CHAPTER VII.
THE OLIVE OIL.
The quantity of oil in the olive berry, says Du Breuil, keeps increasing until the very last moment it is picked from the tree.
According to this theory, instead of gathering the olive in November or December, when it is already ripe, a larger quantity of oil can be extracted from it by waiting until February or March.
It should however be understood that the early gathering of the berry gives a better quality of oil, so that it is only where quantity is more desired than quality that the picking of the crop is delayed; but if the finest quality of oil is aimed at, then the gathering should take place either in November or December, so soon as the berries are ripe. After having picked those that have fallen naturally to the ground, the others are detached from the tree either by hand or by knocking the branches with long poles. They are then carried to the barn, where they can be crushed and pressed at once if desired, though most generally they are spread in thin couches and turned over with a wooden shovel, once a day for a week or so, in order to keep them from moulding; after which
