Olive  Oil  and  its  Production  in  Tuscany.  391 
OLIVE  OIL  AND  ITS  PRODUCTION. 
The  following  particulars  with  regard  to  the  production  of  olive  oil  in 
Tuscany  have  been  furnished  to  Mr.  Consul  Inglis  by  one  of  the  principal 
exporters  in  Leghorn : 
The  oliye  oil  produced  in  Tuscany  from  the  first  pressing  of  the  fruit  is 
intended  for  consumption  as  an  article  of  food.  Hence,  great  attention  is 
paid  both  to  the  culture  of  the  olive  tree  and  the  process  of  making  oil. 
The  olive  crop  is  subject  to  many  vicissitudes,  and  is  an  uncertain  one. 
It  may  be  taken  as  a  rule  that  a  good  crop  does  not  occur  more  frequently 
than  once  in  three  years.  A  prolonged  drought  in  summer  may  cause  the 
greater  part  of  the  small  fruit  to  fall  off  the  trees.  A  warm  and  wet  autumn 
will  subject  the  fruit  to  the  ravages  of  a  maggot  or  worm,  which  eats  its 
way  into  it.  Fruit  thus  injured  falls  to  the  ground  prematurely,  and  the 
oil  made  from  it  is  of  very  bad  quality,  being  nauseous  in  taste  and  some- 
what thick  and  viscous.  Frost  following  immediately  on  a  fall  of  snow  or 
sleet,  when  the  trees  are  still  wet,  will  irretrievably  damage  the  fruit,  caus- 
ing it  to  shrivel  up  and  greatly  diminishing  the  yield  of  oil,  while  the  oil 
itself  has  a  dark  color,  and  loses  its  delicate  flavor. 
The  olive  tree  in  Tuscany  generally  blossoms  in  April.  By  November 
the  fruit  has  attained  its  full  size,  though  not  full  maturity,  and  the  olive 
harvest  generally  commences  then.  The  fruit,  generally  speaking  is  gath- 
ered as  it  falls  to  the  ground,  either  from  ripeness  or  in  windy  weather.  In 
some  districts,  however,  and  when  the  crop  is  short,  the  practice  is  to  strip 
the  fruit  from  the  trees  early  in  the  season.  When  there  is  a  full  crop  the 
harvest  lasts  many  months,  and  may  not  be  finished  till  the  end  oi  May, 
as  the  fruit  does  not  all  ripen  simultaneously.  Oil  made  early  in  the  season 
has  a  deeper  color,  and  is  distinguished  by  a  fruity  flavor,  with  a  certain 
degree  of  pungency ;  while  as  the  season  advances  it  becomes  lighter  in 
color,  thinner  in  body,  and  milder  and  sweeter  in  taste.  Oil  made  towards 
the  close  of  the  harvest  in  April  or  May  from  extremely  ripe  fruit  is  of  a 
very  pale  straw  color,  mild  and  sweet  to  the  taste,  though  sometimes,  if 
the  fruit  has  remained  too  long  on  the  trees,  it  may  be  slightly  rancid.  Oil 
very  light  in  color  is  much  prized  in  certain  countries,  notably  France  ; 
and  hence,  if  it  also  possesses  good  quality,  commands  a  higher  price  in 
the  Tuscan  markets. 
The  fruit  of  the  olive  tree  varies  just  as  much  in  quality  as  does  the  grape, 
according  to  the  species  of  the  tree  itself,  the  nature  of  the  soil,  exposure, 
and  climate  of  the  locality  where  it  grows.  Some  varieties  of  the  olive  tree 
largely  grown,  because  thought  to  be  better  suited  to  the  special  conditions 
of  some  districts,  yield  a  fruit  which  imparts  a  bitter  taste  to  the  oil  made 
from  it ;  such  oil,  even  when  otherwise  perfect,  ranks  as  a  second  rate  qua- 
lity. The  highest  quality  of  oil  can  only  be  obtained  when  the  fruit  is  per- 
fectly and  uniformly  sound,  well  ripened,  gathered  as  soon  as  it  has 
dropped  from  the  trees,  and  crushed  immediately  with  great  attention. 
Should  the  fruit  remain  any  time  on  the  ground,  particularly  during  wet 
weather,  it  deteriorates  fast  and  gets  an  earthy  taste  ;  while  if  allowed 
