37 



Another inducement to harvesting the Olive as soon 

 as it is fit for gathering, is to he found in the fact that, 

 by delaying too long, the productiveness of the tree for 

 the next year is prejudicially affected. Early gathering, 

 on the- other hand, relieves the tree and gives time to 

 strengthen for another crop. I have already said that 

 the Olive, if left to itself, will only bear once in two years. 

 This is positively stated by ancient writers, who attribute 

 the fact in great measure to the injury received by the 

 tree in the practice of beating down the fruit. The 

 belief has, however, come down to a period much nearer 

 to us ; but there is no doubt that in skilfully managed 

 plantations the trees do bear annual crops, and that the 

 early gathering of the fruit contributes largely to this 

 end. If the fruit is left on the tree too long, it is taking 

 sap which ought to go to the formation of new shoots 

 for fruiting the following year. 



The best mode of gathering is by hand. The system, 

 elsewhere alluded to, of cultivating low-growing trees 

 much facilitates the harvest. The gathering can be 

 clone by children, and with the aid of light steps the 

 fruit can be reached from the top of the tree. The 

 system of beating the fruit from the tree with light rods 

 of wood, although very old, and still in some places 

 resorted to, should never be practised by the intelligent 

 and painstaking agriculturist. However skilfully done, 

 it cannot fail more or less to injure the young branches, 

 as the blows must fall at random ; and what will suffice 

 to bring down the fruit will also strew the ground with 

 leaves and tender shoots ; leaving Nature with a large 

 amount of repairs to effect, instead of applying all her 

 energies to preparing for the next crop. The practice 

 has the additional disadvantage of involving the picking 

 over of the fruit in order before pressing to separate 

 leaves, sticks, and other rubbish. 



Shaking the tree is also resorted to as a means of 

 obtaining the fruit ; but though not so injurious as the 

 beating, is not recommended. This practice obtains in 

 Syria, where they have Scriptural warrant for the 



