OLIVE HARVESTING. 



a breaking hough when the stroke has been too hard. Sheets 

 are often spread under the trees to catcli the falling frnits : 

 or else women and children squat on the ground and pick up 

 the berries one b}' one, using botli hands. One is astonished 

 at the deftness of these olive-gatherers and at their ability 

 to remain so long in a cramped position. This metliod of 

 knocking down the fruit must be injurious to tlie trees. As 

 far back as the first century A. D., Pliny protested against 

 the clumsy custom. Yet how else could they harvest the 

 olives here where the trees are of considerable height? The 

 dense foliage and the unevenness of the ground make it 

 almost impossible to use ladders. It is different in Provence 

 where the trees are kept low by careful pruning in order that 

 the berries may be gathered bv hand. These hand-picked 

 olives, 



table oil. But how unsightly are those 

 Provencal Ofive plantations with 

 their straight rows of trees of 

 uniform size. No friend 

 of the Riviera would A\'ish 

 to sacrifice the lovely 

 Olive groves, which 

 lend such a charm to the 

 scenery, for the sake of the 

 better oil. A tine quality ot oil is 

 expressed from tliose fruits which ripen 

 first. But in l^ordighera the pea- 

 sants wait until the greater por- 

 tion of the olives are ripe, and 

 Acciaii.iaria vicditcrraiiea. b}' that time much of the crop 



y 



