22 THE OLIVE 



the olive. The ancient Italian authors enumerated comparatively 

 few, from twelve to sixteen, but a modern writer on the subject 

 in that country has summed up to over three hundred. 

 Each locality where olives have been grown has added a name 

 suggested by chance appearance or local prejudice, until a perfect 

 chaos exists, utttrlv meanini>;less to anvone outside of the narrow 

 section where it may be familiar. Take some of the Spanish names 

 for instance, such as the '' Rabbit's eve,'' the '' Pillow-case '\ the 

 '^Little round" — these are al)surd and convev no sii>-niticance to 

 anyone not living in the pi'ovince in Sjxiin where they may be 

 grown. They are evidently given to imjmrt the idea of the shape 

 of different berries and iii ignorance of the fact that olives should 

 not be classiiied bv the ai)])earance of the fruit, but bv the character- 

 istics of the tree, for the verv sufficient reason that trees of entirelv 

 different a])pearance and habits, produce berries very similar in iorni. 



In this State we are likely, as olive culture progresses, to find great 

 difficulty in recoo;nizing what an oUve is from its name. AVe were 

 launched with some Sj)anisli varieties which to us have become Mis- 

 sion, then a number of French plants became known, and lastlv 

 the Italian are coming in. The Spanish have never shown the 

 world anv iiood oil, although it could undoubtedlv l)e made there. 

 The quality is prol)ably somewhat affected bv the latitude. 



The French for years have drawn the bulk of their sup])ly of 

 oil from Italv and to-dav' the oil in-ovinces of Northern Italv are 

 overrun with French oil buyers, and bad oil cannot l)e made good, 

 although the French are adepts at anything of this kind. If their 

 oil has merit it is because it was i)ro])erlv made. Italv is the foiui- 

 tain head. Italv has lono; been the source of all the 2:ood oil 

 we have ever known. Italy has carried the cultivation of this 

 tree to greater i^erfection than anv other countrv on the ulobe. 

 How can we then do better than follow the classification of 

 Professor Caruso, Professor of Agriculture of the National Univer- 

 sity of Pisa, who at the instance of the Italian Government has 



