14 BULLETIN 803, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
color are the largest and have the most oil and solids in the flesh. 
This does not hold, however, in comparing olives of the same variety 
from different groves or localities, as in several instances the green 
colored fruit has the more oil and solids in the flesh (Samples 18208 
and 18581; 18582, 18587, and 18591; 18583 and 18588). 
Since the complete data on the series of samples taken from marked 
trees during the seasons of 1915 and 1916, to show the progressive 
development of the fruit, are too voluminous to be given here, Table 
3 has been compiled from the data secured for a single typical Mis- 
sion tree in 1915. This table may be taken as an example of the 
progressive changes observed in the investigation. A clearer idea of 
the changes which occur during the course of ripening may be ob- 
tained from a graphic representation of the data from selected trees, 
first on the percentage basis, and then on the basis of actual weight 
changes. Figure 1 shows the percentage changes for a certain Mis- 
sion tree in 1915, while figure 2 represents the absolute changes in 
weight of the constituents of 100 olives. The development is indi- 
cated by broken curves joining the successive samples from the tree. 
The same kind of a diagram has been made for a representative 
Mission tree in 1916 (figs. 3 and 4). 
TABLE 3.—Ripening changes of California olives (typical Mission tree, Butte 
County, 1915). 
Fruit flesh. Average 
diameter 
Sk a TN I DOL a Srecees 
Date. per eens Pits. Color. 
Solids. Ether | Frotein Ash. | P ound. fan 
extract. | (Nx6.25). ache 
1915. Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. Per cent. 
Sept. 15.... 28. 58 7.62 1.73 1.76 240 8.5 32.6 | Green. 
is Oe soos 29.8 11.22 ib 7 1.79 226 8.4 29.6 0. 
Octs28235-.- 32. 42 15. 46 1.36 1.81 199 8.7 26.4 | Green, showing 
some yellow. 
Nov. 15 37.16 18. 95 52, 1.82 192 9.2 24.6 | Mainly green; few 
yellow and red. 
Dec. 15 37.43 21.38 1, 28 1.80 181 8.8 24.0 | Half, yellow with 
red; half, red to 
purple. 
An examination of figures 1 and 3 shows that the percentage of 
pits falls as the fruit ripens, while, conversely, that of the flesh rises. 
The percentage of ash in the flesh remains approximately the same. 
This is true also of the protein, the representation of which, how- 
ever, is not included in the charts for the reason that it would prac- 
tically follow the line for the ash. The protein content was not 
determined -in 1916, as it seemed to have but little significance. 
It is evident that the percentage of solids not o11 in the flesh de- 
creases somewhat during the ripening, the percentage of oil in the 
flesh increases, with some little irregularity, and appears to drop 
