456  Manufacture  of  Olive  Oil,  etc.  {AVc°S, 
is  gradually  becoming  a  leading  industry  in  California.  The  character 
of  the  climate,  and  the  soil  of  the  valley  of  Santa  Barbara  and  of  the 
foot  hills  of  Santa  Inez,  for  sixty  miles  along  the  coast,  are  adapted 
to  the  production  of  the  finest  varieties  of  oil.  It  is  predicted  that 
this  portion  of  the  State  will  eventually  be  numbered  among  the  most 
celebrated  oil  districts  of  the  world. 
The  olive  is  propagated  almost  entirely  by  cuttings  taken  from  the- 
sprouts  and  branches  of  mature  trees  at  the  time  of  pruning.  The 
cuttings  are  generally  from  ten  to  fifteen  inches  long  and  from  half 
an  inch  to  three  or  four  inches  thick  ;  the  thickest  are  the  best. 
These  are  placed  in  a  perpendicular  position  in  a  bed  of  good  soil,  six,, 
eight,  or  ten  inches  apart,  their  tops  level  with  the  surface.  The  earth 
is  pressed  closely  around  them,  and  their  ends  are  slightly  covered  to- 
protect  them  from  the  drying  influence  of  the  sun.  Here  they  re- 
main, throwing  out  leaves  and  branches,  until  April  or  May,  when, 
with  as  little  disturbance  as  possible  of  the  roots,  they  are  taken  up 
and,  after  being  trimmed  to  a  single  sprout,  are  set  out  in  the  orch- 
ard, in  rows  about  twenty-five  feet  apart  each  way.  The  ground  be- 
tween the  trees  may  be  cultivated  for  several  years,  with  little  or  no 
detriment  to  the  young  trees.  When  the  olives  are  to  be  gathered, 
cloths  are  spread  under  the  trees  and  the  berries  are  pulled  from  their 
branches  by  hand  and  thrown  upon  the  ground,  or  are  beaten  off  with 
a  long  rod.  If  they  are  intended  for  making  oil,  they  are  carried  to- 
a  dry  room  or  loft  and  scattered  upon  the  floor,  or,  where  this  is  not 
convenient,  a  drying  frame  is  made — consisting  of  broad  shelves  one 
above  another,  and  sliding  in  and  out  as  the  drawers  of  a  bureau — 
and  the  berries  are  spread  upon  the  shelves.  By  this  exposure  to  a 
dry,  in-door  atmosphere,  the  berries  ripen  further,  their  watery  juices 
are  evaporated,  the  oil  is  released  and,  when  the  skins  have  been 
broken,  flows  more  readily  under  pressure.  A  slight  mold  may  gather 
upon  the  berries  during  the  few  days  that  they  remain  here,  but  not. 
sufficient  to  have  an  injurious  effect  upon  the  oil,  or  it  may  be  pre- 
vented entirely  by  stirring  the  berries  daily. 
The  process  of  extracting  the  oil,  as  practiced  in  Santa  Barbara,  is 
simple,  even  to  mediaeval  rudeness.  A  large,  broad  stone  wheel  i& 
held  by  an  arm  from  a  centre  post,  and,  by  a  horse  attached  to  this 
arm,  is  made  to  traverse  a  circular  bed  of  solid  stone.  The  berries 
are  thrown  upon  this  stone  bed,  and  are  shovelled  constantly  in  the 
line  of  the  moving  wheel  until  they  are  considerably  mashed,  but 
