Olive trees
10/01/2014 17:56:28
"It is believed that the Greeks introduced olive trees into Spain, taking them to Mallorca even before the time of the Carthaginians. It seems that until the start of this century (19th), no other species was known than the one obtained via a graft with the wild olive tree or acebuche/ullastre.
Mallorcan olive trees are very old, and it’s not uncommon to come across olive groves in which all certainly date back to the 16th to 18th centuries. With age, the trees frequently grow very particular and spectacular knots, their branches intertwining and often hollow, thus leading to the popular belief that it is impossible to kill an olive tree.
Different procedures are used to graft (empeltar) the wild olive trees (ullastres), a common practice on Mallorca and which contributes to the trees developing a not very tall trunk full of knots. These procedures are respectively called empelt de muda (“groove” or “crown” graft) and empelt d'escudet (“small shield” graft).
The primary operation when growing olive trees consists of digging (cavar) a trench around the trunk. The effect is a two-diameter round hole (called garangola in Mallorcan and alberquilla in Spanish). Its aim is to gather rainwater and keep the roots damp. In general, this operation is carried out once every three years so that all the trees can be tended to successively in this period.
The olive harvest generally occurs in October and November, though at times also later depending on if the fruit falls, generally not occurring until fully mature unless the wind or other extraordinary circumstances force them to the ground before time. People do not use the well-known thrashing technique applied to almond trees."
Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria. Las Baleares por la palabra y el grabado. Majorca: General Part. Ed. Sa Nostra, Caja de Baleares. Palma de Mallorca. 1982.
