152 
The local and general distribution of tuberculosis of the olive is pecul¬ 
iar and interesting. There is no such sweeping and complete infection 
accomplished by this disease as is the case in the spread of many germ 
diseases. I was told that near Genoa the disease is very common and 
quite destructive. At Rome 1 visited an olive grove near Colouna, 
some 1G miles from the city and north of the Alban Hills. In company 
with Professor Cuboni I made careful search for this disease, and only 
obtained a single tumor from a considerable number of trees examined. 
Another case somewhat similar occurred at Portici. The agricultural 
school building there was formerly a royal residence, and retains back 
of it an extensive park which was fitted up in connection with the resi¬ 
dence or palace. Here is an extensive olive grove. Hr. Savastano, his 
assistant, and myself searched through this grove for some time for 
tubercles, only finding, at last, a few on the upper limbs of a single 
tree. At Caneello, some 12 to 15 miles north of Vesuvius, is a large 
olive grove covering the hills at that place. I here spent several hours 
in a fruitless search for this disease ; at Palma, about an equal distauce 
southeast of Caneello, th > trees were quite badly infected. Upon a 
single small branch (the one shown on Plate XIV) I counted not less 
than twenty-nine swellings. All about the hills north of Messina, Sicily, 
especially in the neighborhood of Faro, the olives are badly infected, 
and in one or two cases nearly the entire top of the infected tree was 
ruined. In the province of Syracuse, where olives are largely grown, 
and where they are very old and thrifty,* no signs of this disease were 
seen. At Palermo, northwest Sicily, it was again encountered, and 
noted as being the worst phase of the disease seen up to that time. In 
Algeria I did not encounter the trouble, but have little doubt of its ex¬ 
istence there, as well as in all of the Mediterranean olive-growing coun¬ 
tries. It exists in France. My observations show me that the disease 
is very irregular iu its distribution. One olive grove may be free from 
it, or nearly so, while another not far distant may be badly infected. 
One tree in a grove may be, apparently, the only one infected. Again, 
the disease may be localized upon one portion of a single tree. Prob¬ 
ably nothing short of a clear understanding of the means of distribu¬ 
tion and infection will explain these facts. 
Careful atteutiou to the excision of all affected branches is appar¬ 
ently all that is required to keep this affection from spreading and do¬ 
ing serious damage. 
As the olive industry is becoming one of importance on the Pacific 
coast, it is well that those interested should have the facts relative to 
the various enemies of that industry placed before them. In this way 
they may become familiar with those diseases not yet affecting their 
groves, and may take steps which shall prove an ounce of prevention 
worth more than a pound of cure. 
* Near Floridia, some 14 miles west of Syracuse, I found one magnificent old olive 
tree in perfect health, which measured 13 feet in diameter at the ground and 10 feet 
in diameter at 3 feet above the ground. 
