The Olive. 



THE OLIVE. 



The Oliv' >1ea European forms the basis of one of the 



oldest industries in naeriea. The oldest olive trees planted in 



the United States are those at the mission of San Diego, California. 

 These are credited with an — .ceding one hundred years and are 

 in good bearing condition, notwithstanding the ill-usage to 

 which ive been subjected. 



The accompanying view of these ft if historic interest, and 



is taken from a report of the secretary of the California state board 

 of horticulture- The variety planted at the old Californian mis- 

 sions is the one which has until late years been planted almost 

 exclusively, and is still favorably known as the Mission olive. Other 

 var ave of late years been tried in Southern California with 



variable success. Horticultural varieties are as numerous in the 

 olive as in the peach or apple, over a hundred named forms having 

 been described under a perplexing nomenclature. 



In mes, a province in France, we learn from a 



- .ar report that the olive cover 7 00 acres in that 

 province, yielding an annual income of $2,000,000 — the only r 

 enue of many familic- 



The olive prospers in calc^ r gravelly or dry soils where 



no vegetable or cereal crop could be obtained. 



In 1 wrer California the olive comes into bearing at seven years. 

 In more northern or cooler climates, ten to twelve years is the usual 

 time for t: zo arrive at maturity. It remains fruitful for cen- 



turies, and a tree in Europe, near Nice, was famous for its old age in 

 1515, and mz sores forty-two feet in circumference. The average 

 3-ield of this tree at present is nearly 320 pounds of oil per year. 

 well cultivated olive tree will easily yield fifteen gallons of oil, or 

 about 1500 gallons per acre, if planted 100 trees to the acre; but in 

 Europe a less number ally planted, more seldom even as many 



as 75 trees to the acre. 



For oil the fruit is picked about a month before ripe, but for 

 pickling for table use they are gathered when fully ripe usually. 



The northern limit of the olive for fruiting is believed to be near 

 -42° north latitude, on the Pacific coast, but it may be grown 

 farther northward as an ornamental tree, blossoming but not ma- 

 turing fruit. It is a handsome forest tree, well adapted for hillsides 

 too sterile for scarcely anything else of value to thrive. Lands once 

 abandoned for sterility in Africa and portions of Southern Europe 

 are now a source of wealth, and thousands of acres of arid lands 



