The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-03-01
To TILLERS OF THE SOIL.
Hints That May Prove Of Benefit to
Our Neighbors'
Articles Of Unduubted Worth 10 The Farmer, COLLECTED
From Reliable Sources,
MODERN MANUFACTURE OF
OLIVE OIL.


fruit is picked and the method OF picking
affect very materially the olive oil pro-
duced, and, therefore in gathering re-
quires experience and care, writes LOUIS
Paparelli, of the California Experiment
Station, to the 1merican AgrtcahT1St.
The ripening of the olives is marked by
variations in the color of the skin from
olive-green to lemon-yellow from lemon
yellow to red or purplish-red; from
purplish-red to wne-red, and from wine
red to velvety black. Generally, under
| favorable conditions of soil and climate,
the velvety-black color will mark the
proper time for gathering the olives Tor
industrial uses, though the ripening
continues for some time longer. In
warm climates, however, If the object in
view is the extraction OF Oil OF high
quality, the fruit should be gathered be-
fore it reaches the velvety- black color.
Olive harvesting should be done in
good weather, when the atmosphere is
clean and dry, and when the soil ls not
damp from previous rains. Hand pick
ing is the method most to be recon-
mended, as it neither Injuries the fruit
nor the future production OF the trees,
as occurs when the gathering.is done by
beating and shaking the branches. The
latter methods should be limited to those
exceptional cases where the olives can
not be reached, by any available means,
by the hand of the workman. In hand
picking, baskets are the receptacles
generally used. Cloth sheets are spread
under the trees to save the olives IRON
being damaged by falling directly on the
bare SOIL The olives should be sorted,
to certain extent during the gathering,
and more completely afterwards at the
oil mill. The selection OF the sound and
perfect fruit is of great importance, as
the fruit communicates to the oil all the
good qualities and all the defects that 1t
possesses at the time it is worked.
Olives are best worked Immediately
after gathering; but as that is not gener-
ally practicable, they should be kept as
short time as possible; three or four
days should be the limit, for if kept too
long the oil will loose its quality. Olive
oil is present, ready made, within the
fruit, and all that is done Is to extract it,
Just as it is, bursting the cells within
which it is enclosed, by pitting and
crushing the olives, and then pressing
them. 1t has been known for long
time that an extra quantity OF oil is OBJ
tanned from the flesh of the olive with
out the pit. Such oil is superior both
for its delicacy and for its resistance to
rancidity. The best pitter is that devised
by Mr.. Salvatella, of Tortosa, Spain. 1t
has a hopper which distributes the olives
to the cylinders in the interior of the
machine. These cylinders, by special
arrangement, separate the flesh entirely
from the pit without breaking the latter
Flesh and pits thus obtained ale gently
pressed to extract the virgin oil, the best
quality of oil OF the fruit. The pittel
may be worked by hand, by horse, or by
steam-power.
The usual stone crushers or mills are
being replaced, though slowly, by crush
ers with iron cylinder, which not only
do better and larger amount of work
than the stone mills, but have also the
advantage OF requiring much less capital
space, and labor of working, Among
those made by Mure, Of Turin, Italy
, and by Salvatella, of Spain. Salvatella''
crusher. as we'll as his pitter, have re-
Gently been tried at the Experiment
Station of California, and have done
satisfactory work. After the virgin OF
from the pitted olives have been pressed
the remaining pomace from the basket
of the press is taken off and introduced
| in the hopper OF the crusher. The work
is done between two grooved cylinders
of iron, which, in short time, reduce
the remaining flesh, skins and pits to 6
fine paste. The machine has, in one
side, two adjusting screws for the cylin
ders, in order to regulate the tincness o
the paste. The latter coming out iron
the rear side OF the crusher, is received
in pail, from whence it is taken to tn,
press. If only a second quality of oil il
desired, the crusher is sufficient withou
the pitter. In this case, when the ma
chine is in operation, vibrating cleaner
separates the largest part of small resi-
dues OF stems and leaves, sand and othe
impurities that may be with the olives
The work with the crusher is very easy
1t occupies space of about three fee
square, and weighs about $50 pounds
1t may be operated by hand, by horse
or by steam power. Its work is at thu
rate OF about As gallons of olives pc
hour.
A good type of screw-press now useo
in olive-growing countries is made o
iron, and has a power OF about so tons
which is sufficient for ordinary purposes
In the center of the case is placed {
sheet iron basket with perforated sides
that can be opened into two halves. TIL,
mass coming out from the pitter is intro
duced in the basket of the press to ex
tract the virgin oil, or the superfne OF
OF the pulp alone. In the basket it il
divided into several layers, putting be
tween each other layer a perforated
sheet-iron diaphragm. When every