The record-union., 1892-10-17

iDe name Plcholine is yariouSly used
in France to designate a special way of
curing olives for table use, or applied to
all varieties used for pickl led olives.
You will find in previous letter the
synonyms OF the Picholine as given by
DegruiIly. All these are known TO be fit
for table use only-never for oil. Again,
among the Languedoc peasants the name
P1choline is given to any variety, what
ever that has pointed fruit, slightly
curved. The fact is that the Picholine
brothers of the Commune of Mirsmas-
Bouches des Rhone. France, introduced
method for preserving the fruit for
table use. This was during the last
century. The method was an improve
ment on those already existing, and soon
spread; but in order to distinguish olives
thus prepared from those prepared in
other ways the name of the inventor was
given it.
AS only large, f1eshy olives were used
(see synonyms. it soon came to pass that
all varieties fit for picking became to be
known as Picholine-mind you, these
varieties had been in existence and well
known before the Picholne brothers
were born. Therefore, all talk about
TINS special variety being the variety Of
France is absurd, and all the carefully
prepared facts concerning 1t in France, to
say the least, makes one want to know
something OF Mr.. Flammant, his motives,
etc.
When I found that all the authorities
on the subject were agreed as to the fact
that no such variety, known as Picholine
in California, existed in France under
this name, l tried to find out some va
rely that could have been mixed in with
the original cuttings sent to California.
This was no easy matter. With great
deal of patient search, and the invaluable
assistance of the gentleman just named,
think ] have discovered it.
In the ArondiSsement of AK, Com
munes of Eyrorgues. or Eyguieres, there
is found a small-truited olive resembling
the PichOlue of California. 1t is known
to the peasants as Dendiver1i. or Denti-
verti. 1t grows side by side with the
Pichollne proper (see synonym, and
might easily have been mixed up with
the original cutting OF the true Picholine.
An old man who has grown olives all
his life (he is now So years old), told me
that this variety was from the nature of
the case unfit for picking, but that the
peasants let it stay and made oil from it
for their own use. The consensus of
opinion seems to be that so far as guam
tity goes, it yields as much as the regu-
larly accepted oil varieties, but that the
quality OF the oil is vastly inferior. Not
only is it coarse, but that it cannot be so
clarified as to avoid excessive deposit of
dregs, hence 1t will not keep SO long as
the oil made from other varieties. nor
Will 1t bring paying price on the mar
ket. AS it takes fifteen or twenty wears
TO get an olive tree into bearing shape in
Europe the peasant leaves it where it is
using the oil for himself. Both Mr.. Mari
of Nice and Professor Gas of the Var
agreed on this point, so | think it is very
probable.
There are other varieties that resemble
somewhat the Picholine of California, but
II .f,.,a. t-zr ,-srv I,
reason that when L saw them the fruit
was too young to give me an accurate
idea, and have not at hand an accurate
botanical description of the California
variety in question. Beside / think that
the Dendiverdi fills the bill.
IN his circular Mr.. Flammant saws that
the Picholine is free from the scale bug
and black smut. This is untrue. IN
California l have seen it as badly attacked
as any other variety, and while I have
seen it perfectly free from insect pests.
yet it must be noted that at the same time
the Mission and other varieties were also
free. >@'44
After my studies in Spain, France and
Italy, l have become thoroughly con-
Vlnced that there are no known varieties
of the olive that have any claim to more
freedom from the attacks of insects than
others. 1t all depends upon the locatioa.
soil and climate. All the authorities are
in perfect accord on this subject, so l
think Mr.. Flammant has simply jumped
at conclusions in order to sell his trees.
Mr.. Flammant goes on to say that the
smaller the fruit the finer the ouality.D
and takes viticulture as an example. In
viticulture this certainly is not true. and
when | read the statement out of Elam-
mants circular to some of the eminent
viticulturists of France and elsewhere
they either laughed or said she is a
sNnit CO I 1nV,1% i'll Al
| holds for olives. In spite of the glowing
description of the Picholine and the evils
OF the Mission variety, as he sets them
forth, do not advise you to plant il.
! From my California experience and
European observation L think it would
| be a grave mistake to make to plant Pich-
olines instead of the Missions, The Mis-
sion does well in California, as is proved
by long experiment; its oil is both abund-
ant in quantity and superior in quality;
its pits are usually empty, and one of the
greatest troubles in making line, deli
cately flaw ored oil is thus removed. WHY
to-day, at all the oil schools, especially in
Italy and at the large oil mills, one and
all are trying to invent machines for
crushing the fruit without breaking the
pits. When l tell them that in California
we have variety in which there is gem
orally no kernel. they all say, "Oh, that it
were so with u.s."
AnOInef tn1ng l was struck with in
Europe, and that is the great irregularitv
of the crops. The Mission is without anv
doubt the most regular bearer I have ever
met with. Besides its facility of adapta-
ton, its great recommendation is the deli
cacy of its oil, and the fruit when picked
is very good. TO speak of supplanting
what you know to be good, with sonle-
thing you know very little of, and that
little rather doubtful, is mistake that I
cannot bring myself to think anyone
would make, especially with all the va
| rieties in the world, but / do hope that
the people of California will not be led
astray by the publications of Mr.. Flam-
mant, and cut down their Missions.
Thus far l have been unable to find
any variety that resembles the one in
question in the least that resists the cold.
On the contrary, all come from the hot
test parts Of the region de polivier.
In conclusion, then, the Picholine
proper (see synonyms is large, fleshv
olive, grown wholly for pickles, its oil
being Of very poor quality, and very
small in quantity, while none of the
savants or practiciens ever heard of
PichoIine OF small fruit grown for oil.
From what can be learned, the California
Picholtne is the Dendiverdi, variety of
very secondary importance that exists on
sufierance only. So far, then, as the
question of supplanting the Mission
or other varieties, goes, It would seem to
be an act of folly. ARTHUR P. HAYNE.
DON'T commit suicide on account of
your 'incurable'' blood disease. The
sensible thing for you to do is To take