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CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



When the young tree has attained some height, it is the practice to cut off 

 the top, so that the main stem shall be about four and a half feet in rich 

 soil, or three feet in poor soil or in locations exposed to strong winds. Six 

 or eight branches are left to form the head. The process of shaping the 

 tree then proceeds, as shown in the engravings. Fig. i shows the young 

 tree to be cut off at the point marked by the dotted line C. Six branches, 

 three on each side, are left, and the lower twigs shortened. Each of the 

 branches left develops, during the year, as the one shown in Fig. 2, which is 

 then cut at C again, and the shoots B and D are shortened. This process starts 

 out the upper shoot, and it appears the following year as A in Fig. 3, and it is 

 again cut at C. This causes the two upper shoots to develop, and at the end 

 of the year they appear as shown at BE in Fig. 4. Thus they stand at the 

 fourth year's pruning, and each of them is cut at C, and A is shortened and D 

 .allowed to develop. By this time the tree has a spherical or vase form, and 

 exposes much surface to the sun, which is desirable. 



The young branches that spring in the form of a cross on the more vigorous 

 branches, bear only wood buds; the others, which are weaker, bear fruit buds 

 on their whole length and burst into blossom at the spring of the second year. 

 The latter never blossom again in the same place, but the shoot extends itself 

 and forces two lateral ones. These new shoots bear the following spring, and 

 so on. It must therefore be always borne in mind that the olive bears only on 

 the two-year-old wood. If the new shoots are formed every year, the olive 

 will bear annually; but in years of good crops, the sap employed to nourish 

 the fruit only produces a number of very diminutive shoots, and the next crop 

 is a short one. The pruning ought to favor the growth of young lateral shoots, 

 either by shortening the terminal ones, suppressing the "gormand," or fruitless 

 shoots, or by reducing in a certain proportion, each year, the fruit-bearing 

 shoots, if we wish for a crop every year. The shortening of a branch is made 

 immediately above an outside bud in an oblique direction, the interior one 

 being suppressed. The suckers at the root of the tree should be continually 

 cut off. 



Concerning the time for pruning, the best season is said to be when the 

 winter frosts are well over and just before the sap starts in the spring. By 

 early pruning the sap is made to act upon the buds unfavorably situated on the 

 tree, brings them out, and also develops latent buds on the old wood. Thus 

 one is enabled to prevent the tree from becoming covered with naked limbs. 



THE FRUIT AND ITS PRODUCTS 



The agricultural experiment station of the University of Cali- 

 fornia was occupied for many years in the growth of olives and 

 close examination of olive products both by laboratory and prac- 

 tical test. The publications of the station discuss the operations 

 of oil making and pickling and the suitability of varieties and for 

 the purpose of this treatise outlines will be drawn from these 

 sources. 



Gathering the Fruit. Olives should be picked carefully and 

 at the right time. For green pickles they should be picked very 

 soon after they obtain full size, but before they have begun 

 to color or soften. For ripe pickles and for oil making 

 the fruit should be gathered when it contains the maxi- 

 mum amount of oil. This is soon after the olives are well 

 colored, but before they have attained the deep black which sig- 

 nifies overripeness. If the olives are gathered too green the oil 

 will be bitter; if too ripe, it will be rancid. When they can be 



