344 CALIFORNIA FRUITS I HOW TO GROW THEM 



point marked by the dotted line C. Six branches, three on each side, are left, and 

 the lower twigs shortened. Each of the branches left develops, during the year, 

 as the one shown in Fig. 2, which is then cut at C again, and the shoots B and D 

 are shortened. This process starts out the upper shoots, and appears the follow- 

 ing year as A in Fig. 3, and it is again cut at C. This causes the two upper 

 shoots to develop, and at the end of the year they appear as shown at BB in Fig. 4, 

 Thus they stand at the fourth year's pruning, and each of them is cut at C, and A 

 is shortened and D allowed to develop. By this time the tree has a spherical 

 or vase form, and exposes much surface to the sun, which is desirable. 



The young branches that spring in the form of a cross on the more vigorous 

 branches, bear only wood buds ; the others, which are weaker, bear fruit buds 

 on their whole length and burst into blossom at the spring of the second year. 

 The latter never blossom again in the same place, but the shoot extends itself 

 and forces two lateral ones. These new shoots bear the following spring, and 

 so on. It must therefore be always borne in mind that the olive bears only on 

 the two-year-old wood. If the new shoots are formed every year, the olive 

 will bear annually; but in years of good crops, the sap employed to nourish 

 the fruit only produces a number of very diminutive shoots, and the next crop 

 is a short one. The pruning ought to favor the growth of young lateral shoots, 

 either by shortening the terminal ones, suppressing the "gormand," or fruitless 

 shoots, or by reducing in a certain proportion, each year, the fruit-bearing 

 shoots, if we wish for a crop every year. The shortening of a branch is made 

 immediately above an outside bud in an oblique direction, the interior one 

 being suppressed. The suckers at the root of the tree should be continually 

 cut off. 



Concerning the time for pruning, the best season is said to be when the 

 winter frosts are well over and just before the sap starts in the spring. By 

 early pruning the sap is made to act upon the buds unfavorably situated on the 

 tree, brings them out, and also develops latent buds on the old wood. Thus one 

 is enabled to prevent the tree from becoming covered with naked limbs. 



THE FRUIT AND ITS PRODUCTS 



The agricultural experiment station of the University of California 

 was occupied for many years in the growth of olives and close exam- 

 ination of olive products both by laboratory and practical test. The 

 publications of the station discuss the operations of oil making and 

 pickling and the suitability of varieties and for the purpose ot this 

 treatise outlines will be drawn from these sources. 



Gathering the Fruit. Olives should be picked carefully and at 

 the right time. For green pickles they should be picked very soon after 

 they obtain full size, but before they have begun to color or soften. 

 For ripe pickles and for oil making the fruit should be gathered when 

 it contains the maximum amount of oil. This is soon after the olives 

 are well colored, but before they have attained the deep black which 

 signifies overripeness. If the olives are gathered too green the oil 

 will be bitter; if too ripe, it will be rancid. When they can be easily 

 shaken from the tree they are ripe enough. If they commence to fall 

 without vigorous shaking they are overripe. For whatever purposes 

 the olives are to be used they should be carefully gathered by hand, 

 and imperfect, immature, or bruised fruit rejected. Sound fruit is 

 required for high-grade oil or for handsome pickles with good keeping 

 quality. 



