DKY-LAND OLIVE CULTURE IN CALIFOENIA. 33 



the older trees the spread of the branches prevents reacliing all of the 

 surface. 



The original plan was to remove half of the trees as they began to 

 crowd by cutting out every other row on the diagonal. The effect of 

 this is to leave one-half, or 54 trees to the acre, in rows 20 feet apart, 

 and trees 40 feet apart in the row alternating. This has been done 

 with some blocks of the older trees and is a very evident gam. Wliere 

 the original stand of the older trees still remains there is evidence of 

 crowding and lack of thrift in many cases, and the writer is convinced 

 that a stand of only 27 trees to the acre, or 40 by 40 feet, would be 

 still better as the trees advance in age. The great vigor and pro- 

 ductiveness of the trees along the draws and low places where any 

 surplus of rain would flow give evidence that water famine had been 

 felt by the small trees. 



A notable feature of this orchard was the prevalence of the common 

 black scale, a parasite found on olive trees all along the range of the 

 ocean fogs unless vigorously combated, and not found to a harmful 

 extent in the interior valleys of California or Arizona. How seriously 

 this scale interferes with the functions of the tree is a matter upon 

 which olive growers differ widely, but there is no difference of opinion 

 as to the scale preventing the production of an olive of good pickling 

 qualities. 



Of the varieties planted, the Mission is the most prominent and 

 satisfactory, though considerable blocks of the Nevadillo, the Pendu- 

 lina, and the Columbella are also grown. 



Plate VI, figure 1, shows a general view across a small valley in 

 this orchard, and figure 2 a view among the rows of older trees thinned 

 by removing alternate diagonal rows. 



In comparison with this orchard stands the case of a ranch 2 or 3 

 miles away, the soil and location being practically the same. Here 

 400 or more acres of olives, probably differing little at the start, have 

 for several years been in absolute neglect. Many of the trees v>-ere 

 never properly headed up, being mere stools of several shoots from 

 the ground. No evidence of cultivation could be seen, but grass, 

 weeds, and small shrubs robbed the trees of the needed moisture. 

 This, with the close planting, had reduced the problem to one of 

 existence instead of profitable production. There was some fruit, 

 and occasional trees enjoying some little advantage in space and 

 moisture were bearing fair crops. These only helped to j)rove the 

 fallacy of the idea that the olive is a tree that may be planted ujion 

 dry and barren soil, given absolute neglect, and yet produce profitable 

 crops of fruit. Here in these contrasted orchards, with soil, rainfall, 

 and temperature similar, the difference between pruning and culture 

 on one hand and neglect on the other made the difference between 

 a profitable industry with a fine product and a poor and scant crop 

 not worth going over the ground to gather. 



192 



