30 



THE OLIVE 



The jealousy of the European olive countries lias already been 

 noticed and the writer is strongly inclined to think that the olive 

 recommended to Mr. Redding and imported into this State by him 

 as the Picholine, may be one of the various forms of the wild olive. 

 (See Plate II.) Note the similarity of growth, the size of the berry 

 and the stone, and of its general characteristics ; its extreme fecun- 

 dity, its low stature and its hardiness in all situations. Now on 

 the other hand, we know that the real Picholine, in a favorable 

 soil, becomes a very large tree, with its branches all well set on and 

 growing regularly, and not straggling out in the eccentric manner of 

 the wild olive. Without discussing this point farther and granting 

 that the olive generally known in California as the Picholine is all 

 its advocates claim it to be, and that it is not the wild olive, it seems 

 so near akin to it that it is utterly useless to cultivate it for the pro- 

 duction of oil for it will not repay one for the care and space in the 

 orchard given to it. The same quantity of oil is jjressed from one 

 Mission olive that is contained in five Picholines, one dried 

 Mission olive weighing 2t*o grams and five dried Picholines, 

 weighing 2tfo grams, showing plainly the difference of twenty 

 per cent, in favor of the Mission olive and exactly the same quanti- 

 ty of oil being produced from each. Hence, the accepted Picholine 

 olive will give only eight per cent, of oil, and that of an inferior 

 quality, being largely made up from the essential oil contained in 

 the stones. But this olive through its extreme rusticity and close 

 relationship to the wild olive is, without doubt, the very best possi- 

 ble stock upon which to graft, and so, although the introduction of 

 this plant may somewhat retard olive culture in this State, it may 

 eventually prove a benefit. 



The Nevadillo Blanco or Doncel is the Olea precox of Gouan. 

 It is a tree of good appearance with the branches well set on and 

 bowed over with the weight of the fruit which it generally bears. 

 It is sensitive to cold and demands sheltered situations. It gives 



