628 FRUIT CULTURE IK FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



roots below or the branches above. There is in this way left around 

 each tree a square space, which is then hoed by hand. The same oper- 

 ation is repeated in the course of spring, and again in summer. 



Pruning. Pruning is generally considered as unnecessary, and must 

 be conducted with great care, as the tree is liable to suffer by injudicious 

 or excessive lopping. It is only applied once in three or four years, 

 and confine*d to the suckers and the withered or entangled branches. 



Fertilizers. Fertilizes should also be applied with a great deal of 

 precaution. The best manure is that consisting of a mixture of animal 

 and vegetable matter. It is placed once in four years a little beneath 

 the surface of the ground. Close contact with the roots should be 

 avoided. Many cultivators prefer to dig out the earth from around the 

 foot of the tree and fill up the hole with fresh mold. An excess of ma- 

 nure has the same effect on the tree as an excess of water. It rots the 

 roots, and in all cases produces an abundance of aqueous sap. As the 

 olive tree vegetates all the year round, this abundance of sap makes it 

 more liable to the effects of frost and cold. It also rends frequently 

 the bark of the boughs, and flows out through these fissures with con- 

 siderable detriment to the tree. 



Irrigation. On the other hand, irrigation, while impairing the qual- 

 ity of the oil, produces much larger quantities of fruit that is also larger 

 in size, and in many districts where fruit forms the object of culture the 

 orchards are frequently watered by hand, with watering pots, or, when 

 the water supply is at hand, irrigated after the manner that meadows are. 



Planting. The olive tree can stand any degree of drought, but a tem- 

 perature of from 10 to 14 above 0, Fahr., accompanied with snow, 

 kills the boughs and trunk. There is then no remedy left but to cut 

 the tree on a level with the ground, and allow the roots to grow new 

 shoots, or to root it entirely and replace it by new plants. The olive 

 tree is remarkably reproductive, and any part of a twig would, in course 

 of time, take root and give birth to a tree. A shoot from the old roots 

 about 2 inches in diameter is generally selected for reproduction; it 

 is taken off from the roots with care, so as not to hurt either the scion 

 or the roots, arid planted in a square hole 6 feet on each side of the 

 surface, and 3 feet deep. The hole is usually filled with other earth 

 than that which has been taken out of it. The young tree, when planted, 

 should not be more than 4 feet above the level of the ground, and fre- 

 quently bears fruit after five or six years. Trees grown from the kernel 

 of the fruit do not begin to be fruitful until the age of fifteen or eighteen. 

 For this reason, this mode of reprodution is only practiced in nurseries, 

 where young trees are also raised from wild scions and slips, and sold 

 at the rate of 1 franc or 1.25 francs. These are in many cases preferred 

 to the trees grown from old roots, and when. properly packed can be 

 transported to long distances. 



The yield, proceeds, and cost of cultivation must necessarily vary 

 widely according to the manner in which orchards are cultivated. The 

 cost may amount to any sum between $5 and $20 per acre. 



