Oliver

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

GEORGE TENER, United States Senator from Pennsylvania ; born in Ireland, 1848, of American parents meeting there; there; admitted to Pennsylvania bar in 1871, and practiced in Pittsburgh for ten years. Became interested in steel above but horny beneath; the small white flowers in axillary, erect recemes; the ellipsoidal fruits bluish-black , berry-like, and pendulous. It is rarely above 25 feet high but is of slow growth, and reaches a great age. Two varieties are known, the Oleaster, not to be confounded manufacturing and purchased "Pittswith any of the modern order Thymalaceæ, and the cultivated variety. The former is spiny, and has worthless fruit; the many sub-varieties of the latter are unarmed and have large , oily fruits. The specific name europea implies that Europe was its native continent, which is doubtful. Its original seat was prob- OLIVE ably Western Asia, and perhaps Europe as well. It was very abundant in Palestine, and even yet there are fine olive plantations near Jerusalem , Nabulus (formerly Schechem), etc. The Mount of Olives was named from it, and Gethsemane means an oil press. The tree has been introduced into and is cultivated in the countries bordering on the Mediterranean, and in some mountainous parts of India and Australia. Enormous quantities of olives are produced in Southern California . The unripe fruits are pickled, and the ripe olives used for the manufacture of olive oil. In chemistry, when ripe, olives weigh about 30 grains each, and contain 25 per cent. of water, and 69 per cent. of fat.