title: Git merge using recursive strategy and patience option
body: <p>How to merge a branch with git using patience option provided by the recursive strategy? I'm using
  git version 1.7.3.1.msysgit.0</p>
  
  <p>Even docs are not consistent and, what's more, differ from what the actual command outputs. </p>
  
  <p><a href="http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-merge.html" rel="noreferrer">Docs say:</a> </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>git merge [-s <code>&lt;strategy&gt;</code>] [-X <code>&lt;strategy-option&gt;</code>] <code>&lt;commit&gt;</code></p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>and further in text: </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>-X<code>&lt;option&gt;</code> </p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>(no space)</p>
  
  <p>Output from the command says:</p>
  
  <pre><code>-X, --strategy-option &lt;option=value&gt;
  
  option for selected merge strategy
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>So I tried a couple versions with following results:</p>
  
  <pre><code>$ git merge -s recursive -Xpatience sourceBranch
  fatal: Unknown option for merge-recursive: -Xpatience
  
  $ git merge -X patience sourceBranch
  fatal: Unknown option for merge-recursive: -Xpatience
  
  $ git merge -Xpatience sourceBranch
  fatal: Unknown option for merge-recursive: -Xpatience
  
  $ git merge --strategy-option patience sourceBranch
  fatal: Unknown option for merge-recursive: -Xpatience
  
  $ git merge -X option=patience sourceBranch
  fatal: Unknown option for merge-recursive: -Xoption=patience
  
  $ git merge --strategy-option option=patience sourceBranch
  fatal: Unknown option for merge-recursive: -Xoption=patience
  
  $ git merge option=patience sourceBranch
  fatal: 'option=patience' does not point to a commit
  
  $ git merge -X option=patience sourceBranch
  fatal: Unknown option for merge-recursive: -Xoption=patience
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>It looks as if the option's not implemented...</p>