OLIVK CULTURE IN SPAIN. 701 



tbis ouly for lamily cousiimytiou ; lliere is no exportation of the article, 

 the consumptiou of which, oa the contrary, is entirely supplied by im- 

 portation from the south. 



MoWaltee B. Notes, 



Coimul. 

 United States Consulate, 



Venice, March 3, 1884, 



SPAIN. 



REPORT BY CONSUL OPPJSNHHIM, OP CADIZ. 



[Republished from Consular Eeports No. 41^.] 



OLIVE CULTURE IN SPAIN. 



Origin. — The olive tree has been cultivated from the most remote his- 

 torical times. The ancients believed the tree to have been spontane- 

 onsly created by a beneficent divinity, and the Greeks attributed the 

 gift sometimes to Minerva, then again to Mercury. Diodorus states 

 that Aristseus introduced the tree into Sicily, and was the first to use 

 stone mills and rustic presses for the extraction of oil. Both the fruit 

 and oil-pressing were, however, known to the Egyptians at a period 

 even more remote than that of Greek myths, as is evidenced by wall 

 pictures representing the process of filling the olives into sacks, which, 

 when foil, were placed in presses, from which the oil is seen to flow. 

 Strangely enough, that very Egyptian process of pressing in sacks was 

 nntil a few years ago in use in remote districts of Spain (in La Mancha), 

 and may still be practiced at this day. There exists some doubt as 

 to whether the olive tree is indigenous to Spain. The wild species is 

 undoubtedly found in many districts, from Catalonia to Cadiz, but by 

 many it is held that these wild trees are merely the survivors of aban- 

 doned plantations, which have reverted to the aboriginal form. Be this 

 as it may, and whether the tree be an immigrant or " to the manor born," 

 Spain is certainly to-day its chosen home, and it, is generally admitted 

 that three-fourths of the olive zone in Europe lies within the borders 

 of the Peninsula. 



Varieties. — The varieties of the olive tree cultivated in Spain are nu- 

 merous. The list following shows the kinds that are most largely raised, 

 and describes the size and appearance of the fruit. 



(1) The Manzanillo : This tree under good conditions of soil and tem- 

 perature, grows to a large size. It is found in Seville and in Granada 

 in great abundance, also in the maritime zone and some of the protected 

 and fertile spots of the central region. It needs a rich soil, or, wanting 

 that, high manuring and cultivation ; makes good oil, but in the province 

 of Seville is mostly used for pickling. It is a great bearer, and the 



