Bernays. The finest kinds of oils have hitherto come from Provence, in France, and Lucca, in Italy; the commoner from the Levant, Mogador, Spain, Portugal and Sicily. The olive tree will thrive and be most prolific in dry, calcareous, schistous, sandy or rocky situations; it will bear sooner and be more prolific than if grown in the rich soil.
Coutance. The oils of Spain are of a very inferior quality, especially when compared to those of France and Italy. They sell at a lower price than the latter.
DuBreuil. If the olive tree does not thrive well in a cold climate, it fares no better in very warm regions. It has reached great size at Cayenne, at San Domingo, but it never bore fruit there.
Bertile. The African coast produces a very inferior article, which can only be used for lamp oil or grease. Some of the Islands of the Grecian Archipelago and the western shore of the Adriatic produce better oil, but destitute of sweetness and suppleness, qualities most desired by consumers, and only found in the oil made in the valleys south of the Alpa.
Dunham J. Crain, American Consul at Milan. The best article is produced in moderately warm regions. Thus, the oils of Italy are more esteemed than those of the Orient, and of the former, the oils of Pisa, Lucca, and San Remo are better than those of Sicily and the Neapolitan provinces.
G. Saint James: Pliny awards the palm to the
