OLIVI-: SPAIN. 705 



are by many beiu'vcd to be the identical ones that stood there at the 

 time of Jesus Christ. The duration of the productive period is also 

 most difficult to determine ; all that is known is that it lasts extremely 

 long, when not cut short by injuries to the tree or exhaustion of soil 

 surrounding it. 



Planting and propagating. Olive trees raised from the stone of the 

 fruit always revert to the original form, called here acebiwhe or wild 

 olive ; henpe in order to reproduce desirable varieties it is necessary to 

 plant parts taken from the living tree, whether shoots, branches, or 

 roots. The most general modes of reproduction is either by estacas or 

 by garrotes. Both modes are followed pretty nearly all over the country, 

 though in the central provinces the second process is the more general, 

 whilst the contrary holds good for the south and the extreme north. 

 The best time for planting (by either mode) is from January to March in 

 the maritime zone, from January till April in the central provinces, and 

 from January till May in the north ; and it may be taken as a safe rule- 

 to plant only when the frosts are over and before the trees have begun to 

 bud. The estaca, which, as before stated, is a stout limb about 3 meters 

 long, should, if possible, be planted immediately after being cut from 

 the parent tree. The hole is dug to a depth varying from 1 to 2 meters, 

 the depth increasing with the severity of the climate ; square pits 90 

 centimeters each way are the best, but quadrangular ones are less ex- 

 pensive and generally used 5 this pit should be about 85 to 90 centi- 

 meters long by from 20 to 30 wide, and if planting on inclined ground, 

 the length should, cross the line of descent. At the bottom of the pit a 

 layer of well-rotted manure is first deposited, upon which a layer of 

 active outer soil is laid to a depth of 3 or 4 centimeters ; the limb is 

 then placed in the center of the pit and earth (from the upper layer, 

 not that dug from the pit) is then put in, thoroughly broken up, and 

 pressed down with the feet ; when about even with the surrounding 

 earth, a small concavity is left in order to retain rain or irrigation 

 water. This operation is best performed by two men ; one keeps the 

 limb in position and compresses the earth, whilst the other is filling 

 in. In Andalusia it is usual to pile up moist clay against the protrud- 

 ing part of the estaca until no more than about 30 centimeters of its 

 length is visible ; this is held to be very efficient in all hot, dry re- 

 gions, as otherwise it often happens that the limb produces shoots 

 from the lower part only, whilst the upper part dries up. The moist 

 day is piled in the form of a slender cone, and at half its height an 

 opening is left for supplying the limb with water, which in dry 

 weather must be done plentifully. The garrotes are cuttings of from 

 70 to 90 centimeters in length, which with most varieties may be sup- 

 plied in goodly numbers by such pruning as will benefit the tree. The 

 pits are dug somewhat less deep than for the estacas, and two of the 

 garrotes are planted together, leaning towards each other in such a po- 

 sition that the l\vi riittings and the bottom of the pit form a triangle, 



