The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-30
NOTES FROM NILES.
Points About the Culture and Prepa-
ration of the Olive
Correspondence ofqHE MoRyINe can.


Correspondence OF HE MoRSINa CALL
The TWO oldest known fruits are grapes
and olives, and it has almost berome an
axiom that where one grows and floufishes
the other viii. There are thirty varieties of
olives. nearly as many as there are varie-
ties IF grapes. The oldest mention we have
of olives outside Of the scriptures is found
in the Odyssey" While the oil was
always used as an article Of diet. still its
greatest value was considered by the
anclepts to be as an article Tor the toilet and
an old saying joins the TIVE fruits-grapes
and olives-"wine within and oil without"
Ii is a wise thing TO study the successful
culture of fruits in their native places W en-
we plant 10 grow for profit or commerce. The
olive is found to native of North Amer
lea. stuntPd white species growing in the
forests Of Georgia and Louisiana. native
of South America, where the WOOD is black
and hard, being much valued by cabinet
workers, and also a native of China, where
The wood is yellowlsh, and rs also of value
for cabinet work.
The home of the fruiting olive, however,
is in the countries bordering the Mediter-
raneaD, and OF the many original var cites
two-ihe Spanish, a native of Spain, and
| the other OF ltaly-are of the kinds now
grown
1t is careless liver, and does not demand
the best care and soil to thrive and bear :
indeed it prefers the poorer soils, growing
on dry limestone ridges luXuriantly. Ii is
said, too, TO DO the best within range of the
sea breeZes.
The gray-green foliage and black trunks
OF the olive have done much 10 add TO the
beauty Of the Greek peninsula. with its ex-
tensive shore line; and the adjacent islands.
whose deSolaie limestone crags are beauti-
fed and made fruitful by this prolific tree
The Italians are dependent upon the olive
for staple food, aud the groves are the
| chief source of income for the peasant class
in the southern and eastern portions of the
country. They give the tree little care, ami
as result have a crop but once in FIVE or
six years, and are satisfied An olive grove
is an Inheritance. The great age of the
trees constitutes source OF living for gen.
erations from the same groves.
III France the "Oivettes," as the orchards
are called, receive the utmost care: the trees
are planted III regular order, as other or
chard trees are; they are pTuned, irrigated
on the dryest soil and the ground carefully
manured-wOolen rags, as being nitro
genOus, being in demand for the manure.
Still. with all this care. in Languedoc,
where all the best "oliyettes" are, a goud
crop is only expected once In about six
years. The demand for the oil in the eulin-
airy department on The Continent keeps
pace with the supply. aud so ne in America
are learning its value for the table. The de-
mand is for homegrown oils, and the Cali
lSihih O4AfCtbCo supply tUdL Qe-
mand
Everybody knows that the Spanish mis-
sienaries brought the three great staple
fruits, grapes. ngs and olives into the Califor-
MIA. but while the first two have long poured
a large amount of g0ld into their owners
laps olives have been neglected until within
the last very few years. 1t is not ten years
since the first depressing establishment
was put ND in Southern California, and
am told there are Tut three OF any SIZE In
the State, although there are several grow
eTs who are putting up an admira BILE quality
Of OIL the demand for which is growing.
The olive has, as a continent,
always been used as far back as
any knowledge of the fruit appears.
The ancents added various things TO add
10 the bitter. but odern epicures demand
that the bitter must be removed leaving
the oil and the neat of the fruit only.
The process employed for centuries to
prepare the fruit has never been improved,
although mberless receipts have been
tried. The berry is picked when ripe.
soaked in an alkaline I've. washed well in
cold water and put into a brine. The great
frult-nether too green nor too ripe-to
soak the proper time IN be I've, and, finally,
TO prevent midew upon the brine.
AS one of The missions was established
in this county. so here the first extensive
orchards have been planted. the largest, of
is estimated there are 10000 trees in the
county.
Olives are such an indispensable article
upon an Italians table that they can be
sod fresh in the markets in San Francisco
al any time for good price.
While the tree in this climate never bears
the enormous crops it occasionally does in
Europe II bears a coed, regular crop. and
those who have bad faith enough TO plant
find the yield Of oil is some times as high as
90 per cent. higher than IN the Old World by
10 per cent. and the yield per acre is up to
average OF other fruits When others shall
be convinced Of the commercial value of this
crop there is room for 10000 more trees
The Niles Tuesday Evening Whist Club
viii close this series next Tuesday evening
at the home of Mrs. Ford, and final social
evening will be spent with Mrs. G. b. Over
aeker the following week. when the prizes
will be awarded.
Mrs. NJ. a. Hinton's pupils gave a piano
recital in the town ball Saturday Afternoon,
which was largely attended. Charles Had
sell JT. OF Sunol gave two admirs6ie violin
so OS. Mrs. l.. L. THANE
Niles, Jan. %, 1893.