THE OLIVE IN NICE. 637 



year is the period to determine the height desirable for the tree to at- 

 tain. The height preferred depends upon the species, but more upon 

 the locality and nature of the soil to which it is to be transplanted. If 

 destined to deep and rich soils, a trunk of 4 to 5 feet in height is best; 

 but if for a lean soil, or a place exposed to winds, then 3 to 4 feet is 

 sufficient. Soon after its fifth year comes the time for forming the head 

 of the tree, to which is given sometimes the form of a truncated cone, 

 of a vase, of a fan, a sphere, or pyramid, the object being always to 

 allow it to present as much surface to the sun as possible. The result 

 is reached only by the labor of years. 



Transplanting.— In the transplantation the plants are placed about 4 

 inches deeper than in the nursery, and in lines from north to south, 

 with a space between each tree of from 25 to 30 feet, as the tree will not 

 be fruitful unless well exposed to the sun. The rule in that regard 

 here is as follows : Plant the trees on right lines from north to south, 

 with such a distance in the alleys between them that the tree to the 

 south shall not cast its shadow on its neighbor to the north on the day 

 of the equinox, the 22d day of March, at noon. 



When the soil is dry the plants are transplanted in the autumn, and 

 in moist soils in the spring, care then being taken that they be placed in 

 the same position toward the sun as they had in the nursery. A bed 

 of straw is provided at the foot and a circular gutter to retain the rain 

 in summer. The soil covering the roots contains some fertilizer, such 

 as pulverized bones or ordinary dung. 



Pruning. — It is an ancient saying here that by planting the olive you 

 pray it to give you fruit ; if you manure it, you not only pray it but 

 yon entreat it; but by pruning you compel it to do so. To this end all 

 dead wood is cut out, and those branches which prevent air and light 

 reaching the center of the tree. The height is also thus reduced when 

 detracting from the vigor of the lower branches,, and rendering at the 

 same time more difficult the gathering of the fruit. A regular pruning 

 of young plants, however, should not commence until the fifth or sixth 

 year after transplantation. 



At Nice the trees are pruned every two years, in the spring. In 

 autumn the wounds have no time to heal before cold weather, but in the 

 first case there is also danger — loss of sap. On examining more closely 

 the rules for olive pruning it should be remarked that these should cor- 

 respond to the mode of growth of the tree itself. Young branches pre- 

 sent themselves opposite each other on the most vigorous branches, and 

 are only productive of wood; other produce knobs for flowers all along 

 their length, which expand inbranches in the spring of the second year. 

 Each of these small branches develop two lateral shoots; these new 

 shoots fructify in the following spring, and so on. It will be remem- 

 bered that the olive fruit grows only on the branches which are two 

 years old. 



If the new shoots were developed yearly without accident, the tree 

 would annually produce its fruit, but in the years of abundance the sap 



