UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Contribution from the Bureau of Chemistry 
CARL L. ALSBERG, Chief 
Washington, D. C. Vv January 24, 1920 
A CHEMICAL STUDY OF THE RIPENING AND PICKLING 
OF CALIFORNIA OLIVES. 
By R. W. Hits, Chief of Western Food and Drug Inspection District, and 
R. S. HoLtinesHeaD, Junior Chemist, San Francisco Station.* 
CONTENTS. 
Page. Page 
Olive culture in California___._____ 1 | Purpose of investigation-_-_-_---_- 7 
Varieties of the olive grown in Cali- Plan of investization——*— =" —- 2 ee 8 
VC TEEN ears ee SRNR nga Tees Nea eet, 2 | Methods of examination___________ 9 
Olive-picking season ______________ 3 | Results of examination of fresh olives_ 13 
Changes in composition during ripen- Results of examination of pickled 
TIP SSE 2s SL AVN a ee ia eee 3 CON 2; < el nee a te Shc 19 
The pickling’ of olives... = Sit} ASU Marie | es eS es See er eee 24 
OLIVE CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 
With the single exception of Arizona, olive culture in this country 
is limited to California, where the tree was introduced in the early 
days by Spanish priests, the first grove being planted in San Diego — 
in 1769.2. This origin is recorded in the name of what is to-day the 
most popular variety, the Mission olive, a descendant of the early 
plantings. The culture of the olive has extended until there are trees 
in 38 counties, the important counties being Riverside, Tulare, Te- 
hama, Los Angeles, Butte, Fresno, San Bernardino, and Shasta. In 
the spring of 1916 a State census showed 834,939 bearing and 515,221 
nonbearing trees. In general, the olive-growing sections may be 
roughly grouped into three districts. The northern district, in the 
Sacramento Valley, centers in Butte County, with some groves as far 
south as Sacramento, and many fresh plantings in southern Shasta 
County, the farthest north. This district is one of the most im- 
portant, and contains an enormous number of trees not yet bearing. 
The central district is in the San Joaquin Valley, principally in 
1The authors wish to acknowledge their indebtedness to V. B. Bonney for a portion of 
the analytical work done in 1916, and to W. W. Karnan for a part of that conducted in 
1914. 
2 Ann. Rept. Calif. Development Board for 1916. San Francisco, 1917. 
130996°—20 
