THE OLIVE IN GENOA. 665 



be imposed on all imports of seeds and seed oils if it is to be continued 

 on cotton-seed oil. 



It is claimed that the duty on cotton-seed oil has served no good pur- 

 pose; that the mixing of cotton oil with olive was not prejudicial to 

 health, and that the mixture is now made with oils from flax and nuts, 

 and other deleterious substances ; and that the competition formerly 

 coming from cotton oil has been replaced by oils of other seeds and by 

 nut oils. 



It is stated on good authority that no practical method exists by which 

 these mixtures and their properties can be detected, and it is felt that 

 frauds will diminish, and the public good be promoted, when prejudices 

 against good seed oils disappear and they are sold under their true 

 names. 



DimHAM J. Ceain, 



Consul . 



United States Consulate, 



Milan, November 10, 1883. 



GENOA. 



XEPORT BY CONSUL FZETOHEX. 

 [Republished from Consular Eeports, No. 41^.] 



Varieties. — The best olive oil is extracted from the following-named 

 trees: 



I. The GHuggiolina, known as the Lavagnina or Taggiasca. 

 II. Hadiola or Eazzuolo and Pendolina. 



III. Orappolosa or Merlina-Pignola doppia. 



IV. Tondolina or Pignola. 



V. Martellina or Martena-Papollina. 



Seeding and planting. — The length of time between seeding or plant- 

 ing and fruit bearing depends altogether on the manner in which the 

 work of cultivation is performed. If trees are raised from seed, sixteen 

 years is allotted before fruit bearing; if by sprout, plant, or .shoot, it 

 depends on the age thereof; if by snags, it will take from twelve to 

 thirteen years before a crop can be realized. A full crop can not be 

 expected till the tree reaches twenty-five or thirty years. 



Plants brought up from seed and shoots must be ingrafted ; otherwise 

 the trees and fruit remain wild ; snags also ; in fact, all must be grafted 

 if taken from the root or below the graft of the parent tree. 



The mode of cultivating olives in this province is as follows: 



Olives are multiplied by shoots or sprouts ; they are, when sufficient 

 vitality is assured, replanted in the soil where it is designed they should 

 grow; they are mulched every three years with manure of slow decom- 

 position as, for example, the scrapings off horns, grounded hoofs, woolen 

 rags, and stabls manure. Manure of quick decomposition is good for 



