124 AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



SUNFLOWERS. All the order are heavy bearers of seed 

 that yields a good oil. Sunflowers grow in summer in much 

 the same way as maize ; the seed being borne upon large 

 circular heads some of them twelve inches in diameter. 

 The seed is easily rasped off, and is treated for oil in the 

 same way as other seeds. 



THE OLIVE. Coming to oil-yielders in the tree form, 

 we find the olive a favourite. There are several varieties, 

 some suitable for strong and others for lighter land. 

 Cuttings or truncheons are used for plants ; from eight to 

 twelve inches in length is considered a good size ; and they 

 may be either from the branches or roots. The olive is also 

 grown from seed by planting in September. Plants thus 

 obtained are fit for setting out in the following September. 

 The tree in all its stages suffers from frost ; it is well, 

 therefore, to select warm and sheltered places for it. The 

 olive grafts freely ; the sorts found to answer best can be 

 increased in this way upon the less desirable varieties. 

 The trees are planted from sixteen to twenty feet apart, 

 according to variety and strength of the soil. They 

 require ordinary good cultivation, and manure where the 

 soil is not strong enough. Pruning is recommended as a 

 means of inducing fruitfulness. The trees commence to 

 bear in their fifth or sixth year, and are long lived when 

 justice is done them. The fruit is of the plum kind, and 

 usually egg-shaped; when ripe, it is of a reddish color, 

 and is borne in enormous quantities upon the full -bearing 

 trees. It is gathered by hand and by shaking the trees ; 

 the product in view being a valuable oil, it is obvious that 

 the cleaner and less bruised the fruit is the better. The 

 test of ripeness is to press the fruit ; when oil comes away 

 freely, it is fit for the press. 



Olive Oil. To get the oil, the fruit is ground into 

 pulp ; the pulp is put into bags of horsehair or other strong 

 stuff; these bags are put under a screw press, and the 

 oil forced out. The oil is allowed to run into vessels 

 containing water, and is skimmed off as soon as the 

 impurities pressed out with it have separated. A second 

 pressing, perhaps a third, is obtained by heating the pulp, 

 and sprinkling it with warm water. Oil of first quality is 



