Page:A Practical Treatise on Olive Culture, Oil Making and Olive Pickling.djvu/29



If, in the cultivation of the olive tree, one were to be guided by the ancient beliefs that have come down to us through the ages, it would appear that when once planted it can be left to take care of itself.

Virgil says in his Georgics that the olive tree needs no cultivation, and Pliny repeats with him that it should not be given too much care.

Columelle affirms also that of all trees the olive is the one which requires the least work and the least manuring. He does not, however, recommend an absolute abandonment of "the first of all trees," as he calls it, but judges that it is the tree par excellence that can stand neglect and bad treatment better than any other.

It has nevertheless been since recognized that the olive tree, though by no means exacting, needs a certain amount of care, especially as regards pruning. It might be said, however, in connection with this, that in certain olive regions of Europe, Africa and Asia, there are still many