600 FEUIT CULTURE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



transplanted the young trees must be watered once a fortnight during 

 summer until they reach their fourth year. If well protected they will 

 continue fruitful for two hundred years or longer. Trees planted on 

 stony hillsides yield more abundantly and of a better quality than trees 

 planted on plain land. They should be planted about 36 feet apart. 



Cultivation — The manner of cultivating olive trees is to plow or dig 

 over the ground every year about a foot in depth, adding manure every 

 third year at the foot of each tree and covering it up with earth. The 

 mature tree will yield about 580 pounds of olives yearly. 



Varieties. — The varieties which give the best results are known as 

 " Thrillies " and " Adramitis," after the localities where they are grown. 

 The " queen olives of commerce" are produced from an improved tree 

 grown at Adramitis. ,, 



There are two species of olives, and these are, when ripe, green and 

 black, respectively. Those intended for pickling for table use are gath- 

 ered green-ripe ; they are put in salted water and allowed to remain 

 until ready for use. These are of the black variety. Green olives also 

 yield good oil for table use, but in much smaller quantity. 



The most productive olive orchards in this province are at a distance 

 of 1 to 3 miles from the sea-coast. 



Pielcing and expressing oil. — A description of the manner of gathering 

 this fruit and expressing and preparing the oil may prove interesting. 



During the season of the crop the fruit is collected and salted, then 

 stored away from one to three months. At Mylilene and Aivali the 

 olives are kept even during live or six months before the oil is abstracted. 

 It is claimed that the larger the quantity of salt used in this process 

 the finer the quality of oil obtained. The fruit, packed in baskets con- 

 taining 50 pounds each, is put into boilers and boiled for half an hour ; 

 then it is withdrawn and spread on a circular surface, where it is ground 

 under a large millstone driven by horse-power. The horse is always 

 followed by a workman whose care is to throw the olives under the 

 stone with a shovel. The olives, first coarsely ground and then care- 

 fully pounded, are placed in bags made with goats' hair, which are put, 

 from 20 to 24 at a time, under a powerful press, operated by two work- 

 men, and then squeezed until no oil flows out ; 6^ poun s of good olives 

 give 2^ pounds of oil. The oil gathers in a trough placed under the 

 press, and is then withdrawn and poured into casks. The olives in- 

 tended to be used at table are put into stone jugs or barrels, after hav- 

 ing been carefully washed, and are covered over with strong brine. In 

 this condition they will keep good for a whole year. 



W. E. Stevens, 



Vonsul. 



United States Consulate, 



Smyrna, February 28, 1884. 



