Naturalisation in Extra-Tropical Countries. 333 



Octaviana asterosperma, Vittadini. 



South-Europe. A Truffle of very good taste. See Rudolph 

 Hesse's work on Truffles, issued in Halle. 



CEnanthe Phellandrium, Lamarck. 



Europe, Western and Northern Asia. A perennial swamp-plant, 

 the fruitlets of which are of considerable medicinal value. 



CEnanthe stolonifera, Wallich. 



Japan, China, India, where this swamp-herb is used for spinage. 

 For particulars refer to Paillieux et Bois in "Bull. Soc. d'Acclimat." 

 1888, p. 1106-1108. 



Olea Europsea, Lmn.* 



The Olive-tree. South- Western Asia; naturalised in the coun- 

 tries on the Mediterranean Sea. Generally not of great height, 

 but of many centuries' duration and of unabating fecundity. Pro- 

 fessor Bentley speaks of Olive-trees 800 years old. In Corfu 

 however it grows sometimes to a height of 60 feet, and forms 

 beautiful forests. The well-known olive-oil is obtained from the 

 fruit. Certain varieties of the fruit, preserved in vinegar or salt- 

 liquid before perfectly ripe, are also much used for the table. For 

 this purpose the fruit is generally macerated previously in water 

 containing potash and lime. The gum-resin of the olive-tree serves 

 as incense ; it contains the crystalline olivil. The oil of the drupa- 

 ceous fruit is a most important product of countries with a warm 

 temperate climate. Its chemical constituents are : 30 per cent, 

 crystalline palmitin ; 70 per cent, olein, for which reason olive-oil 

 belongs to those kinds, which are not drying. In pressing, the 

 kernels must not be crushed, as then a disagreeable taste will be 

 imparted to the oil. Exceptionally, 2,000 gallons have been ob- 

 tained in California from an acre [Geo. Chaffey]. In Creta (double 

 the size of Kangaroo-Island) alone the value of olive-oil produced 

 annually amounts at an average to nearly half a million sterling 

 [Dr. Masters]. The wild variety of the olive-tree usually has 

 short blunt leaves and thorny branches. Long-continued droughts, 

 so detrimental to most plants, will affect the olive but slightly. It 

 thrives best on a free, loamy, calcareous soil, even should it be 

 strong and sandy, but it dislikes stiff clay. Proximity to the sea is 

 favorable to it, and hill-sides are more eligible for its culture than 

 plains. The ground must be deeply trenched. Manuring with 

 well-decayed substances is requisite annually or every second or third 

 year, according to circumstances. Irrigation will add to the produc- 

 tiveness of the plant. The "Black Scale ; ' of olive-trees is the 

 Lecanium oleae ; it extends also to many kinds of ordinary orchard- 

 trees. Captain Ellwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara, Southern 



