The herald., 1893-08-13

sN5eSsaasss
.So,E sIss~
Olive culture on this coast is beginninS
to attract the attention its merits de-
serve.
In addition to the famous orchards OF
Kimball OF National City and Cooper OF
Santa Barbara, many younger orchards
are coming into bearing in different por-
tions oil the state whose generous re-
turns serve as object lessons to encour-
age larger planting. Until very re-
Gently but little attention has been paid
to the subject, so that the general pub
lie and even those whose interests are
along the line OF fruit growing know but
little about it, but little light is being
let in upon the dense ignorance of the
matter Of the olive. its culture, etc. Not
many wears ago the average man sup
posed the olive tree wss tapped for oil
like the sugar maple is for sap to con
vert into sugar. Many are the practical
Jokes that have been piayed upon the
unwary by inducing them to taste the
olive as IL comes from the tree, which Is
a good second to the green persimmon
in bitterness, and az lad once sa'd to
the writer, pucker ability. This simple
fact has doubtless done muci; to retard
itB planting, but latterly. 1t found
that the process of extracting th Bit
terness from the olive and prepliing
them for the table, aud OF manufacture
ing the oil by simple and cheap means
can be done by any ordinary man with
out previous experience, which has been
done every year by men new to the
business. Heretofore the output of do
meetic picked olives and olive oil have
been too small to make any showing in
the commercial centers of the state and
country, as they are mainly consumed
in the neighborhood where produced
within few weeks after they are put on
the market, 60 that the uaripe picked
olives and impure oil from abroad have
held the markets, not only vi the country
at large, but of the state. But when
the ripe picked olives and pure oil Of
this state are produced in sufficient
quantities, they will completely displace
the foreign article.
Unlike other fruits produced on this
coast which must seek an eastern
market, the olive will have quick
home market without competition, ex-
cept very inferior imported article
There is at the very door OF Los An
geles superb section for olive growing,
on the mesa and on the foothill lands at
Santa Monica and vicinity, which are
rich in lime and potash, the chief con-
stituents used by the olive tree, and
which will grow the olive without irri-
CATION. Wherever olive trees are found
growing in this locality they are thrifty
and bear large crops, and it may be
safely predicted that in the future these
lands will be found dotted with olive
groves as productive and profitable BE
those famous groves on the borders of
the Mediterranean and in as gen al
climate.
A great drawback to the olive in
dustry has been lack OF young trees
and their high prices, as by the old meth
DDS of propagation in vogue that OF
using large limbs for the cuttings--the
supply of material for gro wing the young
trees was necessarily email; but a new
method has been discovered by which
small twigs the size OF match may be
rooted by experts, by which means SUI
perior trees may be produced at O COM
psratively small cost. Pomona has come
to the front as as an olive tree center
and one OF the leading growers there is
John S. Calkins, who hse recently pub
on olive culture in this state for free dis
tribution. 1t is full OF practical informa-
tion on the subject, comprising in its
contents:
New method Of propagating olive
trees the age to transplant; transplant
ing; time to transplant; pruning; how
far apart to plant; soil; climate; size,
longevity and productivenees OF olive
trees; irrigation olive trees for ave-
nues; insect pests; olive oil; the guam
tity of domestic and foreign oil produced
and imported; yield of oil OF different
varieties; uses of olive oil picked
olives; methods of picking olives; va
rieties; characteristics Of three leading
varieties; returns received from olive
trees the outlook for the industry on
this coast.
Mr.. Calkins is stopping at present at
Santa Monica and has not only talked
with the prominent property owners
there but has made thorough inspec
tion of tree growing in that section and
an examination OF the soil, and pro-
nounces it No for olive culture. The
Jones interest will probably make a
planting themselves here to demonstrate
the fact, and the further fact that at no
distant date the superb ranch will be
undivided and placed on the market
has caused many to seriously consider
the olive question.
Who can for one moment deny the
lmmenee revenue that would be de-
rived from those fertile acres if planted
10 olives, and with all the facilities OF
both sea and land transportation ct its
very door.
Some one has said that IAN olive
rd OOl ho 10 0f,t
barth." Let us hope that such mine
will be the property OF a happy and con-
tented race on the glorious acres OF the
2ax, Niaapto