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CHAPTER VII. 



USES OF THE OLIVE. 



The bark, the wood, and the fruit of the Olive are all 

 utilised; although it is for the latter that the tree is 

 grown and forms so important an item in the productions 

 of the earth. The bark is bitter and astringent ; and both 

 bark and leaves have febrifuge properties called "olivile," 

 and have been used in medicine, the former having been 

 employed as a substitute for cinchona. Prom old stems 

 a gum resin exudes, with an odour like that of vanilla ; 

 and is largely used in Italy in the preparation of per- 

 fumes. The wood is one of the hardest and heaviest 

 known, weighing nearly 70 lbs. to the cubic foot ; and, 

 as in the case of the " box," has the pith nearly ob- 

 literated. It burns well even when green, being highly 

 resinous, and gives out great heat. When seasoned it 

 takes a fine polish ; and, being beautifully veined and 

 spotted, and possessing an agreeable smell, is very 

 valuable for turning and cabinet work. It is, moreover, 

 not subject to crack or to be destroyed by insect life. 

 The root wood has a great variety of shades, and is much 

 in requisition for turners' work. 



The fruit, in a whole state, is used in large quan- 

 tities, before coming to maturity, for pickles, and, to a 

 small extent, in a dried state. The form in which we 

 are chiefly accustomed to see Olives is in small bottles 

 in salt and water, in which state they are used as a 

 restorative to the palate. They undergo various treat- 

 ment to prepare them for this purpose ; but while the 

 receipts are numerous, the object and tendency of the 

 various processes is much alike. The object of treating 

 with an alkaline solution, before putting into the pre- 

 serving medium of salt and water, is to extract a portion 



