The herald., 1895-02-12
OLIVE CULTURE
The Outlook for the Industry in Southern
California

0N-"---
California
John J. Calkins in California Cultivator.l
The first question to be considered is whether
olives can be grown here The object lessons
in the shape OF bearing ees throughout the
state fully answer that question, l have in
mind six or seven year old orehrd OF tee l
acres in this vicinity which is bearing this year
crop estimated at some ten thousand gallons
1t has been folni that trees come into bearing
several years younger here than they do in Eu-
rope, thnt they thrive along tn coast, in the
hot interior valleys and III the eleva ed foot
hills Of our mountaia ranges Our soils are
generally rici in lime and potash. which are
essential constituents i'll the growth of the
olive We have large acreage OF low priced
lands on which no other fruit can be grown
with profit, where the olive III thrive and
yield fair crops; these favorable conditions
Will enable us to place the product upon the
market at a less price than tae imported, and
the superiority OF our ripe, nutritious olives
over the green ana wo ldy foreign article, and
OF our pure oil over the atulterated oil i'm
ported ihto this country is generally conceded,
The question Ola paying market Tor the pro-
duct should be considered. This is one OF the
largest olive producing localities in the State
aud it is only wltuin two or three years that
they have been produced here in quantity
Within few weeks after the crop IL put upon
the market there are 10 home olives to be
touHu IN me stores, q ID III happens every sell
son that ord rs received by the growers
which cannot be filled for want o the goods
1t is well known tnat olive growing countries
are o i've consuming countries. This is EN- pha
sized here i'll Pomona, where olives may be
conveniently obtained. The use of home
picked olives i'll this vicinity has become gen
ersl while the supply lasts. The IRE but lew
places in the state where olive are yet pro-
duced in qunntty.and it is safe to assume tnat
not one person in a hundred OH this coast has
ever seen "A California picked olive, and when
II az a
will come about as soon as they en- he as con-
veniently procured. the quantity requiied TO
supply the home demand alone will
be enormous, as California ripe olives
are not merely q continent but n nourishng
food supplying the place OF meat. the love OF
them growing with their use, The numerous
orders received here from the East indicate
that we will secure thu market also as soon as
the good can be produced in sufficient guam
tity to meet it. That the demand will increase
with the supply do not doubt The price OF
olives this year delivered at the
works is cents per pound, but most of the
growers pickle their own fruit. Present quo
gallon oak Ike S, for fancy, Yi1 p per keg;
TO- standard, 1918 per keg, including pack
age, olive orchards often net several hundred
so called olive oil and slrdines are OF The in.
crease from year to year. learn from the
Treasury Department at Washington that in
1898 this country imported more than half n
million dollars worth OF alleged olive oil and
nearly million dollars worth OF snrdines In
the course OF time, wnau the supply is SUI
icient pure California olive oil Will take the
place oil. the adulterated oil brought from
abroad which now, in the main, holds the
markets of this country. The waters of this
coast abound in genuine sardines and the
business of canning them has been entered
upon. The industry is capable of large pro-
portions and the demand for enormous guam
titles OF oil for this purpose is to be ex-
pectcd The consideration of this subject leads
one to belisve that olive culture is destined to
become leading industry in this state, and
T.1f to- It'll.
rewards now enjoyed by the olive growing
regions in Europe.