THE OLIVE IN ITALY. 



661 



ITALY. 



BJSPOliT BY CONSUL CHAIN, OF MILAN. 

 [Republished from Consular Reports, No. 41^. J 



The superticies devoted to olive culture iu Italy is approximately 

 900,311 hectares (equal to 2,224,668 acres), and the total production of 

 olive oil about 3,385,591 hectoliters (or 89,437,157 gallons), distributed 

 as follows : 



Districts. 



Area of cul- 

 tivation. 



Total produc- 

 tion of olive 

 oil. 



Lombardy 



Venice 



Lipniia 



Emilia 



Marches and TJmbria 



Tuscany 



Lazio 



South Adriatic 



South Mediterranean 



Sicily 



Sai'dinia , 



Hectares. 



4,591 



3,538 



84,931 



4,694 



76,271 



119,278 



41, 667 



270, 060 



1.19,928 



104, 373 



51, 582 



Hectoliters. 



6,381 



9,321 



343,264 



14, 757 



195, 659 



285, 006 



95,834 



557, 649 



636, 540 



730, 238 



211, 005 



The reports of the Italian minister of agriculture contain much that 

 is interesting in regard to this industry. 



The olive is indigenous to Asia. It is mentioned in Genesis, Hesiod, 

 and Homer, but was not introduced into Europe, according to Pliny, 

 until the two hundredth year of Rome. It is hardy, and grows wild in 

 southern Europe — Linnaeus calls it Olea Europwa, as if indigenous to 

 Europe. It is cultivated in Spain, Greece, Italy, Langnedoc, and Prov- 

 ence. The forty-fifth degree of latitude is considered the northern limit 

 of culture. Great heat or cold is unfavorable to the plant. It is not 

 found in Africa far from the Atlantic; and Humboldt noticed in various 

 parts of St. Domingo and South America that it grew there without 

 bearing fruit. It has been erroneously claimed that the olive would 

 only grow near the sea. It is found at great distances inland, but 

 abounds most near the coast, where the temperature is more congenial. 

 The variation of altitude at which the plant can thrive depends upon 

 the region. In central Italy the greater part of the olive zone is below 

 an elevation of 500 meters, and in Sicily below one of 600, while in the 

 basins of the lakes of Garda and Iseo 4j0 meters is the extreme limit. 

 At this extreme limit the cultivation is unprofitable, as the fruit often 

 fails to mature. The plant requires a soft and temperate climate. In 

 districts where the temperature is higher than required l^y the plant it 

 is cultivated by preference on elevated lands ; in those where the tem- 

 perature is low it is given a warm position. The north wind is the 

 enemy of the olive. In the same region it flourishes on high lands pro- 



