1SGS.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
133 
to spring. The last could not perceive any ill 
effects from the confinement. On the contrary, 
they thought the exposure to tho cold required 
more food and lessened the flow of milk. Near- 
ly all were agreed upon the great value of cut- 
ting the long fodder. One thought that in cut- 
ting for his herd of thirty cows, the saving- 
paid for his cutter, which cost $130, twice a 
year. All were agreed upon the superior value 
of early cut hay for producing milk. There 
was much solicitude manifested to learn how to 
secure a full flow of milk in the months of No- 
vember and December, during the change from 
grass to hay. S. M. Wells, of Hartford Co., be- 
gins early in the fall with green corn fodder, 
and follows it with rye sown in August on his 
richest land. This gives an excellent green fod- 
der until tho snow falls. Then he feeds roots 
and steamed hay. lie has water brought into 
his manger, so that the cows can drink at pleas- 
tire, which he has seen them do seventeen times 
in a day. They are carded regularly and kept in 
warm, clean, and well-ventilated stables. He 
feeds, in addition to the above, rowen, roots, 
and cotton-seed meal, linseed meal, and bran. 
He feeds very liberal ly, and reported a very large 
average yield of milk. In one case, when he 
wanted to secure a large amount of butter, he 
fed one of his cows daily with six quarts of 
cotton-seed meal, four quarts of corn meal, and 
four quarts of bran, besides other fodder. H. 
8. Collins commences early with green corn 
fodder, and follows it up with steamed food. Ho 
uses some parsnips and other roots, but thinks 
they are chiefly valuable for giving cattle an ap- 
petite. It may be stated here that Mr. Collins 
has a very stubborn soil, in which he finds it 
difficult to grow roots, and this probably in- 
fluences his opinion. Ho makes great use of 
corn stalks cut up by the roots, and thinks them 
equal in value to good hay, when cut fine and 
steamed. One gentleman, who had about fifty 
bead of cattle, grew cabbages very largely as a 
fall feed for his milch cows. These hints ought 
to be of value to butter makers as well as to the 
milk producers. With proper care given to ex- 
tra feeding, it would he easy in most dairies 
to prolong the butter making season at least a 
mouth in the fall, when butter brings a high price. 
■»-. — «!■ ►— 
The Olive and its Culture. 
The cultivators in the Southern States seem 
to have fully made up their minds that it is for 
their interest to grow a variety of products, and 
not depend upon one alone. This is wise, and 
we hope that before many years the capabilities 
of our Southern States will be more fully tested 
than they have ever been before, and though 
there will be some failures in the trial of new 
products, either from peculiarities of climate 
or want of experience, the general result of the 
efforts now being made will be of benefit, not on- 
ly to a particular region,but to the whole country. 
Among the things to which attention has been 
turned, is the Olive, and we have been asked to 
give an article on its culture. There is hut lit- 
tle experience in this country to draw upon. 
We have seen some of the groves that were 
planted in California by the early Spanish mis- 
sionaries, but they can hardly be said to be cul- 
tivated, and arc only moderately productive. 
In some of the Southern States the tree was in- 
troduced several years ago, but what the pres- 
ent condition of the plantations is we are not 
informed. In the absence of information from 
home sources, we translate and condense from 
Du Breuil an account of the culture, as followed 
in the olive districts of the south of Europe. 
The olive will stand severe freezing when it is 
quite dormant, but after vegetation has started, it 
is readily injured by cold. Those localities 
where late spring frosts occur should be avoid- 
ed, and in the olive countries an elevated situ- 
ation is preferred to a low one, on this account. 
While the olive will live iu almost any soil, 
and even flourish in a rocky and barren one, 
yet the crop is greatly affected by the fer- 
tility of the soil. Any deep, rich soil, in a 
situation sheltered from the prevailing cold 
winds, will answer for starting a plantation. 
Propagation may be done in all the various 
ways, by seeds, cuttings, layers, root cuttings, 
grafting, etc. ; indeed, there are few trees that 
are multiplied with equal ease. The first ques- 
tion that will be asked by those who wish to 
experiment iu this culture will be, " How can 
we get a stock to start with ?" This is just the 
point on which we cannot inform them, and it 
OLIVE BRANCH. 
would be well for those who have trees from 
which cuttings can be spared, to advertise them 
for sale, or offer them for free distribution. It 
would be a good thing for our new Commis- 
sioner of Agriculture to import these and other 
plants not readily obtained. Congress could 
do much more good to the country at large 
with an experimental farm in one of the Gulf 
States, than it can ever do with one at Wash- 
ington, which is neither North nor South. 
■ Du Breuil enumerates fifteen named varieties 
cultivated for their oil, and seven, the fruit of 
Which is used for pickling. These varieties dif- 
fer in the form of the tree, its hardiness, adapta- 
tion to different soils, productiveness, and in 
bearing annually or biennially. The fruit also 
varies in its shape, color, flavor, and in the 
quantity and quality of oil it produces. As the 
fruit presents so many varieties, it is important 
that those undertaking its cultivation should 
select those best adapted to the conditions in 
which they will be placed, and as we cannot 
give space to the descriptions, we must refer 
those interested to Du Breuil's Arboriculture, 
2d vol., page 993, (Edition of 1857). 
The seeds are sown for the purpose of pro- 
curing stocks upon which to graft the desired 
varieties. The seed is so oily that it is a long 
time before the moisture necessary to germina- 
tion can penetrate it, unless it be soaked in 
strong lye before planting. Seeds when thus 
treated come up the same year that they are 
planted. The seed bed is of well-enriched soil, 
and the nuts are put in in February, in rows 
about 2 feet apart. A furrow is made about 2 
inches deep, and the seeds are dropped about 
2 inches apart, and covered; the after treat- 
ment is the same as that of other seedlings. 
Cuttings are made of branches from ' | s of an 
inch to an inch in diameter, and 10 inches long ; 
they are set like other cuttings, in rich soil, with 
three quarters of their length below the surface, 
about 18 inches apart each way. All the buds 
are allowed to grow the first year, and the 
second year the strongest shoot nearest to the 
ground is chosen — and all the rest removed. 
This shoot is trained to a stake, to insure an up- 
right growth. The fifth }ear the young trees 
are set about 5 feet apart, in nursery rows, and 
by proper pruning made to form a pyramidal 
or other desired shape. When twelve or four- 
teen years old, the trees are set where they are 
to remain, and planted about 30 feet apart. 
A curious protuberance, or knot, forms on the 
stem of the olive — an aggregation of undeveloped 
buds. These are removed from the tree by 
means of a knife, and planted out like cuttings, 
or rather like bulbs, which they more resemble. 
The layering and grafting of the olive present 
nothing essentially different from the same proc- 
esses as applied to other trees. Wild seedlings 
are used for stocks in Europe, and A. J. Down- 
ing suggested that our wild olive, or Devil 
Wood, (filea Americana), which ia found in the 
Southern States, might answer the same purpose. 
Pruning, cultivation, and manuring, are prac- 
tised ; it is found in France that good cultiva- 
tion pays with the olive as with other fruit trees. 
The tree bears when twelve or fourteen years 
old, and continues to produce fruit to a great 
age. Like other fruits, it is subject to the attacks 
of diseases and insects. Pruning and accidents 
produce a kind of rot, which has to be cut away, 
and the cavity filled with mortar. Insects of 
various kinds attack not only the tree but the 
fruit, and often cause the loss of a crop in a short 
time. Sometimes the trees will stop bearing 
without any discoverable cause. 
The uses of the fruit are well known. It pro- 
duces a most valuable oil, which in some coun- 
tries is one of the necessaries of life. The 
pickled fruit is to be considered rather as a con- 
diment than as a food. The fruit is first picked 
before it is thoroughly ripe, soaked in lye until 
it penetrates to the nut, then in water for five 
days, the water being renewed twice each day; 
it is then put iu a strong brine which has 
been boiled with spices and allowed to cool. 
AVhether a product that requires to be so long- 
waited for will ever attain much favor with our 
impatient people, we very much doubt. Against 
this tardiness there is lobe placed the longevity 
of the olive, and the great value of its product 
when obtained. We shall be glad to hear what 
