﻿March, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  1 
  1 
  

  

  A 
  Glimpse 
  of 
  the 
  Ranch 
  House 
  and 
  the 
  Garden 
  

  

  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  it. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  interesting 
  to 
  trace 
  an 
  orchard 
  

   of 
  this 
  kind 
  from 
  its 
  inception 
  to 
  bearing, 
  and 
  we 
  shall 
  doubt- 
  

   less 
  find 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  all 
  couleur 
  de 
  rose. 
  There 
  are 
  pests 
  

   which 
  prey 
  on 
  the 
  olive 
  distracting 
  to 
  the 
  grower, 
  and 
  a 
  

   variety 
  of 
  troubles 
  and 
  annoyances 
  which 
  must 
  be 
  expected 
  in 
  

   any 
  business. 
  

  

  In 
  planting, 
  the 
  olive 
  rancher 
  has 
  arranged 
  to 
  have 
  his 
  

   crops 
  come 
  at 
  different 
  times, 
  this 
  being 
  rendered 
  possible 
  

   by 
  using 
  different 
  varieties. 
  The 
  trees 
  grow 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  in 
  

   four 
  years 
  the 
  first 
  crop 
  comes, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  fifth 
  more, 
  and 
  after 
  

   that 
  the 
  tree 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  its 
  best 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  The 
  

   olives 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  East 
  is 
  familiar 
  are, 
  as 
  they 
  appear, 
  

   green 
  — 
  picked 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  ripe 
  for 
  pickling, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  a 
  great 
  dainty, 
  but 
  the 
  Californian 
  considers 
  the 
  

   black, 
  dead-ripe 
  olives 
  the 
  best 
  eating, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  taste 
  is 
  

   an 
  acquired 
  one 
  it 
  is 
  soon 
  established. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  picking 
  comes, 
  the 
  grove, 
  orchard, 
  or 
  

   ranch, 
  has 
  an 
  especial 
  interest; 
  gangs 
  of 
  men, 
  Indians, 
  Mexi- 
  

   cans, 
  or 
  Chinamen, 
  gather 
  and 
  proceed 
  down 
  the 
  grove. 
  

   Long 
  ladders 
  enable 
  them 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  higher 
  trees. 
  Each 
  

   man 
  has 
  swung 
  about 
  his 
  neck 
  a 
  canvas 
  bucket, 
  flat 
  on 
  one 
  

   side 
  to 
  fit 
  his 
  body, 
  as 
  the 
  olive 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  injured. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  even 
  picked 
  with 
  both 
  hands. 
  When 
  the 
  bag 
  is 
  filled 
  

   the 
  picker 
  descends 
  and 
  empties 
  the 
  berries 
  into 
  a 
  box. 
  

   They 
  are 
  then 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  fanning 
  mill 
  which 
  removes 
  

  

  all 
  dirt 
  or 
  dust. 
  Cleanliness 
  is 
  the 
  watch- 
  

   word 
  in 
  all 
  olive 
  culture. 
  The 
  pickers 
  make 
  

   rapid 
  headway, 
  and 
  soon 
  hundreds 
  of 
  gal- 
  

   lons 
  of 
  berries 
  are 
  picked. 
  The 
  observer 
  

   will 
  notice 
  that 
  during 
  all 
  the 
  picking 
  four 
  

   different 
  stages 
  have 
  been 
  picked 
  — 
  green, 
  

   reddish, 
  ripe, 
  and 
  dead 
  ripe. 
  Those 
  for 
  

   pickling 
  are 
  hard, 
  but 
  of 
  full 
  size, 
  and 
  are 
  

   placed 
  in 
  vats 
  half 
  full 
  of 
  water. 
  From 
  

   here 
  they 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  pickling 
  vats, 
  a 
  some- 
  

   what 
  delicate 
  operation, 
  if 
  the 
  rich 
  green 
  

   tint 
  of 
  the 
  olive 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  preserved 
  in 
  all 
  its 
  

   purity. 
  This 
  accomplished 
  they 
  pass 
  on 
  to 
  

   the 
  bottling 
  department. 
  The 
  pickling 
  of 
  

   the 
  dead 
  ripe 
  olives 
  is 
  another 
  process 
  re- 
  

   quiring 
  great 
  care. 
  

  

  In 
  December, 
  or 
  when 
  the 
  olive 
  begins 
  

   to 
  assume 
  a 
  purple 
  shade 
  — 
  or 
  reddish 
  pur- 
  

   ple, 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  ripe 
  enough 
  to 
  pick 
  for 
  

   the 
  oil. 
  At 
  this 
  season 
  one 
  may 
  see 
  the 
  

   same 
  general 
  process 
  which 
  was 
  in 
  vogue 
  a 
  

  

  _„^ 
  _^i~ 
  thousand 
  years 
  ago 
  — 
  namely, 
  the 
  crushing 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  olives. 
  The 
  olives 
  are 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   remain 
  on 
  the 
  trees 
  until 
  the 
  last 
  moment 
  as 
  

   they 
  then 
  produce 
  the 
  maximum 
  amount 
  of 
  oil; 
  this 
  gives 
  

   quantity, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  finest 
  oil 
  the 
  maker 
  picks 
  the 
  olives 
  

   sooner, 
  or 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  hard. 
  All 
  the 
  old 
  Missions 
  had 
  

   their 
  crushers, 
  and 
  some 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  to-day. 
  The 
  olives 
  are 
  

   now 
  arranged 
  in 
  trays 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  air 
  can 
  circulate. 
  

   to 
  remove 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  moisture. 
  Then 
  they 
  are 
  ready 
  for 
  

   the 
  mill, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  big 
  wheel 
  of 
  iron 
  or 
  stone 
  worked 
  in 
  a 
  

   stone 
  or 
  iron 
  basin 
  by 
  man 
  or 
  horse 
  in 
  former 
  years, 
  now 
  by 
  

   steam. 
  

  

  The 
  mill 
  is 
  charged 
  with 
  about 
  three 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  olives, 
  and 
  like 
  the 
  mills 
  of 
  God 
  it 
  grinds 
  slowly. 
  

   The 
  pulp 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  tubs, 
  the 
  staves 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  narrow 
  

   and 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  apart. 
  Pressure 
  is 
  brought 
  to 
  bear 
  upon 
  

   this. 
  The 
  resultant 
  oil, 
  the 
  first 
  or 
  virgin 
  oil, 
  is 
  the 
  best. 
  

   The 
  pulp 
  is 
  taken 
  out, 
  replaced 
  and 
  pressed 
  again, 
  pro- 
  

   ducing 
  a 
  second 
  grade, 
  and 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  third 
  or 
  fourth 
  

   grade. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  most 
  interesting 
  operation, 
  and 
  the 
  per- 
  

   fume, 
  or 
  the 
  bouquet, 
  is 
  delicious. 
  The 
  entire 
  work 
  is 
  im- 
  

   maculate; 
  dust, 
  foreign 
  odors, 
  anything 
  likely 
  to 
  contam- 
  

   inate 
  the 
  oil 
  being 
  carefully 
  removed. 
  

  

  The 
  absolute 
  purity 
  of 
  the 
  oil, 
  and 
  the 
  care 
  taken 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  it, 
  are 
  nowhere 
  more 
  admirably 
  exemplified 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   filtering 
  room. 
  The 
  oil 
  and 
  some 
  pulp 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  tin 
  

   tanks 
  where 
  the 
  oil 
  rises 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  like 
  cream 
  is 
  

   skimmed 
  off 
  and 
  poured 
  into 
  settling 
  tanks, 
  where 
  it 
  remains 
  

  

  Measuring 
  the 
  Olives 
  

  

  Gathering 
  the 
  Olives 
  

  

  