THE OLIVE 13 



Gallons. 



1880 86,000,000 



1881 34,600,000 



1882 56,800,000 



1883 ..< 41,300,000 



1884 46,800,000 



1885 47,000,000 



1886 . .64,300,000 



which would average about fifty-four million gallons annually. The 

 export has been steady for the last ten years at about twenty mil- 

 lion gallons. The population is twenty-eight millions. The area 

 of the whole kingdom is one hundred and twelve thousand square 

 miles, and that devoted to olives is two million two hundred and 

 fifty thousand acres. 



For Spain it is much more difficult to reach the truth. The 

 population of Spain and Portugal is twenty-two millions, the 

 surface area of the two kingdoms is two hundred and thirty-three 

 thousand square miles^ more than double that of Italy, and five mil- 

 lion acres are given up to olive culture. The very reasonable esti- 

 mate of Senor Tablada would give a product of one hundred and 

 fifty million gallons of oil for the annual yield of Spain. The ex- 

 port is only ten million gallons. The explanation of this is that 

 the consumption of oil and olives is very much greater there than 

 anywhere else in the world, and also that Spanish oil is made in 

 such a slovenly way that the world will not take it, and it must be 

 consumed at home. Olives are often piled up in a heap and left to 

 rot for six months or a year before being pressed. This suits the 

 national taste; they like strong or rancid oil, but it is not a market- 

 able product and has to be consumed at home. 



France has a population of thirty-eight millions, an area of two 

 hundred and four thousand square miles, of which only three hun- 

 dred and seventy-five thousand acres are given up to the cultiva- 

 tion of the olive. The annual product of oil is only nine million 

 gallons. 



