546 THE OLIVE. 



Indies. The leaves are winged, like those of the orange, the 

 flowers white, and the fruit globular. Its size is very large, as it 

 often weighs six or eight pounds. The pulp is sweetish, or sub- 

 acid, and the juice is rather refreshing. It is, however, more 

 showy than useful, and certainly makes a magnificent appear- 

 ance in a collection of tropical fruits.* 



CHAPTER XXX. 



THE OLIVE. 



Olea Europea, L. ; Oleince, of botanists. 



Olivier, of the French ; Oehlbaum, German ; Ulivo, Italian ; 



Olivo, Spanish. 



THE Olive, which, as London justly remarks, furnishes, in its 

 invaluable oil, the cream and butter of Spain and Italy, will 

 undoubtedly one day be largely cultivated in our Southern 

 States. Already small plantations of it have been formed by a 

 few spirited gentlemen in Georgia and Mississippi, and its adapta- 

 tion to the Southern parts of the Union near the sea-coast, tested. 

 The apathy of Southern planters generally, respecting all pro- 

 ducts but cotton and rice, is the only reason for the tardy man- 

 ner in which this and other valuable trees are introduced into 

 cultivation there. 



The uses and value of the olive-oil are still comparatively 

 unknown in this country. In the South of Europe it is more 

 valuable than bread, as, to say nothing of its wholesomeness, it 

 enters into every kind of cookery, and renders so large a 

 quantity of vegetable food fit for use. A few olive trees will 

 serve for the support of an entire family, who would starve on 

 what could otherwise be raised on the same surface of soil ; 

 and dry crevices of rocks, and almost otherwise barren soils in 

 the deserts, when planted with this tree, become flourishing and 

 valuable places of habitation. 



The olive is a native of the temperate sea-coast ridges of 

 Asia and Africa ; but it has, time out of mind, been cultivated 

 in the South of Europe. It is a low evergreen tree, scarcely 

 twenty feet high, its head spreading, and clothed with stiff, nar- 

 row, bluish green leaves. Its dark green or black fruit is oval, 



* To those of our readers who desire to pursue this branch of the sub- 

 ject, we recommend that splendid work, the Histoire Naturelle des 

 Grangers, of Risso and Poiteau, with superb coloured plates of every 

 variety. Paris, folio, 1818. 



