TTIK OLIVE IN ITALY. 



651 



In the summer, if a long drought sliould prevail, they must be 

 irrigated. 



Fig. 25. 



Pruning. — An old motto in Sicily says : " He, who works a growth 

 demands the fruit; who manures it obtains the fruit; and who prunes 

 the tree forces the growth." 



The principal forms to which olive trees can be reduced are four, to 

 wit: Al albero (shape of a tree), al pino, (shape of a pine), alpaniere 

 (shape of a basket), al umbrella (shape of an umbrella). 



The first form is mostly used in Sicily, in Calabria, and in some parts 

 of the Eoman and Tuscan provinces. It consists in leaving the tree 

 taking its natural habit, the pruning being limited by cutting now and 

 then all the dried and broken branches and all those deviating the 

 humor from the central trunk. The form al pino called also "cone," 

 is more correct than the former, and consists in allowing the branches 

 to be disposed in a shape without hurting one another, thus forming a 

 good exterior without exceeding leaves. 



Pruning al Paniere, called also vaso (vase) consists in taking off the 

 main trunk all the disfiguring branches to make a tree look in the 

 shape of a vase. The olive plant so pruned appears with all the branches 

 well ventilated, and, therefore, besides producing the great quantity of 

 fruit, it furnishes them completely matured. For this reason pruning 

 alpaniere is considered as the most advantageous one, and the same is 

 generally used in this island. Finally, a good pruning must be based 

 upon the following principles, viz : 



(1) An olive plant produces no fruit on new sprouts before two 



