STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 455 



A TREATISE ON OLIVE CULTURE. 



By Ellwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara. 



Article I. — Propagation. 



The common and preferred method is to plant the cuttings, taken from 

 the .growing trees of sound wood, from three quarters of an inch in diam- 

 eter, to one and a half inches, and from fourteen to sixteen inches long. 

 These cuttings should be taken from the trees during the months of 

 December and January, neatly trimmed without bruising, and carefully 

 trenched in loose sandy soil. A shady place preferred. They should be 

 planted in permanent sites from February twentieth to March twentieth, 

 depending upon the season. The ground should be well prepared and 

 sufficiently dry so that there is no mud, and the weather 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 summer. About three 

 fourths of all that are well planted will grow. My plan is to set them 

 twenty feet apart each way, and place them in the ground butt end down, 

 and at an angle of about forty-five degrees, the top to the north, barely 

 covered. Mark the place with a stake. By planting them obliquely, the 

 bottom end will be from ten inches to one foot below the surface. In 

 Europe the trees are planted from twenty-seven to thirty-three feet apart. 

 My reasons for closer planting will be given in a subsequent article. 



All trees, as a rule, should be propagated from seeds. The roots are 

 more symmetrical, the tree not so liable to be blown over, and the growth 

 more healthful; but I have not been successful in germinating them, hence, 

 I recommend the cutting. If the trees are propagated from seeds, budding 

 or grafting is necessary. I have seen the statement that it was necessary 

 that the seeds should pass through the stomachs of birds before they could 

 be sprouted; also that by soaking in strong lye the sprouting would be 

 secured. I have not seen the result of either experiment, and accept the 

 statement with more or less distrust. I presume cuttings can be obtained 

 from any of the Mission orchards in the southern counties. 



Article II. — Pruning. 



The cutting will throw up numerous shoots or sprouts, all of which should 

 be left to grow the first year; any disturbance of the top affects the growth 

 of the roots. It would be advisable, however, where there are two or more 

 vigorous shoots of about the same size and height from the same cutting, 

 to pinch the tops off all excepting the one to be left for the future tree, so as 

 to throw more force and vigor into that one. In the following spring, when 

 the ground is warm and sufficiently dry, all sprouts excepting the one to be 

 preserved, should be carefully removed, cutting them off close to the cut- 

 ting. The top end of the cutting should also be removed by the aid of a 

 sharp saw. A post should be firmly planted, so that the tree can be well 

 secured, to keep the trunk straight, and avoid any disturbance of the roots, 

 and should be kept until the tree is four or five years old. By adopting this 

 method a great deal of time will be saved, and better trees secured. The 

 lateral branches should be allowed to grow until the tree is two or three 



