Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-03
Give CULTURE.
Some Valuable Facts Relative to This
Tree.

Some valuable Facts Relative to This
Tree.
Most OF us, both raisin and fruit-grow-
ers, know by sad experience how i'm.
portant part labor plays in profitable
fruit-growing here, and especially is
this brought to our attention during the
picking season when labor is at a pre-
MUM. How to overcome this difficulty
has had the careful consideration oil
many fruit growers, as the high wages
demanded and received by laborers, and
especially the Chinese, is entirely out OF
proportion to their real value.
think simple solution to that ques-
ton, says writer in the Pacific Rural
Press, will be found in a greater diversi-
ty of crops, 30 that as soon as one has
been handled and disposed of, another
will follow, and thus employment will
be given to men for more months in the
year, with the result that wages will
not, during the fruit season, be as high
as in past years.
The olive ripens when all other crops
have been gathered, some varieties com.
mencing to ripen with us November 1st
and continuing until January 1st, thus
giving ample time to gather the crop,
providing you will plant varieties in
accordance with their time of ripening
Labor at this season Of the year is easily
obtained at much lower rates, and
furthermore, the fruit can hang on the
tree several weeks without being dam
aged; rains are benefit; are actually
required; the trees gather increased
vigor in the fall, and the fruit fills out
and ripens much more readily than il
otherwise would.
True, the olive does not come into
bearing as soon as other trees, but TAX
ing into consideration the difference be-
tween the profits of an olive orchard and
that OF some other variety OF fruit on
the same soil, feel satisfied when your
trees do come into bearing you will be
amply repaid for the time you have had
to wait before receiving any returns.
The olive commences to bear when four
years old, and from that time on will
increase in productiveness every sue
ceeding year for an indefinite period.
There are trees in Europe said to be 1000
years old, and still bearing large crops
annually. A number of my trees com.
menced to bear few olives when three
years old, and since that time | have
never known the crop to fail.
Just such soils as are not adapted to
the raisin grape are suited to the olive.
refer, of course, to the sandy, light
loan, OF which there are many thou
sands of acres in this valley, and which,
in my opinion, ia the best for the olive.
In making this statement, | speak
from actual experience and observation.
had about rs acres planted to the olive
on such soil aH mentioned above. The
oldest of my trees are not more than
seven years, and for three years have
been loaded with fruit, while olive trees
of the Mission variety growing on the
Fresno Vineyard company's place, on
heavy argillaceous soil, have never had
on any one of their trees, now fully ten
years old, as many olives as have been
gathered from my trees when only six.
In planting an olive orchard, the first
step to be taken is to plow your land
good and deep, not less than twelve
inches; the deeper you plow the better
the results. / have planted trees at the
Fancher Greek nursery twenty-five feet
apart, many, however, recommended
thirty and thirty-six feet. In such soil
as have twenty-five feet is good dis
tance, and if eventually the trees do be-
come too crowded Gt will take at
least fifteen years) every other tree
can be cut out and then the trees will
not be too far apart. Mr.. Roeding gave
it as his opinion that the interior coun-
ties are better suited to the olive than
any other portion of the state. He said
that olives may readily be transplanted
when four or five years old, and in
stances are known of their being sue.
cessfully transplanted when 20 years oi
age