336 CALIFORNIA FRUITS : HOW TO GROW THEM 



of plant food and moisture, and it is idle to expect fruit without irri- 

 gation if the soil can not hold water enough for the tree. There 

 must be moisure enough in the soil to hold the fruit plump 

 and smooth. Olives shriveled by drouth will usually become smooth 

 again after fall rains, but shriveling, either by drouth or frost, leaves 

 the fruit not in the best condition for pickling. 



On foot-hill slopes the trees bear fruit earlier than in the rich valleys, 

 although in the latter the trees attain larger growth. Trees in the 

 interior bear sooner than on the coast, and ripen their fruit earlier in 

 the season. 



The olive tree is now thriving in California in a great variety of 

 soils. It is productive, if frosts are not too severe on moist valley 

 lands, while on hillsides, even where excavations had to be made 

 between boulders, or into disintegrating rock, the tree has exhibited 

 thrift and content with the situation. But the conclusion should not be 

 drawn that the olive relishes poor soil. It may thrive with loose rocks 

 or boulders, but it finds among them the elements it needs including an 

 adequate supply of moisture. It is not to be inferred that the olive 

 will succeed on sterile soil. 



The olive is chiefly grown with clean summer cultivation. Growing 

 the tree in irrigated alfalfa, as discussed in Chapter XIV is objection- 

 able because of the danger of delaying the ripening of the fruit and 

 bringing it farther into the rainy season, which is a very great dis- 

 advantage. 



Although the relations of soils to the qualities of oil have been 

 investigated by the University of California Experiment Station and 

 some interesting results published, we have not had experience enough 

 in this State to demonstrate the influence of soils on the quality of 

 the oil, but trade results have shown that good oil has been made from 

 fruit grown on some of our best valley fruit soils, deep and naturally 

 (veil drained, as well as from fruit grown upon drier uplands, and the 

 production on deeper, richer lands is much larger. 



PROPAGATION OF THE OLIVE 



Olives are propagated from seed, and from cuttings of various 

 kinds and sizes. The growth from seed is seldom practised in this 

 State, because growth from cuttings is easy, and furnishes the variety 

 desired without grafting. 



Growing Olives from Seed. The olives should not be planted 

 with the pulp, but cleaned of this either by letting them rot in a pile 

 or by putting them into an alkaline solution to cut the oil. A simple 

 way to hasten germination is to break the pits, taking care not to 

 hurt the germ. An instrument similar to the nut cracker has been 

 invented in France which is said to work well. When the kernels 

 are deprived of their shell, they may be kept moist in a compost, or 

 mixture of cow-dung and sandy soil, and sow thickly in the month 

 of April. If it is thought to be too much work to take the kernels out 

 of the pits, they must be soaked for twenty-four hours in a solution 



