ROBBING'S FRUIT GROWERS' GUIDE 



53 



and will withstand heavy winds better than those 

 raised from cuttings. I have my grave doubts about 

 this, but as the rooting of many varieties under the old 

 method is fraught with so many difficulties the plan of 

 raising seedlings and either budding or grafting them 

 will appeal to every nurseryman. 



GATHERING 



For making the green pickles, olives should be gath- 

 ered just as a change from a light gre&n to a yellow 

 shade is seen. The development of the olive industry 

 in California has been largely due to the remarkable 

 success which has been made in the processing of the 

 ripe olive. As there is quite an active demand and more 

 than likely there always will be in many parts of the 

 world for green pickled olives, it will make it impera- 

 tive for those engaged in the business in a commercial 

 way for market to process them in any manner in which 

 they may be demanded by the trade. One of the ad- 

 vantages of the green pickled olive from a grower's 

 standpoint is that in years of very heavy crops, when 

 the trees are overburdened with fruit, the olives are very 

 slow in ripening, and this may be delayed so late in the 

 fall that the olives become injured by frost and this un- 

 fits them for pickling purposes. If the trees are thinned 

 by picking a good part of the olives early, those re- 

 maining will not only size up but will reach maturity 

 within a few weeks, where it will extend over a period of 

 several months if all the olives were allowed to remain 

 on the tree. In picking olives care should be taken not 

 to press them together when gathering. The bucket 

 into which the olives are picked should be lined with 

 burlap. The lug boxes which are used to carry them 

 from the field should never be more than two-thirds 

 full. If the olives are to be kept for any length of time 

 before they are processed or are to be shipped by rail, 

 they should go forward in barrels in a brine made by 

 dissolving three ounces of salt to a gallon of water. 

 When handled in this manner they will keep for several 

 weeks in the very best of condition. 'Whether green or 

 ripe, this is the only practical way of shipping olives. 

 An olive is ripe whenever it reaches the point where 

 its surface is more or less diffused with red. It is 

 not an invariable rule to follow, because in years 

 of very heavy crops, when the olives are allowed 

 to hang on the trees, the fruit may never rea."h a 

 point beyond showing a light straw color on one 

 side. Such olives are ripe. The expense of gather- 

 ing olives for pickling purposes varies from eight- 

 een to twenty-five dollars per ton, depending on the 

 crop, labor conditions and so forth. For making oil it 

 is not necessary to exercise the same care. The olives 

 may be pulled off the trees and allowed to drop to a 

 canvas spread under them. In shipping, it is practicable 

 to forward them in sacks. Should they be on the road 

 for any length of time, it is important to have the car 

 well ventilated, otherwise they may mold. This may 

 be overcome and the weight may be very materially 

 reduced by spreading them out on a wooden floor 

 under cover and turning them occasionally before 

 shipping. They should never be spread more than six 

 inches deep. 



METHODS OF PICKLING 



How to make our green olives when turned out as a 

 finished product compare favorably with the imported 

 goods was the desideratum we all aspired to thirteen 

 years ago. Information from Spain and Algeria, the 

 two points from which practically all of our green 

 olives came, was so misleading that men who were 

 experienced in this class of work knew that if the in- 

 structions given were followed the olives would be 

 ruined. 



In order to make green olives similar in appearance 

 and flavor to the imported olive, the process extends 

 over a period of several months. Briefly, the process is 

 as follows : First the olives are graded and sorted, being 

 reasonably careful to get the olives that are to be 

 treated of a uniform size. The olives should be covered 

 with a solution made by dissolving three ounces of lye 

 in a gallon of water. It takes from eighteen to twenty- 

 four hours to cut the olives the desired depth about 

 one-third through. The rapidity of the cut depends 

 on the condition of the fruit. Stir the olives occasionally 

 while processing, to get them to cut evenly and to 

 retain a uniform color. 



The best implement for stirring is a shovel made the 

 same shape as an ordinary shovel, except that the blade 

 and handle are all of wood. After the olives are cut to 

 the desired depth wash them in fresh water each day 

 for about five days, or until all lye has disappeared. 

 Then cover the olives with a brine made by dissolving 

 four ounces of salt to the gallon of water for a period 

 of, ten days, gradually increasing its strength. The 

 olives will not shrink after they have taken a little 

 salt. Fill the barrels full of olives, head up in a thirty- 

 degree or ten-ounce brine and roll the barrels, bung up, 

 into an open shed- Do not drive the bung too tight. 

 Every few days following this, examine the barrels care- 

 fully and if the olives are not fully covered with brine, 

 replenish with a thirty-degree brine solution. After 

 the first month, the barrels will not have to be watched 

 so carefully, but they should be examined at least 

 twice a month and the brine solution should be re- 

 plenished if necessary. As soon as fermentation is 

 practically over, the barrels should be bunged up tight. 

 They require no further attention after this except 

 to examine them occasionally to see that the brine has 

 not leaked out. 



HOW TO MAKE OLIVE OIL 



When the olives are received at the packing house 

 they are run through a fanning mill or an aspirator to 

 remove all dirt or leaves. The olives are next crushed 

 between heavy corrugated iron rollers, operated by 

 power machinery. In crushing, the pits as well as the 

 pulp of the olives are reduced. It has been found im- 

 practicable to do otherwise, and the statement that has 

 been made that an inferior article is produced when the 

 pits are crushed is a fallacy, just as much so as that the 

 virgin oil comes from the first pressing. This is good 

 trade talk, but is never carried out in actual practice. 

 The first pressing is usually light and the resultant 

 produce is practically all water, very "little oil. 



