California, obtained from orchards 10 years old sufficient fruit for 700
gallons of olive-oil to the acre, one-fourth of the produce paying for
the expenses of preparing the soil, gathering the crop, pressing the oil
and conveying it to market. He considers olives one of the most
profitaWe crops for Southern California ; he has now 80 acres planted
L n n / f b e fiiig . from wliich he annually obtains about
2o,000 bottles of oil. Mons. Eiordet distinguishes three main
varieties, of which he recommends tw o : 1. The Cayon, a small-
sized tree, which comes into bearing after three or four years, but
bears fully only every second year ; its oil is fine with some aroma.
. • enduher, a larger tree, with long drooping branches, yielding
an oil of first-rate quality. Mons. Reynaud, “ Culture de I’Olivier,”
separates twelve varieties, as cultivated in France, and recommends
among th em : 1. The Couruiau or Courniale, also called P lan t de
haloii, bearing most prolifically a small fruit and producing an excellent
oil. 2. Pioholme, which by pruning its top-branches is led to
spread over eight yards square or more ; it is of weeping habit,
yields a good oil m fair quantity, and resists the attacks of insects
well. 3. I h e Mouraou or Mourette, a iarge tree also furnishing oil
of a very fine_ quality. Professor Naudiu’s opinion of some o f th e
fre n c h varieties^ is as folfows : - l . Lauriue, one of the hardiest
kinds, much cultivated m Languedoc ; the oil is good, but not first-
class ; the fruit is preserved in some districts. 2. Saurine or
Pichoiine; very fertile - fruit of medium size. 3. Aglandeau, Cayanne
or Cayon ; fruit small, but yielding an excellent oil ; the tree is
small yet productive, and bears early. 4. Amellone or P lan t d’Aix,
one of the most frequently cultivated kinds in Provence, giving a
first-class o il; the fruit is also preserved. 5. Baralingue or Ampoul-
leau, one of the good fre n c h varieties; the fruit is roundish. 6.
JNegrette or Mourette, an early variety with very dark fruit ; several
sub--varieties are cultivated. 7. Saverne, gives an oil of first-rate
quality, especially m gravelly and calcareous soil ; it does not stand
rost so well as most others. 8. Turquoise, produces elongated
fruits , one of the best kinds for preserving. 9. Espagnole, one of
the largest-fruited Olives of Provence aud among the best for pren
o l Z / «r Ponchude, has fruits
pointed a t both ends, not getting red till ripe ; yields one of the best
mis of the country. 11. Penduliére, so named from its drooping
nabit, renowned for the excellence of its oil. 12. Courniole, Cour-
7 k T U r - r ’ productive and yields an excellent
oil but the fruits are too small for preserving. Olive-trees require
judicious pruning immediately after the fruit is gathered, when the
sap IS comparatively at rest. They may be multiplied from seeds,
cuttings layers, suckers, truncheons and old stumps, the latter to be
split Ih e y can also be propagated from protuberances at the base
ot tbe stem, which can be sent long distances. The germination of
the seeds is promoted by soaking the nutlets in a solution of lime
and wood-ash. The seedlings can be budded or grafted after a few
years. Truncheons or estacas may be from one to many feet long
and from one to many inches thick ; they are placed in the ground
horizontally. Some Olive-plantations at Grasse are worth from £200
to £250 per acre. For many details the tract on the “ Culture of
Olive and its Utilisation,” issued iu Melbourne by the Eev. Dr.
Bleasdale, should be consulted, as it rests largely on its authoPs
observations during a long stay in Portugal ; also the essay of Sir
Samuel Davenport in Adelaide, the treatise issued by Capt. Ellwood
Cooper in San Francisco, the remarks by Prof. Hilgard in the
Bulletin No. 85 and 92 of the Agricultural Experimental Station,
Berkeley, California, February, 189Ô, and March, 1891, further the
notes by Mr. J . L. Thompson, of the Dookie Agricultural College,
in the “ Leader,” Ju n e , 1890, as well as Mr. B. M. Lelong’s observations
in the “ Victorian Farmers’ Gazette,” February and April, 1889.
The olive will resist considerable frost (5° F .) for a short time, provided
th a t the thawing takes place under fogs or mild rain (or
perhaps under a dense smoke). I t requires about oneJhird more
annual warmth than the vinefor ripening its fruit. The Olive-zones of
South-Europe and North-Africa are between 18° and^ 44° north
latitude. An elevation of about 550 feet corresponds iu Spain, as far
as this culture is concerned, to one degree further north. Mr. Thozet
reared already good varieties many years ago in the lowlands ju s t
within the tropics of Eastern Australia, where they bear freely and
produce an excellent oil. Olives do not grow well on granitic soil,
nor bear well on light soil. The fruit produced on limestone-formations
is of the best quality. Gypsum promotes the growth of the
tree. An equable temperature serves best ; hence exposure to prevailing
strong winds is to be avoided. The winter-temperature should
not fall below 19° F . The quantity of oil in the fruit varies from 10
to 20 per cent.; sometimes it even exceeds the latter proportion. In
Provence on an average 24 lbs. of olive-oil are consumed by each
individual of the population annually ; iu Andalusia, about 30 lbs.
G. Don mentions an aged tree near Gerecomio to have provided olives
for 240 quarts of oil in one year. For obtaining the largest quantity
of oil the fruit must be completely ripe. Hand-picked olives give the
purest oil. Knocking the fruit from the branches with sticks injures
the tree and lessens its productiveness the next year. No heat
should be used in the extracting and purifying of the oil. To
preserve the oil well, it should not be exposed to light. Spain alone
produces about 250,000,000 lbs. of olive-oil a year. The quantity of
olives raised in France during 1890 was estimated a t 134,000 tons,
valued a t £ 1,080,000 [Sahut, from “ Bull, du Ministère d’Agriciilture”].
Tunis possesses about 10,000,000 Olive-trees, supposed to yield a produce
worth £1,000,000 sterling. The yield of the crop iu Spain is
estimated a t £9,000,000 sterling annually ; th a t of Ita ly £8,000,000.
The imports of olive-oil into the United Kingdom in 1884 amounted
to 17,000 tons, valued at £715,000 ; in 1889 the quantity was 22,882
tons, valued a t £817,000. The import into Victoria during 1887 was
estimated a t £10,919.