Gathering Olives. 341 
ened. This process starts out the upper shoot, and it appears the follow- 
ing year as A in Fig. 3, and it is again cut at C. This causes the two 
upper shoots to develop, and at the end of the year they appear as shown 
at BB in Fig. 4. Thus they stand at the fourth year’s pruning, and each 
of them is cut at C, and 4 is shortened and D allowed to develop. By 
this time the tree has a spherical or vase form, and exposes much sur- 
face to the sun, which is desirable. 
The young branches that spring in the form of a cross on the more 
vigorous branches, bear only wood buds; the others, which are weaker, 
bear fruit buds on their whole length and burst into blossom at the spring 
of the second year. The latter never blossom again in the same place, 
but the shoot extends itself and forces two lateral ones. These new 
shoots bear the following spring, and so on. It must therefore be always 
borne in mind that the olive bears only on the two-year-old wood. If 
the new shoots are formed every year, the olive will bear annually; but 
in years of good crops, the sap employed to nourish the fruit only pro- 
duces a number of very diminutive shoots, and the next crop is a short 
one. The pruning ought to favor the growth of young lateral shoots, 
either by shortening the terminal ones, suppressing the ‘“‘gormand,” or 
fruitless shoots, or by reducing in a certain proportion, each year, the 
fruit-bearing shoots, if we wish for a crop every year. The shortening of 
a branch is made immediately above an outside bud in an oblique direc- 
tion, the interior one being suppressed. The suckers at the root of the 
tree should be continually cut off. 
Concerning the time for pruning, the best season is said to be when 
the winter frosts are well over and just before the sap starts in the spring. 
By early pruning the sap is made to act upon the buds unfavorably situ- 
ated on the tree, brings them out, and also develops latent buds on the 
old wood. Thus one is enabled to prevent the tree from becoming coy- 
ered with nalged limbs. 
THE FRUIT AND ITS PRODUCTS. 
The agricultural experiment stations of the University 
of California have been occupied for many years in the growth 
of olives and close examination of olive products both by labora- 
tory and practical test. The publications of the stations consti- 
tute the fullest compendium of exact knowledge on this subject 
in the English language. All who wish to go into the matter 
deeply should secure this literature, so far as it is now available. 
For the purpose of this treatise outlines will be drawn from these 
sources. 
Gathering the Fruit.—QOlives should be picked carefully and 
at the right time. For green pickles they should be picked 
very soon after they obtain full size, but before they have begun 
to color or soften. For ripe pickles and for oil making the fruit 
should be gathered when it contains the maximum amount of 
oil. This is soon after the olives are well colored, but before 
they have attained the deep black which signifies dverripeness. 
If the olives are gathered too green the oil will be bitter; if too 
ripe, it will be rancid. When they can be easily shaken from 
the tree they are ripe enough. If they commence to fall with- 
out vigorous shaking they are overripe. For whatever pur- 
