Page:The Olive Its Culture in Theory and Practice.djvu/172

140 in the times of Cato and Columella, and controverted by both these writers—still holds its own among the more ignorant peasants and notably in Spain, where olives are often stored for months and occasionally for a year. Again, the immediate extraction within twenty four hours as advised by Messrs Rae as the best usage of Tuscany, will not always be possible as such a complete system demands very abundant facilities of machinery and labor. No one who has engaged in oil extraction will be inclined to deny that the process is, at least, somewhat more difficult with absolutely fresh olives. While the immediate expression of oil is undoubtedly the best system, and growing in favor and practice, it must be admitted that, in all probability the greater proportion of olive oil and even the higher grades of oil are made after the olives have been partially dried. The question is, how to avoid any danger to the olive, if drying is found necessary or convenient. The purpose of drying is to remove as much of the water of the olive as possible. Evidently any tendency to softening will be simply the beginning of decay and will injure the quality of the oil, and any possibility of mould must be avoided.

The Italian system is to spread the freshly picked olives on floors of porous brick, not more than five inches deep and allow free passage of air above them, while two or three times a day, they are carefully and gently raked over. If drying is decided upon, or the olives must await manufacture, this is the simplest and safest way for a natural process.

Mr Ellwood Cooper of Santa Barbara has adopted a system of artificial drying of his own invention, similar to fruit dryers, which he has described in his work on olive culture and which he finds satisfactory. Naturally this avoids certain difficulties in fresh pressing and certain dangers in natural drying.

The first process of the oil mill is the crushing of the olives. The crushing machine generally used, consists of a circular tub or trough of stone or bricks covered with cement, having a stone floor on