NAT. ORDER. OLEACE.E. 1-31 



ceremonies of the Jews. It is still considered as emblemntic of 

 peace and plenty ; and the great quantity of oil wliicli in some 

 countries it produces, effectually realizes one of these blessings. 

 The Olive has been long cultivated in the south part of England ; 

 it is mentioned in the catalogues plantarum Horti Medici Oxoni- 

 ensis, published in 1G48 ; and when sufficiently sheltered, it bears 

 the cold very well, though in that country it rarely jjroduces 

 flowers, and we believe never ripens its fruit. 



The varieties of this tree are numerous, distinguished not 

 only by the form of their leaves, as already noticed, but also by 

 the shape, size and color of the fruit ; as the large Spanish Olive, 

 the small, oblong, Province Olive, the oblong, dark green Olive, 

 the small, roundish, white Olive ; Aglandau, the large, fleshy, or 

 Royal Olive ; the large, round Olive ; Ampoulan, the small, round, 

 reddish black Olive, and the small, fragrant, or Luca Olive. Of 

 these, the first two sorts, when pickled, are well known to us by 

 the names of Spanish and French Olives, which to many are ex- 

 tremely grateful, and have been supposed to excite aj^petite, and 

 to promote digestion. Pickled Olives are prepared from the green, 

 unripe fruit, which is i-epeatedly steeped in water, to which some 

 add alkaline salt, or quick-lime, in order to shorten the operation ; 

 for when macerated in water only, the Olives require a long tinie 

 before their bitterness is sufficiently extracted. After this they 

 are washed, and preserved in a pickle of common salt and water, 

 to which an aromatic is sometimes added. 



The principal consumption of Olives is in the prejaaration of 

 the common salad oil, or Oleum Olivarum of the pharmacopoeias, 

 which is obtained by grinding and pressing them when thoroughly 

 ] ipe. The finer and purer oil issues first by gentle pressure, and 

 inferior sorts on heating the residuum, and pressing it more strongly. 

 The best Olive-oil is of a bright, jiale amber color, bland to the 

 taste, and without any smell. It becomes rancid by age, and the 

 sooner, if kept in a warm situation. By cold, at the 38th degree 



