100 
OLIVE TREE. 
from sea- water poured upon the roots of the Olive. But the finest manure 
is the offals of the fruit that has been pressed, and the washings of the 
utensils and of the oil-vessels. 
The manure is spread in the fall, in the winter, or before the tillage in 
the spring. Its effects are most sensible when it is applied at the begin- 
ning of winter, as, during this séason, its virtues are imbibed by the soil 
and communicated to every fibre of the roots ; through the spring and sum- 
mer, on the contrary, it sometimes remains nearly inert beneath the surface. 
Butin climates where the Olive is liable to injury from cold, the most 
serious accidents are to be feared from keeping its roots too warm in the 
winter. Its vegetation being in this manner quickened, so that the sap is 
set in motion by every genial sun, it is exposed to the most imminent dan- 
ger from the returning frost. The fatal effects of cold are frequently less 
attributable to its intensity than to its suddenness : a plant which has become 
relaxed by the tepid breath of a deceitful zephyr is surprised and killed by 
the frozen blast of the north wind. To maintain an even temperature at 
the roots during the winter, éarth should be heaped about the base of the 
trees, and the manure should be spread early enough in the fall to assist 
them in ripening their fruit and preparing the bloom of the succeeding 
year, or late enough in the spring to avoid the accidents of frost. The 
Greeks do not make use of manure, except when chance conducts a flock 
of sheep to the foot of an Olive, which immediately becomes conspicuous 
by a richer vegetation. When substances proper for manure cannot be 
obtained in the requisite abundance, the deficiency maybe supplied by 
sowing grasses or cereal plants, and ploughing in the green herb. 
The pruning of the Olive is subject to the general principles of the art, 
modified by the peculiar nature of the tree. A part of its branches should 
be curtailed every year, and the number of bearing shoots determined so 
that it may not be exhausted by its fruit. After 12 or 15 years, one^or two 
of the principal limbs may be lopped, and at intervals, which must depend 
upon the condition of each tree, the whole summit may be retrenched. The 
most favorable season for pruning the Olive is in March. 
More than 30 varieties of the Olive are known in France,* which are 
* The most exact and extensive catalogue of the Olives is found in the New Duhamel. The 
following are some of the most esteemed varieties : 
1. The Olivier pleureur, Olea craniomorpha, 14th variety in the New Duhamel, is one of the 
largest and finest trees. Its branches are redundantly numerous, and pendent like those of the 
Weeping Willow. Its fruit is good for the table, and yields a pure and abundant oil. It should 
be placed in valleys rather than on elevated grounds, as it has more to apprehend from drought 
than from cold ; there are individuals of this variety in Languedoc that have three times survived 
the general destruction of the Olives by frost. 
2. The Olivier a fruit arrondi, Olea sphcerica, 26th variety, N. D., is also among the least sen- 
sible to cold. It requires moisture, a good soil, and abundant manure. Its oil is of a superior 
quality. 
