NAT. ORDER. OLEACE.E. 
131 
ceremonies of the Jews. It is still considered as emblematic of 
peace and plenty ; and the great quantity of oil which in some 
comitries it produces, effectually realizes one of these blessings. 
The Olive has been long cultivated in the south part of England ; 
it is mentioned in the catalogues plantarum Horti Medici Oxoni- 
ensis, published in 1648 ; and when sufficiently sheltered, it bears 
the cold very well, though in that country it rarely produces 
flowers, and we believe never ripens its fruit. 
The varieties of this tree are numerous, distinguished not 
only by the form of their leaves, as already noticed, but also by 
the shape, size and color of the fruit ; as the large Spanish Olive, 
the small, oblong. Province Olive, the oblong, dark green Olive, 
the small, roundish, white Olive ; Aglandau, the large, fleshy, or 
Royal Olive ; the large, round Olive ; Ampoulan, the small, round, 
reddish black Olive, and the small, fragrant, or Luca Olive. Of 
these, the first two sorts, when pickled, are well known to us b}"- 
the names of Spanish and French Olives, which to many are ex- 
tremely grateful, and have been supposed to excite appetite, and 
to promote digestion. Pickled Olives are prepared from the green, 
unripe fruit, which is repeatedly steeped in water, to which some 
add alkaline salt, or quick-lime, in order to shorten the operation ; 
for when macerated in water only, the Olives require a long time 
before their bitterness is sufficiently extracted. After this they 
are washed, and preserved in a pickle of common salt and water, 
to Avhich an aromatic is soiyietimes added. 
The principal consumption of Olives is in the preparation of 
the comm.on salad oil, or Oleum Olivarum of the pharmacopoeias, 
which is obtained by grinding and pressing them when thoroughly 
l ipe. The finer and purer oil issues first by gentle pressure, and 
inferior sorts on heating the residuum, and pressing it more strongly. 
The best Olive-oil is of a bright, pale amber color, blar d to the 
taste, and without any smell. It becomes rancid by age, and the 
sooner, if kept in a warm situation. By cold, at the 38th degree 
