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not in fitting condition to be shifted in the autumn it will be advisable to 

 wait till the spring, and on no account should planting be done during 

 the winter months. Olive trees will, if left to themselves, attain a large 

 size, but many growers prefer a dwarfer class, so as to facilitate pruning 

 and gathering the fruit. If the trees are to be allowed to attain their 

 full size they should be planted not less than twenty-four feet apart. 

 For dwarf trees the distance should be about fifteen feet apart. 



Selecting Trees. Olive trees raised from seed will come into bearing 

 when five or six years old, but they will not yield payable crops till four 

 or five years later. Trees from cuttings, suckers, or layers will begin to 

 bear much sooner than seedlings. Much, however, will depend upon the 

 varieties, as some are longer in coming into bearing than others. There 

 are a large number of varieties under cultivation in the Olive-growing 

 countries of Europe. French catalogues enumerate over fifty varieties, 

 Spanish cultivators are acquainted with as many more, and in Italy and 

 Greece they are numerous. There are wide differences between many of 

 these varieties in the habits, foliage, and hardiness of the trees, as also in 

 the size, shape, and colour of their fruits. There are also material 

 differences in the quantity and quality of the oil yielded by various sorts 

 of Olives. As to the selection of varieties, our experience in Australasia 

 as yet has been too limited to enable growers to say precisely which 

 kinds are absolutely the best. Those who intend planting, however, 

 will do well to get such kinds as have proved to be fairly good in the 

 colonies. 



Printing and Training. In pruning and training Olive trees it is 

 advisable to keep the heads low, and more especially for the first two or 

 three years. Young trees should have their growth regulated rather 

 freely, as the principal object is a strong woody growth in particular 

 directions. When the trees arrive at maturity but little in the way of 

 branch pruning is required, and more especially if the specimens are to 

 grow their full size. If low trees are required they must, as a matter of 

 course, receive any necessary pruning to keep the heads down and the 

 branches from extending too much. The branches should be thinned out 

 when too numerous, and rank or misplaced shoots ought to be removed. 

 When growing in rich soil, or if manure has been used too freely, trees 

 sometimes have a tendency to make an over-growth of wood, but produce 

 little or no fruit. Moderate root pruning will check this tendency, and is 

 one of the most effective methods by which over-vigorous trees may be 

 brought into a fruitful condition. Judicious root pruning will also 

 materially assist in preventing trees from getting larger than the grower 

 desires. Another method effective in inducing fruitfulness when trees 

 are over-luxuriant is to cut a narrow half ring round the trunk in the 

 spring. 



Keeping tke Land Clean and Manuring. As with other fruits, Olive 

 plantations should be kept as free from weeds as possible, but care must 

 be taken to work the ground lightly, so that the roots are not disturbed 

 to any great extent. The vigour of the trees should be kept up, if 

 necessary, by the use of manure. Old plantations often require assistance 

 in this way, and trees frequently suffer in growth or fruitfulness through 



