110 THE GEOGRAPHY OF PLANTS. 



1;he southern countries of Europe it is very exten- 

 sively used, being employed as generally arid in 

 the same way as butter and cream are with us. 

 The quantity imported into this country in 

 1848 was 2,518,740 gallons. 



There was anciently an enormous consump- 

 tion of it in Palestine ; it was used, doubt- 

 less, as it still is in southern Europe ; it was 

 also used in the temple for the lamps, which 

 were kept burning continually, (Exod. xxvii. 

 20.) Great, however, as was the consumption, 

 the produce was so abundant as to leave a con- 

 siderable quantity for exportation. Solomon 

 gave 20,000 baths (150,000 gallons) of oil 

 yearly to the Tyrian hewers of timber in 

 Lebanon, (2 Chron. ii. 10,) and, as it would 

 appear, an equal quantity to the king of Tyre 

 himself, (1 Kings v. 11.) It appears, too, 

 that the Jews traded with their oil in the great 

 mart of Tyre, (Ezek. xxvii. 17,) and sent it to 

 Egypt, (Hosea xii. 6.) To this day, the olives 

 and olive oil of Palestine are equal to any in 

 the Levant. Branches of the olive tree were 

 used as one of the materials of the booths at 

 the feast of tabernacles, (Neh. viii. 15;) and 

 an olive branch has long been considered the 

 symbol of peace. The dove which Noah sent 

 forth on the abating of the waters of the deluge, 

 returned with an olive leaf plucked off; the 

 hardiness and tenacity of life of this tree, pro- 

 bably enabling it to withstand so long an 

 immersion in the waters of the flood. The 

 olive is now cultivated and naturalized over 



