ROEDING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE 



49 



An old Fig tree cut back for the purpose of developing a new 

 head. The branches in the center are left to shade the 

 cut-back section. They are eventually cut off in the same 

 manner as the others were. The new growth appearing 

 on the framework branches must be shortened in very 

 severely for several years. The stumps should be sawed 

 off as far as possible to a common point from which several 

 new branches have started. Be sure to paint the stumps 

 over with coal tar. Cutting these stumps close to 

 where the new growth starts causes the cambium layer 

 to cover the wounds quickly and prevents the decaying of 

 the sap wood. The trunk of the tree should be given a 

 coating of thick whitewash not later than May. It is a 

 good plan in addition to this to wrap the body and main 

 branches of the tree with burlap to prevent sunburn. 



A one-year-old Olive tree with its entire seasonal growth. 



THE OLIVE 



In California the olive has long since passed the 

 experimental stage and is now being produced in 

 quantities for pickling and oil purposes. The impor- 

 tant position that it is destined to occupy as one of our 

 leading horticultural industries can no longer be 

 questioned. 



California possesses the same soil and climatic con- 

 ditions in which the olive thrives in the countries of 

 Europe, Asia and Africa, and there is absolutely no 

 obstacle to prevent our supplying the demands of not 

 only this country, but becoming exporters of the num- 

 erous products for which the olive is noted. 



The two countries which stand out most prominently 

 as producers of olives are Italy, famous for its oil, and 

 Spain, for its green pickled olives. In Italy there are 

 2,688,738 acres planted to olives, and according to 

 reliable statistics Spain has 3,546,515 acres. There are 

 many insect pests threatening the olive in those two 

 countries, which frequently curtail the output. There 

 is very little likelihood of any of these pests or diseases 

 gaining entrance into California, because we have all 

 the leading and best European varieties growing here 

 already. We have hundreds of thousands of acres, 

 extending almost from the northerly to the extreme 

 southern part of the state, in which olives can be suc- 

 cessfully grown. 



PICKLING THE OLIVE 



The ripe pickled olive is pre-eminently a California 

 product. People who never eat the green olive, and 

 those who do, have to acquire the taste for them, 

 take to ripe olives as a duck does to water. Those who 

 are engaged in the manufacture of olive pickles en- 

 counter only one difficulty, and that is to secure suffi- 

 cient of the ripe .olives to satisfy the demand of the 

 consumer. 



Every home should have an olive tree where there is 

 sufficient ground, for one tree will supply all the olives 

 which the average household will use for several months. 



PLANTING 



Today the transplanting of olive trees is compara- 

 tively an easy matter to what it was twenty-five years 

 ago, when the industry was 

 just beginning to attract the 

 attention of horticulturists. 

 At that time the trees inva- 

 riably died unless they were 

 potted plants. After years of 

 experimental work the cause 

 of the trees failing to grow 

 was found to be due to not 

 topping the trees and short- 

 ening in the lateral branches 

 when digging. This method 

 of trimming overcomes much 

 of the evaporation and loss 

 of vitality through the foliage 

 and much of the trouble 

 formerly experienced has been 

 overcome. In nearly all cases 

 where trees fail to grow the 



Same tree with branches 

 shortened in, permitting 

 shoots with an upward 



bUt 



