14 



BULLETIN 803, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTURE. 



color are the largest and have the most oil and solids in the flesh. 

 This does not hold, however, in comparing olives of the same variety 

 from different groves or localities, as in several instances the green 

 colored fruit has the more oil and solids in the flesh (Samples 18208 

 and 18581; 18582, 18587, and 18591; 18583 and 18588). 



Since the complete data on the series of samples taken from marked 

 trees during the seasons of 1915 and 1916, to show the progressive 

 development of the fruit, are too voluminous to be given here. Table 

 3 has been compiled from the data secured for a single typical Mis- 

 sion tree in 1915. This table may be taken as an example of the 

 progressive changes observed in the investigation. A clearer idea of 

 the changes which occur during the course of ripening may be ob- 

 tained from a graphic representation of the data from selected trees, 

 first on the percentage basis, and then on the basis of actual weight 

 changes. Figure 1 shows the percentage changes for a certain Mis- 

 sion tree in 1915, while figure 2 represents the absolute changes in 

 weight of the constituents of 100 olives. The development is indi- 

 cated by broken curves joining the successive samples from the tree. 

 The same kind of a diagram has been made for a representative 

 Mission tree in 1916 (figs. 3 and 4). 



TABtE 3.- 



-Ripening changes of California olives (typical Mission tree, Butte 

 County, 1915). 







Fruit flesh. 



• 



Number 



Average 

 diameter 

















Date. 



Solids. 



Ether 

 extract. 



Protein 

 (Nx6.25). 



Ash. 



per 

 poimd. 



teenths 

 of an 

 inch. 



Pits. 



Color. 



1915. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 



Per cent. 







Per cent. 





Sept. 15.... 



28.58 



7.62 



1.73 



1.76 



240 



8.5 



32.6 



Green. 



Oct. 6 



29.87 



11.22 



1.73 



1.79 



226 



8.4 



29.6 



Do. 



Oct. 28 



32,42 



15.46 



1.36 



1.81 



199 



8.7 



26.4 



Green, showing 

 some yellow. 



Nov. 15.... 



37.16 



18.95 



1.52 



1.82 



192 



9.2 



24.6 



Mainly green; few 

 yellow and red. 



Dec. 15..... 



37.43 



21.38 



1.28 



1.80 



181 



8.8 



24.0 



Half, yellow with 

 red; half, red to 



































purple. 



An examination of figures 1 and 3 shows that the percentage of 

 pits falls as the fruit ripens, while, conversely, that of the flesh rises. 

 The percentage of ash in the flesh remains approximately the same. 

 This is true also of the protein, the representation of which, how- 

 ever, is not included in the charts for the reason that it would prac- 

 tically follow the line for the ash. The protein content was not 

 determined in 1916, as it seemed to have but little significance. 

 It is evident that the percentage of solids not oil in the flesh de- 

 creases somewhat during the ripening, the percentage of oil in the 

 flesh increases, with some little irregularity, and appears to drop 



