Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-09-08
The OLIVE.
SOMETHING OF A TREE FREQUENTLY
MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE.
The Extraction of Oil from the Fruit
A Source of Great Revenue to
Spain and Italy.

AS the story goes, it was in the days of
Cecrops, King of Attica, that the two rival
deities, Neptune and Minerva) strove
for the worship of the Athenians. Each
claimed priority of right. Neptune, by
salt spring which his trident had opened
in the rock of the Acropolis; Minerva, by
pointing to the olive tree which at her
voice sprung from the soil. The gods in
council decided that the latter was the
earlier and more useful gift, and Minerva
became the tutelary deity of the city.
Under this pleasing fable, told in various
ways, is doubtless shadowed forth the en-
deavors of the early Athenian rulers to
turn the citizens from warlike and sea-far-
ing pursuits to the cultivation of the soil
and the peaceful arts; and on the coins of
Attica before the time of Pericles, an olive
branch appeared with the moon and owl.
Goats we're sacrificed to Minerva because
they were thought to do special injury to
the olive tree, and Virgil follows the popu-
lar myth in calling her "oLee inrentrin"
The frequent mention of the olives in the
Bible has made the tree one of the most
interesting in the world. To this day, as
told in Scripture, the wild olive grows in
barren places with crooked trunk, gnarled
branches and bitter fruit, and is grated on
the good" or cultivated tree. With the
Jews as we'll as Greeks, the olive, as of old,
=. &c o,,I ,a1o
The olive blossoms in the neighborhood
of Nice in April, and in Tuscany month
later. Its flowers are of dull, creamy
white, with thick, waxy petals. The
period of greatest beauty for the olive is
when the fruit is ripening, and the boughs
are laden with the plump-shaped berries,
varying in tint from bright green to dark
red and blush purple. The packing sea-
son begins in the early autumn, the oil
from unripe fruit being more piquant and
better for table use than any other; but of
course the yield is less copious. From
November to January, according to situa-
tion and variety, the fruit ripens. 1t is
gathered by shaking the tree, or by pick
ing; the more care being taken, of course
the better the oil. 1t is stored in dry
rooms till sufficient quantity is obtained
for pressing. This is done by means of a
mill not unlike cider-mill, worked by
either horse or water power. When the
olives are reduced to pulpy mass, this is
put into baskets of hemp made in a Pc
culiar form. Ten or twelve of these are
piled up together and pressure is applied.
The oil thus obtained is called "virgin
OIL" and is of the first quality. Boiling
water is then poured on the mass to facili-
tate the expression of the remaining oil.
The refuse, or marc as it is called, is left
to undergo short fermentation, and then
again put into the press with boiling
water poured on as before. From this is
obtained the first huile de receuse, which
is of inferior, fatty quality.
The residue is now thrown into a brick
or stone trough filed with water, and COM
municating with others into which the
liquid flows off as the mass is stirred and
beaten with poles; and the oil rising to
the surface is SKINNED off. The remainder
is put into caldrons and boiled with water
and a new pressure brings out what is
called the second huile de receuse, or refuse
oil, which is mixed with the first, and used
for the manufacture of soap. All the
different waters used in the process
and in cleansing the utensils are
poured into reservoirs, and the oil
called Penfer, which comes to the surface
clear and limpid, though useless on account
of its strong taste and odor for table pur-
poses, is the best for burning. Olive oil is
still preferred to petroleum by many Ital-
ian and French families, as it gives softer
and less dazzling light. The picturesque
old Etruscan lamps are still in use for
carrying about the house and lighting
visitors down the stairways of houses in
Florence and Rome, as well as in humble
towns.
The dregs remaining in the caldron are
pressed into casks and used for heating
the water in the oil mills; the kernels
which were separated from the fruit in the
first trough are also sold for heating pur-
poses, and even their ashes are useful, as
they contain a good deal of potassium.
The baskets are much sought after for
manure, as they are saturated with oil.
The oil is preserved in great earthern Jars,
vanished on the inside, or in cisterns
lined with cement, which are tightly
closed to exclude air and light. One hum
dred Kilograms of olives freshly picked
from trees in good condition ought to re-
turn fifth of their weight in virgin oil.
AS an article of food, oil has a most i'm
portant place. The Italian workman finds
bread and oil and wine an ample midday
meal; if he can add thereto salad or an
onion, it is feast. In the cuisine of
Southern Italy, oil takes the place of but
ter, and is by many considered more
healthful than any animal grease. There
is curious dish called brandada, much
liked there. The foundation is salt fish,
from which they remove the bones, and
after boiling it to rags stir or pound it into
a paste. An assistant then pours in the
olive oil, while the head cook stirs. The
addition Of parsley and other herbs, and
further stirring to complete the amalgama-
ton of the whole, renders the brandada
fit for the table.
The olive will flourish wherever the
vine does well. 1t will not bear temper
ature below 21O or 22o Fahrenheit, and
cannot be grown in Europe above the lati-
tude of Ace, which possesses a climate
nearly corresponding to that in America of
latitude 40o A few hours of severe cold
after rain or snow suffice to destroy the
young plants and fruit. There was an
olive orchard in the vicinity of Marseilles,
which had brought to the owner an in
come of 10000 francs in single year, and
seemed likely to do so again in the autumn
Of 1892, when one night the mercury went
down to I0o below freezing, and in the
morning all hope Of a harvest was gone.
The localities in Italy where the olive
grows best are Sicily, Calabria, the Abruzzi,
Puglia, Lucca and the Riviera. The best
table oil exported to America is from the
province Of Lucca. The olives prepared
for eating come from Spain, those of Italy
being inferior for this use, although eaten
by the lower classes. The olives Of the
plain yield more fruit than those Of the
hills, but the oil is less delicate A gentle
slope, well-sheltered from cold winds, is
the most favorable situation. In moderate
climates, the exposure should be to the
east; in warmer ones toward the west and
north; while on the outmost northern