1 Ocr., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 371 
2.—dere, of shape 264 feet long by 165 feet wide. 
Deducting dray road (12 feet wide), we have— 
Area to be planted = 141 feet wide by 240 feet long, which will admit of— 
8 rows, with 14: trees in each row, 16 feet apart. 
Se ae an %» ” 
rT 
ee eran 7 1 30 
BHR BY ay 5 nt 40 « 
3.—Aere, of shape 330 feet long by 182 feet wide. 
Deducting dray road (12 feet wide), we haye— 
Area to be planted = 108 feet wide by 806 feet long, which will admit of— 
6 rows, with 18 trees in each row, 16 feet apart, 
” 
4 ” ” 14 ” ” 
» + 
ay gy) ” 9 ” 30 ” 
© tod 
2 ” ” ‘ ” 40 ” 
ConLEcTING THE ARovE ReEsuuts, we have the following table :— 
Acre. Acre, Acre, 
Distance Apart. 220 x 198, 264 x 165, 330 x 132. 
16 feet | Ho trees required me trees required 108 trees required 
” 1 7 ” 66 ” 56 
OV, 59 30 ” 28 ” 27 i 
40 ,, 16 ” | 15 ” 14 33 
The proper time for gathering the fruit is on the eve of maturity. If 
delayed too long, and the fruit beeomes over-ripe—especially if it be allowed to 
fall—you lose in quality, though gaining somewhat in quantity. I would point 
out, as one of the advantages of the crop, that if, {rom press of other opera- 
tions on the farm, the owner is unable to gather his olives when he would wish, 
they are yet available to him—even in a state which, in other fruits would be 
regarded as rottenness—for the production of a still marketable though not so 
valuable a commodity. Early gathering relieves the tree, and gives time to 
strengthen for another crop. 
The best method of gathering is by hand ; the system of cultivating low- 
growing trees much facilitating the harvest. ‘The gathering can be done by 
children with the aid of light steps. The system of beating the fruit from 
the tree with light rods should never be practised. However skilfully done, it 
cannot fail more or less to injure the light branches. ‘The practice also has the 
additional disadvantage of involving the picking over of the fruit in order, 
before pressing, to separate the leaves, sticks, and other rubbish. Shaking the 
tree is also resorted to as a means of obtaining the fruit, but the plan is not 
recommended. 
A. good method of ascertaining if the fruit is fit 
a slight pressure with the finger and thumb, when, if the oil exudes, the olives 
we considered fit for the press. The largest fruit is the Spanish. 
The harvest extends over six weeks or two months; and as the fruit 
matures and is gathered, it should be laid on shelves go as to slightly dry, 
Contact will do no harm so long as it does not bring about actual heating, as 
excessive fermentation results in an inferior quality of oil. 
The bark, the fruit, and the wood of the olive are all utilised. 
The form in which we are accustomed to see olives is in small bottles in 
salt and water. They undergo various treatments to prepare them for this 
purpose. Krom many receipts I select the following :— 
The lye is to be made as follows :—Take 3 Ib. of fresh wood ashes, 6 oz. 
of fresh quicklime, 6 quarts of cold water, mix well and boil gently for 30 
minutes, keeping well stirred. When the olive is full grown, but quite green, 
for gathering is to apply 
