replete with ref- erence to it, and the fig trees of Greece, Syria, Turkey, Italy and other coun-
Macerating olives.
pressing, which is made with a gentle force, is called the virgin oil nnd is the most valuable. After this has been se- cured, the paste is mixed with hot water and another pressing is secured. A third pressure follows, which pro- duces an oil of a very low quality and useful only as a lubricant and for sim- ilar purposes.
' The oil is clarified either by being al- lowed to stand in tanks for a month or more, or by being strained directly after pressure in vessels which' have a layer of cotton batting at the bottom Which catches all the impurities. The greatest cleanliness must be observed in all the operations in order to pre- serve the llivor of the oil. The berries will give from 25 to 50 per cent of their wciirht in oil, dependent largely upon the'time of picking, l^rly gathering gives a smaller amount but a better quality, while late eathering acts in the opposite manner.
In pickling olives the fruit is first soaked in a bath ma eof potash, some- times a little quicklime being added. This must be kept up till the flesh is saturated with the lye to the pit, and will take from six hours to a day, ac- cording to the strength of the solution. The olives are then put into fresh water which is changed frequently, until :\'i traces of the lye are removed. They are then put into brine, which should not be too strong, and bottled in that liquid for use. Considerable care must be exercised and the changes made at the right time in order to pro- duce a palatable article.
ftself of the people in a large measure depends. The fig was one of the fruits that was supplied by the Creator to the parents of the human race in the Garden of Eden, and it is the first fruit that is mentioned hy name in the Bible. It was from the leaves of the fig that Adam and Eve made garments for themselves just prior to receiving the primal curse of mankind from God. It is reasonable to suppose that the fruit of the tree was a favorite with the un- fortunate pair, and their liking for it has descended to the present day. No one who has had the. good fortune to consume the fruit when freshly gath- ered need be told how enticing it is, nor how difficult it is to refrain from overindulgence.
Like the olive, the fig was first introduced to this continent by the Spanish conquerors of Mexico, and its cultivation was extended wher- ever the new - comers obtained a foothold. The founders of the mis- sions on the Pacific coast planted this fruit side by side with the grape, olive, orange and vine, and found that m *verv respect the soil and climate were tnirably adapted to its products in rge quantity and of excellent quality. jing easily propagated by cuttings there was little diltiouity in currying the fig to all parti of the State. From the early plantings of the missions, which, by the way, consisted of but a single variety, have sprung the thou- sands of mature fig trees of the black or blue variety that are to be found , from one end of the State to the other. S
For many years this was the only kind o£ fig cultivated in the State, and no attempt was made to introduce any other varieties. But in what maybe called the great fruit-growing " boon of 1850-70 the tig came in for its share of attention, and the introduction of varieties more nearly approaching the so-called Smyrna tig of commerce was agitated. As one of the immediate re- sults of that agitation some cuttings of r
white Adriatic trees at the place men- tioned are the largest and most pro ductive in the S'.ste. They nre no* ty-seven year* old and are ten ti twelve feet in circumference and up- ward of sixty t«et in height, The fruit is dried and finds a ready market a from 10 to 15 coats a pound, each tree producing as high as if 100 worth an- nually, beaides affording ft large amount of cuttings, which sell for good pru- i. In the same locality is a grove of tt,e common black rig trees. The.e are also claimed to be the largest in tin- State, and yield immense crops, which are dried and sold for 5 to 8 cents a pound. The crop< are larger than those from the white Adriatic, which mak-s np for the diflerence in price and affords a profit very nearly as
"The white Adriatic has been culti- vated in all parts of the State, with the result that it has been demonstrated that the fojthills produce a far better quality of fruit than can be grown on the plains. Thorough tests have been nade upon this point, and it is now efinitely known that from trees of ientically the same variety, planted n diflerent localities, tbe fruit grown the foothills is so superior as to
ave been taken for another varie Hogether.
Many attempts have been made procure what is culled the genuine Smyrna fig, but so tar without success. Some years a?o a large importation vas made of cuttings which were claimed to be the desired variety, but, while thousands of trees have been propagated therefrom, the results have ueen unsatisfactory."
The white Adriatic of the foothilli, when carefully dried and prepared for market, is the nearest approach to the Smyrna tig that has yet been produced here. It commands a good price in the market and in all respects seem' io be a desirable tree to cultivate.
Attempts have been made to repro- duce the Smyrna fig by planting the seeds oi the imported fruit, but thb ! suits so far secured are far from satis- factory. The fig, like moat other fruits, does not come true to seed, and while there is a possibility of securing some good varieties, just as with other seeds, the probability is the other way. The trees that have so far been pro- duced from seed have failed to mature their fruit for some reason or other.
An important point in connection with the culture of the fig is the q les- tion of the necessity of what is i wn as caprification. In Smyrna, where the choicest figs are produced, this cus- tom has been practiced from time im- memorial. About the middle of June the lig commences to mature, and .•< this time the fruit of 'he wil
ject of much investigation, and by some scientific men has been de- nounced as of no value. On the oilier hand other investigators of equal in- telligence incline to the belief that it is essential, and many facts are cited in proof.
There are two plain and undisputed facts bearing upon the subject which will not be contradicted, and from which the non-scieutific mined may possibly be enabled to draw a correct conclusion.
In Smyrna caprification has been practiced for ages, having been handed down from father to son from the earli- est times. The trees so treated pro- duce an. abundance of the choicest fruit which sells for the highest price. The fruit of the trees not so treated blights and falls to tbe ground.
In California there has never been any attempt at introducing the insect which is claimed to be essential to the production of mature fruit. Although many thousands of cuttings which were solemnly attested to have been taken from the genuine Smyrna trees have been imported into this State and have attained maturity, except in a few fugitive cases they have never ripened their fruit. Persons who have culti- vated these cuttings upon a large scale report that the trees set heavil; fruit, but that it only grows to a cer- tain staee, when from some cause not apparent it blights and falls to the ground.
Furthermore, where efforts have been made to produce trees trom tbe seed of the Smyrna tig, the same tendency to blight has been encountered from the very commencement.
In a single instance it is claimed that the genuine Smyrna fig of the importa- tion referred to has matured fruit of fine quality. On the other hand, it has been shown that the fruit uroduecd in that case is identic*! with the white Adriatic of tbe foothills, and in no particular can a difference be traced between either the tree or the frtrH, al- though it is freely acknowledge! th.it
A ffteen-year-otfl flu tree.
the white Adriatic fig were imported and planted at Knights' Ferry, Stanis- laus county, and it is claimed that from these have been derived the thou- sands ot trees ot this variety which are now in successful cultivation in all parts of the Slate. At present the
Capri fig it gathered, made into les- tcons and strung upon the cultivated trees. It is claimed that there is an in- sect in the wild or male fruit which at once visits the cultivated or female fruit, and in so doing conveys the pol len from one to the other, thereby im- pregnating the cultivated fruit and causing it to mature in perfection, in- stead of blighting and falling to the ground as would otherwise be the
case.
practice has ueen made Ua »ut>- ,
it is superior to thasaiue variety grown on the plains.
The advocates of caprification point to these facts and claim that until practical experience in California dem- onstrates that they are mistaken they are at least justified in believing m the utility of a practice that has ob- tained among the producers of the choicest figs for many hundreds if not thousands of years.
Like the olive, the fig is adaptec very wide range of soil and cl.i It will not successfully withstand so low a degree of temperature as theoHve, but in respect to variety of soil and ex- tent of locality the two fruits named have many common characteristics. Figs are grown in both moist and dry soil?, and both with and without irri- gation. The fruit produced in exces- sively moist localities is not equal to tint grown elsewhere, while, as has been stated, the figs of the foothills are of the choicest desciiption. At proper elevation in that region the temperature at nighttime does not vary so widely from that of the day as elsewhere, and it is this happy mean that is most favorable to the produc- tion of figs of choice quality.
The fig needs an adequate supply o moisture, and in this respect is more exacting than the olive. Alter the tree matures, however, cultivation is fre- imfiitly abandoned altogether, and the earth beneath the tree either remains pocked and smooth, or a growth of •MS is allowel to spring up.
ug to the groat si;:e which the fig attains, it is best to plant them in or hard form at a greater distance apart than a'.'iiost any other fruit. '. intervening spaces m iy be planted v
or various crop? may ,n until such time as the extend- ing branches of the tree shall make it, impracticable.
The flg grows rapidly from cuttings,
and bears fruit at a reasonably early
.lire. Cuttings planted one year will
frequently produce fruit the following
se-ison, though of course there is
r of damage from too great
•ity. Two crops are always
an 1 sometimes three,
season, tliis Deing not the
of the valuable features of
this fruit. The earliest figs in Califor-
L: produced on the borders of the
;ulo desert, where they ripen early in May, and as a result are sold for very high prices without being dried.
The largest bearing fig orchard, ex- clusive of the common blue variety, is located in Fresno county. These are of the white Adriatic, and great success has been met in the production of choice fruit, which finds a ready mar- ket both here and at the East at high
. The iirst carload of dried figs ever shipped from California was sent K-\tl from Fresno durinj the past sea- son, anil dealers there pro loutice them of excellent, quality, and predict a great future for this branch of horticulture.
• evident, from the enormous pro- ductiveness of the fig in California, that the fruit can be cured and mar- ;it a comparatively low price and still return a good profit to the pro-
r. From what haa already been uoh.'eved in this direction many now regard fig culture as certain to take a front rank here, and look forward to the time when we shall compete suc-
•ily in all tha markets of the with the choicest products of the oldest fig growing countries.
Besides the white Adriatic and the
K>n blue Ii0', there are a number
:I',T varieties in cultivation in
rnia. Among these is the brown
y, which is large and very choice, < the earliest ripening fig that iti way to the market. The Brunswick or Smyrna rig is a yellow- ish fruit which has been largely sold as
uuine Mmynia.
The brown and the white Iscliia, -Marseillaise and the Mar-
ie, the San Pedro and the Pacific White, are other varieties which have been cultivated to a greater or less extent, and which possess various
ies which commend themselves to a wide range of tastes.
No effort has ever been made to se- cure facts with relation to the area cle- >, i fig culture. Of Uto there has been a great deal of interest taken in the subject, and many new orchards have been planted in all parts ol the State. An estimate that would prove anything like correct cannot be haz-
i, although there are several thou- sand acres n,)\s in cultivation, and the area 13 being very largely extended.
i linal encouragement to those who are considering the matter of cm- barkingin lig growing, it may be stated- that this fruit Is practically without insect e:-,eniie3 of any kind. Many trees are still growing thriftily in va- rious localities which have been sub- jected to all sorts of neglect, without harming them in the least. The fig is exceedingly tenacious of life, and will successfully withstand a much greater
:.it of neglect than, almost any other fruit.
HOW TO PICKLE OLIVES.
/ X
^
r./Cock*bu
la
W
0
ues't the Hon.7)r./ockburn M. P., has kindly supplied the following receipt. Dr. Coekburn has given a good deal of attention to preserving olives,- which lie thinks should form a regular article of diet in a climate such as ours : Pick the olives carefully by hand; those with the slightest bruise should be rejected, as they will not keep.
Prepare a lye by adding 3 Ibs, of dry sifted wood ashes and 6 ozs.of quicklime to one gallon of rain water. The ashes, lime and water to be boiled together for half an hour in an enamelled pan, and when cool empty the whole over the olives, which have previously been placed in an earthenware or wooden vessel. Cover with a cloth and place in the shade; bright light destroyes the color.
The berries should remain in the lye till completely free from the acrid taste 1 peculiar to the olive. This requires a period of about 40 hours, more or less, according to the degree of maturity of ; the berry. It is in determining this period that the only diffculty in preserv- ing olives presents itself. If not left long enough the acrid taste conceals the • nutty flavor, and if too long the olive will not keep.
In removing from the lye & wooden spoon should be used. After thorough washing place in water and again cover with a cloth. Change the water thrice a day for three days. The berries are now ready for bottling in brine.
The brine is prepared by pouring a gallon of boiling water over 1)£ Ib of salt (sufficient strength just to float an egg). This is, when cold, poured over the olives, which have been previously placed in the bottles.
The bottles should be well corked and secured from air with wax or blad- der. The best way is to depress the cork slightly below the rim of the bottle and fill up the depression with a tea- spoonful of melted beeswax or paraffin.
The following is taken from a late number of the Ventura Free Press: ( Kn.il Bloch, who has charge of Uillan place in the Ojal, bPO Free Pn Saturday I
fine olives grown this which he has fonty acres in prime con- dition. He also produced sampli ! extra fine olive oil which h talned by crushing olives which Wffl over two years of age. Kxpert jndp pronounce this about the finest article in the olive oil market, and Col. Bloch it is worth a greait ma,n,y more dollars per gallon -than he can possibly obtain for It. To show us what he had irk upon, he brought along a quan- tity of the dried olives and to all ap- pearances they were all shriveled up and apparently good for nothing, but by proper treatment they have pro- duced 'the very finest olive oil.
tr
Jlll/t
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I
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C' /
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