Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1902 — ODD FACTS ABOUT OLIVES. [ARTICLE]

ODD FACTS ABOUT OLIVES.

1 " i ■ Some of Them Which Grow Seasick oa the Voyage Here. ~—--- A large percentage of the olivas coming to this country, - the dealers say, suffer with the human malady of seasickness on their ocean voyage. As in the human being, the seasickness" of the olive is the result of the vessel’s rolling and pitching, which in some way affects the strength of the brine in they are packed, and in consequence the olive turps dark and sick, and must be cured quickly or it will succumb to the attack. A large importing house in this city has two expert chemists or “doctors” who examine all olives at the steamer dock upon their arrival. The seasick olives are at once taken from the brine, carefully washed and deposited in strong clean brine, which in most cases has the salutary effect desired. Some olives revive and are then none the worse; in fact,*they are often improved in quality. The importation of olives reached 1,300,000 gallons herClast year. The finest grown come to the United States., In France they eat the crescent olive, which is’ home-grown. About 16,000 gallons of these come to this country, but they are considered inferior to the Spanish. In England the edible olive is small, cheap and oily. Most of the fine Spanish Queen olives, which grow within a fifty-mile radius of Seville and nowhere else, come to this country and constitute between 60 and 70 per cent of the entire importation. They are not popular in Spain, as they are deemed too expensive, and the Spanish people prefer to ship them and obtain the money. The constitution of the olive is very delicate, says the New York Commercial Advertiser. From the time the crop is gathered until it is finally packed In the bottle there is not a moment which is not fraught with the intensest anxiety on the part of all who handle the fruit. Some three years ago there was a 70 per cent advance in the price of olives owing to the shortage of the crop. The price, however, has been maintained and importers believe it will remain high. Olives are usually Imported in the bulk, as the duty on bottled olives Is 40 per cent ad valorem, while in barrels there is a specific duty of 15 cents a gallon, which is much cheaper.