Weekly Phoenix herald., 1885-01-29
|rhe question of Profit in Oiive Growing.

The Italians have proverb that hu olive grove is "gold mine on the kurface of the earth" Throughout |Italy and many portions of Europe 'oliye oil is to the people what butter ',s to Americans. Pure olive oll' which not one American in ten tnoa- sand have tasted, is a most delicious and healthfnl food, superior to but ter for most purposes of cookery. The prejudice against olive oli IS destined to die away, and ID tune the consumption of it ln this country must enormously increase. There need scarcely be any fear that the American market will ever get over stocked. In Italy alone two and quarter million acres are devoted to the olive, and the annual yield or oil is about ninety million gallons. One Italian Consul writes that no unadulterated olive oil is exported from Italy, and statistics show that not enough genuine olive oil, it TOT table use, is produced to supply the wants of the world. Much that IS sold as olive oil is the oil from the cotton seed or the sesame seed. Hogs lard is shipped to Italy from America and comes back in bottles labeled "Olive Oil" These facts have an important bearing upon the question of future profits from olive groves in California.
 The profit in olive culture for oil depends greatly upon the quality or tue product. In California the best known and most successful olive grow CT is Elwoed Cooper, of Santa Barbara. He began twelve years ago by planting thousand trees, cover ing sixty acres, and they are Learly all bearing. He turns out 5OoOO bottles ot oil annually, which brings higher price than any imported oil. It is quoted in San Francisco prices current at $13.50 per dozen quarts, A simple calculation will show that the present yield of his trees, at the quoted rate, would be over S56, 900 or nearly $1 1000 an acre, although many of his trees have just come into bearing. MT. Cooper fears no competition and warmly advocates olive culture in California W. A. Hayne, of Santa Barbara county, has this year planted 50,OOC cuttings which would be enough fol 500 acres.
 It has been found that in Califor- . mia the olive tree yields much larger quantity of berries and thai here they furnish a much better quality of oil than in Europe. Some of MT. Cooper's trees produce as much as two gallons of berries at tho age of four years. A few trees came into bearing the third year. Wher eight years old number yielded 4C gallons of berries each. The olive tree natures slowly, and expected to steadily increases it's product unti at least twenty years of age. It vii bear for centuries. Its habit is tt give large crop every second year
 According to the consular reports a gallon of berries weighs abou eight pounds and yields from pin to quart of oil. The reports var. greatly in their estimates of tn profit of olive culture abroad. It i very meager compared to the return in California. In Tuscany tn value of the average annual yield o mature trees is given at 62 gallons a acre. In Sardinia the yield of berrie IS reckoned only 76 gallons an acre In Spain the best net annual incom from the finest olive groves is place at $50 an acre.
 In conclusion, this quotation fror the report of Felix A. Mathew; United States Consul at Tangiel Morocco, ID Africa, where the oliv is extensively grown, may be pre- sented as expressing not too san gulne view of the possibilities c olive culture in California: He says "The great value and importance c the olive tree is that it will thriv and prosper in soils where nethin else of value will grow. Those dr soils Of arid aspect in many parts California are the genuine lands fc raising the most productive forest of olive, worth in due time and at n distant period, millions of money In Africa, in Greece, and in som parts of Spain, lands once abandon cd for their sterilitY, are now tn source of wealth and revenue communities and the government" ."- Sacramento Bee.