Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-10-30
OLIVE CULTURE.
How Olives Grow at National CITY
Experiences in their Cultivation
Showing.

! EDITOR HERALD:-ln your answer to
the questions of your Fresno correspond
ent--issue Of October 20th--I note sew
ernl things which do not correspond
with my experience; and as experience
is an excellent schoolmaster, l may be
able to correct some impressions which
your article may leave on the minds of
persons wishing to investigate the olive
question.
| have never seen the olive injured by
frost in the slightest degree; nor have 1
seen the tenderest tree protected by
cornstalks or any other material I
have not succeeded with cuttings two
and a half feet long in any instance; nor
have | had good results from planting
cuttings twenty inches deep.
have had nothing but failure where
the earth was filled in loosely around
the cutting. | have planted olive cut
tings every year since 1870. I began
with cuttings three feet long, and find
ing no signs of growth at the proper
time, dug. threw up and sawed
about one-third of the length from the
top end, which had become dry, and
about the same from the bottom, which
had rotted, and planted the balance, all
under ground, and gotgood trees.
have tried all lengths for cuttings,
from three feet down to ten inches. and
would rather have them eight inches
long than increased to twelve inches,
but prefer ten inches.
For starting in nursery plant the
cuttings with their tops an inch or two
out of the ground, and about thirty
inches between the rows. The earth
thrown up in making the trenches for
irrigation win cover the tops.
For orchard planting make basin
about two feet in diameter, aud say
three inches deep, with the cuttiag in
the center, and about level with the
bottom Of basin, covering the top three
or four inches with earth. and three or
four irrigations during the summer. with
the earth finely pulverized after each
irrigation. There is no reason why at
least 30 per cent should not grow.
Pack the earth very closely by tramp
ing it with the feet while being filed in
aronnd the cutting, beginning at the
bottom and continue to the top.
/ think there is danger in planting
cuttings in nursery by simply making
hole with an iron bar. as there is likely
to bea vacant space at the bottom of
the cutting. ] have seen many failures
by this practice
l plant with spade, pressing the
earth against the last one in making the
opening for the next; by this method
the oarth is closed closely around the
cutting from top 10 hoticm.
Cuttings well planted and well taken
care Of should bear fruit enough the
fourth year 10 pay for cultivation.
Many trees will bear the third year and
/ have never seou well cared for tree
that did not bear some fruit the fourth
year.
Trees transplanted from nursery at
two years old win seldom bear the fol-
lowing year, but should bear well the
second year.
| have helped pick eleven gallons of
fruit from four year old tree, which
had no extra pains taken with it. The
most l have picked from a three year
old tree, was three gallons.
| think there is no other tree so tena-
cious Of life as the olive, or which viii
respond to good cultivation with so val
liable q crop on given area.
FRANK A. KIMDALL
National City, CAL, Oct. %, 1883.