AMbJcTRi,  I™'}  Cultivation  of  the  Olive,  near  Ventimiglia.  459 
in  this  part  of  Italy,  I  have  drawn  up  a  few  remarks  which,  though 
•not  containing  much  that  is  new,  may  yet  serve  to  complete  or  to 
confirm  your  own  observations. 
The  different  kinds  of  olive-tree  we  have  in  this  country  may  be 
classed  under  three  divisions  : 
1.  Olivastro,  the  Wild  Olive,  Olea  europcea,  L.,  grows  quite  sponta- 
neous, reproducing  itself  by  seeds  and  suckers ;  leaves  on  young  trees 
small  and  oblong, — on  older  trees  a  little  larger  and  lanceolate  ; 
branches  sometimes  spiny  ;  fruit  small,  oblong,  and  very  bitter.  This 
kind  may  be  regarded  as  the  parent  of  all  the  varieties. 
2.  Varieties  reproducing  themselves  truly  by  seed,  but  not  so  freely 
as  the  olivastro,  and  having  the  fruit  less  bitter.  Under  this  head 
may  be  placed  the  following  : 
a.  Pignuole. — Branches  greyish  ;  leaves  lanceolate,  acute ;  fruits 
when  ripe  almost  round,  affording  an  oil  of  rather  strong  fla- 
vor. There  are  hundreds  of  these  trees  on  the  Capo  Martino, 
near  Mentone,  quite  wild. 
Columbaire  (Genoese  dialect). — Branches  brownish ;  leaves  va- 
rying in  shape,  but  mostly  obtuse ;  fruit  large,  somewhat 
pointed. 
j.  Spagnuole. — Fruit  more  elongated  than  the  preceding.  These 
forms,  a.  ft.  r.,  vary  more  or  less  inter  se. 
3.  Varieties  not  reproducing  themselves  truly  by  seed,  but  return- 
ing to  the  olivastro.  That  these  varieties  degenerate  when  propagated 
by  seed  is  the  general  assertion  among  the  people  here ;  but  regular 
■experiments  have  never,  I  think,  been  carried  on,  for  raising  the 
plant  by  seed  is  not  advantageous,  suckers  being  of  more  rapid 
growth.    In  this  division  I  would  place  two  varieties,  viz. : 
a.  Nilane. — Fruit  large,  oblong.  This  occurs  in  abundance  as  far 
west  as  Cannes,  whence  along  the  whole  French  coast  of  the 
Mediterranean,  another  olive  with  still  larger  fruit  is  culti- 
vated. 
/9.  Punginaire. — This  is  another  variety  which  we  have  in  this 
country.    It  has  long  willow-like  leaves,  and  produces  a  very 
large  pointed  fruit,  chiefly  preferred  for  salting. 
The  propagation  of  olive-trees  belonging  to  this  third  division  is 
effected  by  cleft-grafting  on  the  stem  of  the  olivastro  at  about  six 
inches  above  the  ground.    When  the  scion  has  taken,  earth  is  heaped 
