THE OLIVE TREE. I 



Among the vegetable substances which min- 

 ister to the daily wants of man throughout 

 Southern Europe, Egypt, and sub-tropical Asia, 

 the olive and its products hold the next place 

 after cereals and vines in economic and com- 

 mercial importance. So remunerative has the 

 culture of the olive been considered, that, even 

 in portions of a country where it does not form 

 the principal aim of the cultivator, it is deemed 

 his most valuable secondary or subsidiary re- 

 source. Where the land is suited for wheat, 

 especially on low hill -sides, the olive trees are 

 planted at considerable distances asunder all 

 through it, and need no care beyond that be- 

 stowed on cultivating the ground for ordinary 

 crops. The cereals may perish by blight or 

 fire, but the olive crop is certain. Land in 

 Southern Europe, with soil and climate very 

 nearly the same as those of California, when 

 cut up into very small holdings, still supports 

 dense populations in reasonable comfort. The 

 people are frugal, industrious, thrifty, and yet 

 enjoy life with a keenness but little felt in the 

 hurry and bustle of activity in new countries 

 like California or Australia. 



Lands of every quality, suitable for every va- 

 riety of sub -tropical produce, are abundant in 

 California so abundant and cheap that the 

 cultivation is generally slovenly, and nearly al- 

 ways cropped with the same cereals, or roots, 

 till it gradually becomes exhausted, and a prey 

 to mere weeds. Like many other things which 

 are plentiful and cheap, little respect is paid to 

 land beyond its present use. Not so, however, 

 in countries like Belgium and Lombardy, Italy. 

 There every inch is turned to account, and 

 kept in uniform fertility from generation to 

 generation through thousands of years. No 

 people better understand and practice irriga- 

 tion than the Lombards ; and there is many a 

 useful hint to be gathered out of their experi- 

 ence which would amply repay the Californian 

 cultivator, if he only knew it. Now that atten- 

 tion is being turned to the establishment of ru- 

 ral colonies, with a view to special industries, 

 such as small vineyards, the making of raisins, 

 drying of fruit, and the like, these remarks, and 

 others thrown out as occasion may offer in these 

 pages, have a pregnant meaning for those who 

 are entertaining the notion of settling on coun- 

 try lands, or have already so settled. In fact, 

 it is chiefly for them that I write. In certain 



highly favored localities, such as the districts 

 about Fresno, the system of agricultural colo- 

 nies has been tried, where the holdings are 

 small, say from twenty to perhaps one hundred 

 acres, and the result so far is encouraging. 

 Still, the land is as yet not reduced to its full 

 bearing capacity, whether as to vineyards, grain 

 crops, root crops, such as the sweet potato, or 

 hay, which form the staple industries at the 

 present time. 



OTHER SUITABLE INDUSTRIES. 



On a thirty or forty -acre farm the eye of a 

 Belgian or of a Lombard would at a glance 

 perceive where the support of the family might 

 be obtained, with little or no additional outlay 

 or labor than such as could be done by children 

 in odd hours. Bees are frequently kept, it is 

 true ; but where do we find the natural accom- 

 paniment of them? aromatic plants, such as 

 rosemary, lavender, lemon, thyme, etc. the 

 money value of which for their essential oils 

 would be considerable. Fig trees are begin- 

 ning to be thought about for their fruit, but as 

 yet we nowhere see them planted out in vine- 

 yards, as they should be here and there, espe- 

 cially in the lowest and dampest parts, because 

 there they serve the excellent purpose of at- 

 tracting small birds and flies which would other- 

 wise play havoc among the grapes. The shade 

 is grateful, and the fruit, ripening as it does 

 weeks before the grapes, effectually gathers 

 those mischievous pests to itself alone, for they 

 prefer the ripe fig to all other fruit. 



Nearly every expense attending on house- 

 keeping is got out of these secondary indus- 

 tries. Nay, more ; in the vicinity of Lisbon, in 

 former years the crop of olives grown in the 

 wheat field paid probably more than the whole 

 expense of cultivating the land and securing 

 the harvest. Of course, these secondary in- 

 dustries vary in different localities, and not un- 

 frequently in the same district. Some situa- 

 tions have acquired a reputation for the excel- 

 lence of their figs; others for their walnuts, 

 chestnuts, or hazel nuts; others again for the 

 abundance and excellence of herbs, such as 

 saffron, pimento, mint, licorice, etc. all of 

 which have a certain market value. By-prod- 

 ucts, such as those enumerated, together with 

 eggs and chickens, which they raise in quantity 



