18 



OBSERVATIONS. 



There are several "types" of what is known to be the "Mission" 

 olive. Different types are found in almost every old orchard in the 

 State. At the Mission San Jose, Mr. J. Rock and I discovered seven 

 types in the Mission Orchard; some are early and some late; some 

 are long and pointed, while others are round. At this place we dis- 

 covered a tree that is different from any I have seen. That tree is 

 over a hundred years old, and its branches were heavily laden with 

 very large berries. The fruit is of extra large size, and very early. At 

 the time we visited the place (November fifteenth) no green fruit could 

 be seen on that tree. The habit of this tree is also different from any 

 other Mission tree; it has a weeping habit, resembling a willow, hav- 

 ing a willow-like leaf. Alongside of this tree were several other trees 

 of the same age; the trunk of one of them measured five feet four and 

 three quarters inches in circumference, at about four feet from the 

 ground. All these trees receive the same care and are on the same 

 kind of soil. The Mission is a tree of great longevity, and those trees 

 now growing at the various Missions throughout the State, in the 

 prime of health, over a hundred years old, are enough to substantiate 

 this statement, therefore no comment is needed. It is a tree that has 

 done exceedingly well in this State, and better when properly cared 

 for, and can be found growing and fruiting in almost every county. 

 I have seen statements published, in which the writers contend that 

 this olive is not worth propagating, that it is the wild olive of France. 

 How absurd these statements are, and none but the non-informed 

 could give them utterance. To the Missionary Fathers we owe much 

 for having introduced and planted this tree in our midst, and al- 

 though they have gone beyond, from where no traveler returns, 

 these trees stand to-day as a fit monument to them for the good they 

 accomplished. For over a century they have furnished fruit for food, 

 and oil to heal the sick, therefore they should be honored as upon 

 the sacred soil in which they dwell. 



BUDDING. 



Budding the olive by the ordinary methods is somewhat difficult, 

 and only about 15 to 25 per cent can be made to grow; this, however, 

 is very much overcome by the simple methods herein given. 



TWIG BUD. 



This is an old and simple method practiced among florists and 

 nurserymen with plants that are difficult to bud or graft in the ordi- 

 nary way. The bud is cut, as shown in the illustration, Figure No. 21, 

 which is the scion; the cut is made deep into the wood, in order to 

 give the bud as much bark as possible. The leaves are partly cut off, 

 leaving at least a half inch of the leaf on the bud to prevent the bud 

 from drying, then, with the sharp point of the budding knife, the 

 greatest part of the wood inside of the bud is removed, as shown in 

 Figure No. 23. If part of the wood is not removed then the bud can 

 not take, as the wood in it prevents the two barks (the inner bark of 

 the bud and the inner bark of the stock) from uniting. When the 

 wood has been partly removed from the bud, the bud is inserted into 

 the stock, as budding is done in the regular ordinary way, and tied 



