26 STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



that bloom profusely but only setting few fruits, being cited as 

 instances. The behavior of the olive in this respect is not new, 

 and has been understood for ages and is due to many causes, 

 but primarily to the improper management of the tree, imper- 

 fect bloom, deficient pollen, the ravages of the black scale, 

 propagating from unfruitful sorts, and lastly to weakened 

 fruit buds caused by excessive spraying with strong caustic 

 and crude oily materials, and fumigating with gases too strong 

 for the buds. While spraying and fumigating at times 

 become essential for subduing the black scale, to which the tree 

 is subject, especially in the coast regions or in localities of 

 humid atmospheric conditions, unless used with moderation 

 and applied at the proper time they cause the weakening of 

 the fruit buds and retard their fruiting power. In my investi- 

 gations I have often found olive-growers spraying either at the 

 wrong time or with materials that not only injured the buds 

 very materially, but had no effect whatever on the insects. 

 Such condition of affairs exists everywhere, and the trees are 

 treated from one to three times a season. Can it be wondered, 

 then, that the trees fail to set their bloom with all these 

 hinderances, rather than being encouraged in healthfulness 

 looking toward a profitable production? 



Buds weakened by any cause put forth weak peduncles, 

 which wither and lose hold before the flowers that are attached 

 to them have developed. The flowers also develop unnaturally, 

 lacking fertilizing power, and either wither and fall before fer- 

 tilization takes place, or never open, thus failing to set fruit. 



Trees grown from seed have a tendency to revert to the 

 wild type, or a type entirely distinct, some of which fruit, 

 while others seldom do. The character is also changed by 

 pollen impulse. 



There are a great many trees distributed among the mis- 

 sions throughout the State, that, for natural, unexplained 

 causes, have never as yet produced fruit in any quantity, the 

 tendency of the trees being to throw their growth to foliage 

 instead. Many orchardists seeking stock for propagating pur- 

 poses planted cuttings in large numbers from such shy-bearing 

 trees, and trees grown therefrom have been distributed indis- 

 criminately throughout the State. Such trees have proved a 

 great disappointment, for they have not yet produced fruit to 



