262 HISTORY OF FRUITS. 



The olive-tree requires but little care in the cultivation, 

 but it seldom produces fruit oftener than once in two 

 years. Signer Battiloro describes a singular variety of 

 olive-tree, which deviates so much from the general habit 

 of the tree, that it produces four or five crops of fruit in 

 the year, according to the temperature of the season, the 

 olives being small and black, but affording delicious oil. 

 The same intelligent observer has related the following 

 anecdote : 



" Francesco Longuano, a person known in Italy by his 

 proficiency in literature, happening one day to converse 

 with me concerning the olive-tree, mentioned that he had 

 read in the writings of an ancient Greek author, whose 

 name had escaped his recollection, that in the city of 

 Coriolanum, near that of Venasso, there was an olive-tree 

 which put forth blossoms every month, and that this Greek 

 noticed the circumstance as a prodigy. That city, at pre- 

 sent a village, called Ciurnalo, being at a little distance 

 from my castle, I repaired to it, for the purpose of 

 tracing, if possible, the remains of such a tree ; and fortu- 

 nately, owing to the kind attention of the priest, I ac- 

 tually encountered five of them ; and on returning to the 

 same spot in September, I found on them four different 

 kinds of olives, and the recent blossoms of a fifth crop. 

 The inhabitants call them Olive d'ogni mese." 



This fruit the modern Greeks during Lent eat in its ripe 

 state, without any preparation, but a little pepper, or salt 

 and oil. 



The sweet olives in the south of Italy are of a large 

 size, and eaten annually in October, when pulled from the 

 trees ; or if neglected by the inhabitants, they are greedily 

 devoured by birds. 



We receive the olive from the south of France, from 

 Spain, and Portugal, pickled in the following manner : it 

 is gathered unripe, and suffered to steep in water some 



