14 



STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 







inch of sand. The boxes are kept moist and shaded for awhile. 

 This method obviates the necessity of soaking the pits in lye to 

 deprive them of their oily coverings, and a person can easily 

 prepare some six hundred or more kernels in a day. 



Large Cuttings. The olive "takes" readily from cuttings. 

 The cuttings preferred are those taken from'mature trees and are 



made from twelve to fourteen 

 inches long, of two-year old 

 wood, or older, and from one 

 to one and one half inches in 

 diameter. They are taken from 

 the trees in December or Janu- 

 ary, and trenched in some con- 

 venient place, preferably in the 

 shade, where they are kept till 

 the middle of February or the 

 middle of March, or later, when 

 they are planted in nursery 

 rows. The ground is thorough- 

 ly prepared. The cuttings are 

 planted from twelve to thirty 

 inches apart, and about ten to 

 twelve inches deep. The soil 

 is hoed toward them on both 

 sides, leaving the cuttings cov- 

 ered to within an inch or two 

 of the top, in the center of a 

 ridge. The loose soil around 

 the top protects the cuttings 

 from being scorched by the 

 sun. As the cuttings begin to 

 grow, the shoots put forth 

 through the loose soil and are not disturbed. They are 

 allowed to grow for one season without pruning. The removal 

 of the growth the first season gives the cuttings a shock 

 that prevents the formation and growth of the roots. Many 

 growers plant cuttings at an angle of about forty-five degrees. 

 The season following all shoots and growth are removed, 

 except one which is to form the tree. This one is carefully 

 trimmed, and a stake is driven close to it, to which it is tied. 



Cuttings of different sizes, prepared 

 for planting reduced. 



