OLIVE CULTdRE IN SPAIN. 713 



{Anglice, cotton of the olive tree). The insect's life does npt last much 

 beyond one month, but it causes many blossoms to fall off, and rain 

 showers in blooming time, though in themselves prejudicial to the yield, 

 are effectual in destroying the insect. 



Two small beetles, respectively the jH^yteswMs olesperda and the Phloio- 

 tribus, are especially destructive to the soft white layer underneath the 

 bark ; the ova are deposited between the bark and the wood of broken 

 branches, or after pruning. The perfect insects are about 3 millimeters 

 in length. 



The Aspidiotus couchyformis is an insect about 5 millimeters in 

 length, ashy in color, provided with a proboscis with which it fastens 

 itselfs to the bark of the tree in great numbers, generally, however, 

 avoiding the leaves or tender shoots. This facilitates their removal by 

 rubbing with a coarse mop or brush. As with all other noxious insects, 

 petroleum is an effective remedy. 



A small worm, commonly called taladrilla- [Anglice, small borer), of 

 which the perfect form is not identified, introduces itself into the stone 

 of the olive, and after devouring the kernel, makes its exit by way of 

 the petiole, causing the fruit to drop off, usually in an unripe state. In 

 this case, as with the olive fly, it is advised to sacrifice the year's yield 

 and gather the fruit at once, in order to prevent the recurrence of the 

 pest the following season. 



Picking. — The time of ripening varies considerably according to lo- 

 cality and the species cultivated. When intended for pickling the pick- 

 ing in Andalusia usually begins about the middle of September and 

 lasts till about the 10th or 15th of October. The fruit at that time has 

 reached its full development as far as size is concerned, bat is yet green 

 and hard. For oil pressing the harvest begins in November, and may 

 last as late as early January. The usual mode of gathering is by knock- 

 ing the fruit down with sticks, which is to be deprecated on account of 

 the great damage done to the tender shoots on which the next season's 

 fruit is to be borne. Careful growers pick by hand, which is less expe- 

 ditious, but more profitable in the long run. 



Pickling. — For pickling there are two processes in use. 



The first one is the slow process, and the modus operandi m as follows : 

 Place the freshly picked olives in fresh water, which must be changed 

 every day, and let them lie thus about a fortnight. The water should be 

 drawn off quickly and promptly replaced,,not leaving the fruit exposed 

 to the air more than is absolutely necessary. The water drawn off will 

 at first be very bitter; this bitter taste will go on decreasing day by 

 day, and the taste must be taken as a criterion as to when this process 

 is to be considered completed, a fortnight or twenty days at most being 

 usually the time required. The olives are then placed in a pickle 

 made of salt and water, of a strength indicated by the French sali- 

 nometer as 9°, found in practice to be equivalent to a proportion of 



