16 



BULLETIN 803, IT. S. DEPAHTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



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solids in the flesh declined somewhat. There are several possible 

 explanations for these abnormalities. One is the difficulty expe- 

 rienced in securing representative tree samples at the later periods, 

 from the middle of November on, due to the picking of part of the 

 fruit on the tree (p. 8). Also, when the fruit is struck by a dry 

 north wind it partially shrivels up, which causes a decrease in its 

 weight and an increase in the percentage of the pit, as well as 

 an abnormal increase in the percentage of the oil and solids in the 

 flesh, which, however, drops back when the fruit plumps out again. 



This actually happened 

 to some of the samples 

 taken in the middle of 

 November, 1915. An- 

 other cause is the irriga- 

 tion of the trees late in 

 the season, as a result 

 of which, the fruit in- 

 creases in size and gains 

 water in the flesh, which, 

 produces ^ a slight drop 

 in the percentage of oil 

 and solids in the flesh. 

 It is, however, not im- 

 possible that under cer- 

 tain conditions the ab- 

 solute amount of oil 

 may actually decrease 



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slightly, as noted by 

 Hartwich and Uhlmann 

 and De Luca. 



A study of the color 



FIG. 3.— Changes in percentage composition of Mis- i^ showq that thp 



sion olives occurring during ripening in 1916. Cnanges SnOWS mat lUe 



olives, which are green 

 in September, begin to color up late in October and in November. 

 Some of the olives may still show a green color in December and Jan- 

 uary. Calculations of the analyses of the fruit flesh to the moisture- 

 free basis indicated that the percentages of protein and ash decrease 

 somewhat, though not markedly. The oil, of course, increases greatly, 

 approximating in the ripe fruit 60 per cent of the dry substance in 

 the flesh. It was hoped that this might be a valuable factor in judg- 

 ing maturity, but its value is limited, first, because the percentage of 

 oil in the moist flesh is nearly as good an index, and, secondly, because 

 in pickling olives the oil in the flesh on the dry basis increases mark- 

 edly (p. 20). 



