The oasis., 1894-02-15
OLIVE CULTURE.
Interesting Practical Obseryations--A Re- markable Tree on the Shore of
 Lake Elsinore.

Lake ElsinOre.
 The following extracts from a paper by Jno. $. Calkins of Pomona, under date of January 10, will be of interest to horticulturists:
 With view to studying the olive under varied conditions of culture, have recently visited numerous bear ing orchards in the country about Po- mona while the fruit was ripe. The trees examined ranged from four to about fifty years of age. l found them in fruitage in sandy washes, in sandy loam, in black adobe and in hard red clay soils, both with and without irri- gation, and l could see no marked diff erence as to size or quantity of fruit produced on the trees noted, in favor of any kind of of soil: whether irrigat- ed or not, or whether cultivated once or several times during the season. l did not see any growing in strictly al- kali land, but am reliably informed that there is one growing in that kind of soil, near the edge of Elsinore Lake which is in very healthy condition. It was planted some seven years ago with other fruit trees, and few years after the orchard was planted the water in the lake rose several feet and extended up the trunks of the trees about foot, remaining at that height about a year. All the other fruit trees have died, but the olive tree now stands in thicket of willows, which have taken the place of the former or chard. The tree is bearing fine fruit this year, some of which 1 have placed in the Los Angeles Chamber of Com merce with a collection of twenty three other varieties of olives grown on all kinds of soils mentioned, with and without irrigation. Each sample is so labeled that one may learn all particulars and make comparisons.
 One of the bearing orchards visited
 
 at an elevation of some 1900 feet above sea level, on red brick clay land; it is not likely water could be reached by digging down 100 feet. All of the non irrigated trees are in locations where the water is from 70 to 100 feet below the surface, except one where the water in well is 30 feet below surface of ground. But while the trees thrive n alkali land, with wet feet, alongside the willow, and in elevated locations in red brick clay land with water 1000 feet or morebelow the surface, there is one condition in which the olive will not do it's level best; under the inf u- ence of the coast climate it, in com mon with citrus trees, becomes infest- ed with black scale, and a strike fol- lows so far as producing much fruit is concerned. Haply, by means of fumi- gation and the Martin wash, bearing trees may be cleared of this pest at an annual expense of about 20 cents per tree: besides we have hopes the para site lately introduced will prove an ef- fectual remedy.
 The trees examined were of the Ney adilo, Manzauillo and Mission yarie- ties, chiefly the last named. The e are probably 30 other varieties in bear ing in small way throughout tie state, of which the Columilla, Rubra, Peudulina, Ooionga, and Uyaria are best known.
 nave ,me 60 varieties in my nur- series and experiment grounds in Po- mona which l think comprise all that have so far been brought to the state. I am in hopes that the major part of