Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

824 OLEA. OLEA.
emblem of industry and peace. While it yieldsa ground was selected for this purpose, freely exlarge supply of palatable and highly nutritious posed to the sun and air, and in which the soil was
food, it requires less outlay and less attention than a rich black mould. It was the practice to trench
almost any other fruit tree, is subject to few casu- (pastizsare) this to the depth of three feet, and
alties, and, even if altogether neglected, does not then to lcave it to crumble down under the influence
suffer serious injury, but may be quickly restored of the atmosphere.
to fertility by moderate care. Hence, the honour The propagation of the olive was effected in
paid to it at Athens, and hence the title of " prinma various ways.
omnium arborum " bestowed upon it by Columella. 1. The method generally adopted was to fix
VARIETIES, The Olea Europea is the only spe- upon the most productive trees, and to select from
ies of the natural family of Oleaceae, which yields these long, young, healthy branches (sramos nothe highly valued olive oil, but many varieties are vellos) of such a thickness as to Ie easily embraced
produced by different modes of culture, and by pecu- by the hand. The branches immediately after
liarities of soil and climate. Columella enumerates being detached fromn the parent stem, were sawed
ten, and this number may be considerably increased into lengths of a foot and a half each, great care
fromn the works of other ancient writers. The fol- being taken not to injure the bark; these seglowing seem to have been the most important: — ments, which were called taleae or clavolec ortrunci
i. Psausia s. Posea; 2. Regicn; 3. Orschis s. Or- were then tapered to a point at each end with
chitis s. Orclitat s. Orchas; 4. Radius; 5. Licinia a knife, the two extremities were slneared with
s. Liciniana; 6. Serqia s. Serianca. Of these the dung and ashes, they were buried upright in the
Pasusia, according to Columella, was the most ground, so that the tops were a few fingers' breadth
pleasant in flavour (jucundissimnzus), although upon below the surface, and each tcale was placed as
this point he is apparently contradicted by Virgil nearly as possible in the same position, both ver(amnara IsausiCa baccc); the Reyic was the hand- tically and laterally, as the branch had occupied
somest in appearance; while both of these together upon the tree. During the first year, the ground
with the Orclsis and the Radius, and in general, all was frequently loosened by the sarculum; when
the larger varieties, were better suited for eating the young roots (radiculae seszi2usnm) had taken a
than for oil. The Licinia, on the other hand, firm hold, heavy hand-rakes (rastra) were emyielded the finest oil, the Sesqica, the greatest quan- ployed for the same purpose, and in the heat of
tity. (Cat. R. R. 7; Varr. R. R. 7; ColumelI. v. sumnmer water was regularly supplied. For two
8, de A-rbor. 17; Plin. H. N. xv. 6.) years no pruning was resorted to, but in the third
SOIL AND CLIMATE. The soil considered most year the whole of the shoots (ras1nldi), with the
congenial was a rich tenacious clay, or a mixture exception of two, were lopped off; in the fourth
of clay and sand, a gravelly subsoil being essential year, the weaker of the remaining two was dein either case to carry off the water. Deep fat tached, and in tile fifth year the young trees
mould was found to be not unsuitable, but any (arbtlscuelae) were fit for being transplanted (habiles
land which retained moisture was avoided, and transslationi). This latter operation was best per:
also light, stony ground, for, althoungh the trees did formed in autumn where the ground to which they
not die in the latter, they never became vigorous. were conveyed was dry, but if it was moist and
lHere again, however, Columella and Virgil are at rich, in spring, a short time before the buds were
variance, for while the former observes'cinimicus formed. In the field which they were to occupy
est ager sabulo macer et nuda glarea," the poet permanently, pits (scrobes) four feet every way
declares were prepared, if practicable, a year beforehand,
Difficiles primurn terrae collesque maligni,
Difficiles primum torsos collesqule muligniso that the earth usight be thoroughly pulverised;
Tenuis ubi argilla et dumosis calculus arvis small stones and gravel mixed with mould were
~Palladi~~a 0audent silvca vivacis olivae. placed at the bottom to the depth of a few inches;
and some grains of barley were scattered over
The olive is very impatient of frost, and scarcely all. Tile young tree was lifted with as large
any of the varieties known to the ancients would a ball of earth as possible attached to the roots,
flourish in very hot or very cold situations. In hot placed in the pit surrounded with a little manulre,
localities, it was expedient to form the plantations and planted so as to occupy precisely the same
on the side of a hill facing the north, in cold position, in relation to the cardinal points, as in the
localities upon a southern slope. Neither a very nursery. Ini rich corn land, the space left between
lofty nor a very low position was appropriate, but each row was at least sixty feet, and between each
gentle rolling eminences such as characterised the tree in the row forty feet, in order that the branches
country of the Sabines in Italy, and tlhe district of and roots might have full space to spread, but in
Baetica in Spain. Under ordinary circumstances, poorer soil twenty-five fe: t, each way, were cona western exposure lying well open to the sun was sidered sufficient. The rows were arranged so as
preferred. It is asserted by severalclassical authors to run from east to west, in order that the cool
that the olive will not live, or, at least, not prove breezes might sweep freely down the open spaces
fruitful at a distance from the sea coast greater in summer. After the trees had become firmly
than from thirty to fifty miles, and although ex- fixed, and had been pruned up into a proper shape,
ceptions did and do exist to this rule it will be that is, into a single stem kept without branches to
found to accord with general experience. (Cat. the height of the tallest ox, the labour attending
R.R. 7; Varr. i. 24; Columella, v. 8; Plin. I. NV. upon an olive yard was comparatively trifling,
xvii. 3; Pallad. iii. 18; Theophr. 7r. sp. a. ii. 5; Every year, the soil around the roots was loosened
Geopon. ix. 4.) with hoes (bidens), or with the plough, the roots
PROPAGATION AND CULTURE. Previous to themselves laid bare (ablaqueare, ablaqueatio), the
the formation of an olive yard (oletzumz, olivetumn) it young suckers cut away, and the lichens scraped
was necessary to lay out a nursery (seminaias-ie) fronl the bark; every third. year, in autumn, manure:for the reception of the young plants. A piece of was thrown in; every eighth year the trees were