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<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 53136 ***</div>
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<div>Transcriber’s Note</div>
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<ul class='ul_1'>
<li>Obvious spelling and punctuation errors corrected.
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<li class='c000'>Inconsistencies in spelling and capitalization left as in the original.
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<p class='c002'><span class='sc'>Bulletin No.</span> 5.</p>
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<div><span class='large'>U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.</span></div>
<div class='c001'>DIVISION OF POMOLOGY.</div>
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<div>
<h1 class='c003'><span class='xlarge'>FIG CULTURE.</span></h1>
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<div><span class='large'>EDIBLE FIGS: THEIR CULTURE AND CURING.</span></div>
<div class='c001'>By GUSTAV EISEN,</div>
<div class='c001'><span class='small'>Curator in Biology, California Academy of Sciences,</span></div>
<div><span class='small'>San Francisco, Cal.</span></div>
<div class='c004'><span class='large'>FIG CULTURE IN THE GULF STATES.</span></div>
<div class='c001'>By FRANK S. EARLE,</div>
<div class='c001'><span class='small'>Horticulturist, Alabama Experiment Station, Auburn, Ala.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class='figcenter id001'>
<img src='images/logo.jpg' alt='US Dept. of Agriculture logo' class='ig001' />
<div class='ic001'>
<p><span class='xsmall'>UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE</span><br /><span class='xsmall'><span class="spaced">1862</span> 1889</span><br /><span class='xsmall'>AGRICULTURE IS<br />THE FOUNDATION OF MANUFACTURE<br />AND COMMERCE</span></p>
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<div>WASHINGTON:</div>
<div>GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.</div>
<div>1897.</div>
</div>
</div>
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<hr class='pb c001' />
</div>
<div class='chapter'>
<h2 class='c005'>LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.</h2>
</div>
<div class='c006'><span class='sc'>U. S. Department of Agriculture</span>,</div>
<div class='c007'><span class='sc'>Division of Pomology</span>,</div>
<div class='c008'><i>Washington, D. C., January 30, 1897.</i></div>
<p class='c009'><span class='sc'>Sir</span>: I have the honor to transmit herewith, and to recommend for
publication as a bulletin of this division, articles on “Edible figs: their
culture and curing,” by Dr. Gustav Eisen, of San Francisco, Cal., and
“Fig culture in the Gulf States,” by Frank S. Earle, of Auburn, Ala.</p>
<p class='c010'>The climatic conditions of the sections of the United States in which
figs can be successfully grown are so widely different that it has been
deemed advisable to publish these papers as one bulletin, in order that
a comprehensive presentation of the subject may be within reach of
those interested in this industry.</p>
<div class='c011'><span class='sc'>S. B. Heiges</span>, <i>Pomologist</i>.</div>
<p class='c010'>Hon. <span class='sc'>J. Sterling Morton</span>,</p>
<p class='c012'><i>Secretary of Agriculture</i>.</p>
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<hr class='pb c001' />
</div>
<div class='chapter'>
<h2 class='c005'>CONTENTS.</h2>
</div>
<table class='table0' summary=''>
<tr>
<th class='c013'> </th>
<th class='c014'>Page.</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class='sc'><a href='#c1'>Edible Figs: Their Culture and Curing.</a></span> (By Gustav Eisen.)</td>
<td class='c014'>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s1'>Nature and structure of the flowers and fruit of the fig</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s2'>Classification of varieties of edible figs</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s3'>Varieties of figs found useful in California</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s4'>Caprification</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s5'>Climate suitable for fig culture</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s6'>Figs for drying</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>10</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s7'>Figs for table use</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s8'>Figs for preserving, canning, and home consumption</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s9'>Soil</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>11</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s10'>Propagation</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>12</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s10a'>Seedlings</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>13</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s10b'>Budding and grafting</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>13</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s11'>Planting</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s12'>Double trees</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>14</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s13'>Standard trees</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s14'>Pruning</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>15</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s15'>Drying and curing</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s16'>Picking</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>16</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s17'>Sulphuring</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>17</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s18'>Dipping fresh figs</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>17</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s19'>Drying on trays</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>18</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s20'>Degree of dryness</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>19</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s21'>Sweating and equalizing</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>19</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s22'>Artificial drying</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>19</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s23'>Packing</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s23a'>Dipping</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s23b'>Assorting</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s23c'>Pulling</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>20</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s23d'>Packing</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>21</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s23e'>Pressing</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>21</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class='sc'><a href='#c2'>Fig Culture in the Gulf States.</a></span> (By Frank S. Earle.)</td>
<td class='c014'>23</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s24'>Propagation</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>23</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s25'>Soil and location</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>24</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s26'>Cultivation and fertilization</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>25</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s27'>Insect enemies and diseases</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>26</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s27a'>Fig-tree borer</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>26</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s27b'>Fig-leaf mite</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>27</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s27c'>Root knot</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>27</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s27d'>Fig-leaf rust</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>27</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s27e'>Fig Cercospora</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>27</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s27f'>Die back</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>28</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s27g'>Root rot</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>28</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s28'>Varieties</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>28</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in4"><a href='#s28a'>List of figs recommended by American Pomological Society</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>29</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s29'>Uses</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>29</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s30'>Marketing fresh figs</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>30</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='c013'><span class="in2"><a href='#s31'>Canning factories</a></span></td>
<td class='c014'>31</td>
</tr>
</table>
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<hr class='pb c001' />
</div>
<div>
<span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>
<h2 class='c005'>FIG CULTURE.</h2>
</div>
<div class='chapter'>
<h2 id='c1' class='c005'>EDIBLE FIGS: THEIR CULTURE AND CURING.<br /><span class='small'>By <span class='sc'>Gustav Eisen</span>.</span></h2>
</div>
<p class='c015'>The edible figs cultivated in the United States both for eating fresh
and for drying all belong to one species, <i>Ficus carica</i>. Of this species
there are now described about 400 varieties which are sufficiently distinct
to be considered by the student and the practical horticulturist.
The intending planter should study the character of the varieties more
closely than has hitherto been customary in this country, though his
safest plan is, of course, to plant in quantity only such varieties as
have proved valuable in his own locality, or where soil and climate are
similar.</p>
<h3 id='s1' class='c016'>NATURE AND STRUCTURE OF THE FLOWERS AND FRUIT OF THE FIG.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Before we consider these different varieties, a few remarks on the
nature and structure of the fruit are necessary. The fig which we eat
is really a receptacle, on the surface of which are situated the numerous
flowers. But as this surface is concave, or curved inwardly, like the
hollow of a closed hand, the flowers can not be seen except when the
fig is cut. Then it becomes apparent that the chamber formed by the
curved receptacle communicates with the outside by means of the “eye”
at its apex. In some varieties the “eye” is almost closed, opening only
when the fig has reached a certain age; in others it is so large that a
pea could easily pass through. The flowers are always more or less
fleshy, are generally imperfect, and do not much resemble the bright
flowers of other fruit trees and plants in our gardens. There are four
distinct kinds of fig flowers, but these are not always found in a single
fig, in fact they are rarely all found together. They are designated as
follows:</p>
<p class='c010'><i>Male flowers.</i>—These possess four pollen-producing stamens. They
are found only in the wild or “caprifig,” the ancestor of our cultivated
figs, and in a very few varieties of edible figs.</p>
<p class='c010'><i>Female flowers.</i>—These possess a single style, stigma, and ovary, and
when fertilized, produce seeds. Owing to the absence of male flowers,
or the failure of the male and female flowers in the same fig to mature
at the same time, they rarely produce fertile seeds unless fertilized by
pollen carried by insects.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span><i>Gall flowers.</i>—These are degenerate female flowers which do not produce
seeds, the abortive ovary serving only for the habitation and
breeding place of a very small wasp, the <i>Blastophaga</i>, which is used in
caprification. The gall flowers are found only in the original wild fig.</p>
<p class='c010'><i>Mule flowers.</i>—These are imperfect female flowers, incapable of producing
seeds or of affording a breeding place for the wasp. These
flowers are found to the exclusion of all others in most of our cultivated
figs.</p>
<p class='c010'>Because of these differences in the flowers the numerous varieties of
edible figs may be divided into tribes or subspecies. These are as
follows:</p>
<h3 id='s2' class='c016'>CLASSIFICATION OF VARIETIES OF EDIBLE FIGS.</h3>
<p class='c009'><i>Caprifigs</i> (<i>goat figs or wild figs</i>).—These figs grow wild in southern
Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, and have been recently
introduced into California. They bear all the kinds of flowers except
the <i>mule</i> flowers, and as they are the only figs bearing <i>male</i> flowers
they are essential in all fig districts where mature and fertile seeds are
of importance, or in other words, where caprification is necessary.</p>
<p class='c010'><i>Smyrna figs.</i>—These are grown only in the Smyrna district of Asia
Minor. They have only female flowers, and neither these latter nor the
receptacle on which they grow will come to any maturity without caprification
or pollination. So-called Smyrna figs, which have been
bought of nurserymen, have generally proved spurious, as, unlike the
true Smyrna figs, they mature their fruit without pollination. Of late
years true Smyrna figs have been planted in California, but they have
failed to ripen fruit except when artificially pollinated. These will not
produce ripe fruit in commercial quantities until caprification can be
practiced, and neither these nor the caprifig should be planted at the
present time, except for experimental purposes.</p>
<p class='c010'><i>Common edible figs.</i>—These are the common varieties of our orchards,
which bear fruit and mature it with regularity without pollination or
caprification. They bear two crops a year, the “early figs” or “brebas,”
and the later or “summer figs.” Of this tribe alone there are some
400 varieties described more or less perfectly, and probably as many
more undescribed and unknown.</p>
<p class='c010'><i>San Pedro figs.</i>—This tribe contains only a few dozen varieties, some
of which are cultivated in California, and also in Florida and other
Southern States. They are characterized by maturing only the first crop
or “brebas.” The second crop always drops before reaching maturity.
The cause of this is that the first crop contains only “mule flowers,”
like those of the common figs, while the second contains only “female
flowers,” like those of the Smyrna figs.</p>
<p class='c010'>The San Pedro tribe of fig varieties is specially valuable on account
of the large size and early maturity of the “brebas” or first crop.
They should, therefore, be planted only in places where it is desirable
to grow large, early figs, for marketing fresh. They do not succeed
everywhere, as they require a warm and early spring climate.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>In tropical countries there are numerous varieties of other species of
figs growing wild. Many of them are edible, but all are less palatable
than our edible fig, and with the exception of the Sycomore fig, <i>Ficus
sycomorus</i>, of Africa, are of no economic importance except as food for
animals.</p>
<p class='c010'>For this purpose, however, they are very useful, and the Sycomore
fig should be introduced into the Southern States, where it would
probably thrive in frost-free localities.</p>
<h3 id='s3' class='c016'>VARIETIES OF FIGS FOUND USEFUL IN CALIFORNIA.</h3>
<p class='c009'>The existing confusion regarding the names of the varieties of the
fig is largely due to incomplete descriptions. The following points are
of importance in every fig description, and should always be noted: Size,
form, neck, stalk, ribs, eye, color of skin, color of pulp, seeds, quality,
growth, and leaf. In order to simplify descriptions, these points should
always be mentioned in the same order. It is also of great importance
to note whether the first crop alone matures fruit, and whether the two
crops differ materially in any of the above-mentioned points.</p>
<p class='c010'>Of the 400 or more described varieties of figs, comparatively few
have been tested in the United States. Most of those tested are French
or hot-house varieties, very few southern or Mediterranean figs having
been introduced, though many of the latter are worthy of testing in
this country.</p>
<p class='c010'>A few of the varieties that have been found most useful in California
are described:</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Adriatic.</span>—Size medium, roundish; neck medium, stalk short; ribs
obscure; eye open, with red iris; skin very thin, greenish in the shade,
yellowish in the sun; pulp bright strawberry red or with violet streaks
in the meat; varies in quality according to location.</p>
<p class='c010'>This has been found very useful in California, but is not of fine flavor
when dried. It requires rich soil, with considerable moisture and a
very large percentage of lime. This variety is <em>not</em> identical with that
known in Italy as Adriatic.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Angelique</span> (syn. <i>Angelica</i>).—Medium, pyriform; ribs prominent,
yellowish white; pulp white with rose-colored center; leaves five-lobed.
A very good variety in some of the coast valleys.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Athenes</span> (syn. <i>Marseillaise</i>).—Small, roundish or turbinate, with indistinct
ribs, depressed at apex, skin rough; color whitish yellow, pulp
red, opaline; very sweet and one of the best drying figs both in France
and California.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Bourjassotte, Black</span> (syn. <i>Barnissotte, Black</i>).—Medium, broader
than long, flattened at apex, with no neck and an uneven cheek; ribs
distinct, even; eye small, sunk, closed; skin waxy, black with violet
blush; bloom clear blue, wanting at apex; meat pink, pulp blood-red.
A most excellent fig for table. It requires rich, moist soil.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Bourjassotte, White</span> (syn. <i>Barnissotte, White</i>).—A fig related to
the former, but larger; eye large, sunk; skin waxy, green; pulp bright
red. A very fine fig. Tree very large.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span><span class='sc'>Brown Turkey.</span>—Large, turbinate, pyriform, with hardly distinct
neck; stalk short; apex flattened; ribs few, slightly elevated; eye
medium, slightly open, scales large; skin smooth, greenish to violet-brown
in sun, with darker ribs; pulp dark, rosy red, quality good, and
tree a good bearer. Brunswick is frequently confounded with this fig.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Brunswick.</span>—Very large, pyriform, with swollen cheeks, one of which
is larger than the other; apex very obtuse; neck and stalk very short;
ribs distinct, but not much elevated; eye medium, open; skin pale amber
with violet tint; pulp amber. An early, large fig, but with no flavor.
Very common; requires rich, moist soil.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Celeste, Blue</span> (syn. <i>Violette</i>).—Small, ovate, turbinate; ribs few,
but distinct, especially near apex; eye raised, rough; color dark, violet
amber, without reddish blush; bloom confined to the neck; skin thin;
pulp deep rose; meat amber; sweet, but lacking in flavor.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Dottato.</span>—Medium ovate, pyriform; neck well set; stalk very short
or none; ribs low; skin smooth; eye medium; skin thin, yellowish green;
meat white; pulp yellowish amber, sometimes with violet flush. One
of the best figs for drying; tree a strong grower, requiring moist, rich
soil. Lately introduced into California.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Drap d’Or.</span>—Large, pyriform, with very low neck and stalk; ribs
elevated; apex obtuse and concave; color light, violet, reddish amber,
not dark; pulp rosy red. A fig of very fine quality, especially useful
for confections and crystallizing; not identical with Brunswick.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Du Roi.</span>—Above medium; round, pyriform; stalk very short; eye
large or variable, with scales standing out; skin smooth, pale bluish
green; pulp amber, with rosy streaks and exceedingly minute seeds.
Related to Marseillaise and Athenes, and one of the very best figs in
California for drying.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Early Violet.</span>—Small to very small, round, turbinate; neck distinct
but short; stalk medium to long; ribs distinct, elevated, skin
rough; violet-brown, with thin, pearl-colored bloom; pulp red. This
variety bears almost continuously and is preferable to the Ischias and
Celeste.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Genoa, White.</span>—Above medium, pyriform; neck small; stalk short;
ribs indistinct; skin downy; eye very small; skin pale olive-green;
pulp pale rose. One of the better figs, quite distinct from Marseillaise.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Gentile.</span>—Very large; ovate pyriform; neck short but distinct;
stalk very short; skin uneven, with ridges; eye very large, open, with
projecting scales; color greenish yellow spotted with white; pulp amber,
streaked with rose; seeds few but very large. Only the first crop of
this variety ripens. It is of the San Pedro tribe. One of the best
early figs.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Grosse Grise Bifère.</span>—Medium, ovate pyriform; neck very short,
stalk short; ribs distinct; eye small; skin downy, dark violet amber,
pale olive in shade; the bloom is separated by a distinct line from the
apex; pulp deep red. A tender, good fig.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span><span class='sc'>Ischia, black.</span>—Small; neck short; stalk medium; skin smooth;
color dark, violet black, greenish around the apex; neck dark; eye
medium, open; bloom thin, dark blue; pulp red. Of fair quality but
small size.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Ischia, White.</span>—Size below medium, round, with small neck; stalk
very short; eye open; skin smooth, bluish green with brown flush;
pulp rosy red. Common in California, but hardly worthy of cultivation
in that State.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Magdalen.</span>—Below medium; round; ribs distinct, rough, disappearing
around the eye; stalk longer than the fig; eye open, large; skin
greenish yellow; pulp amber white. A very delicious fig, superior to
the Ischias and Celeste; not synonymous with Angelique.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Marseillaise, Long.</span>—Large, longer than wide; skin thick with
brownish shade; pulp dull red. Requires moist soils. A fair fig which
dries well; not related to either Black or White Marseillaise.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Marseillaise, White.</span>—Medium ovate, pyriform; neck short; stalk
medium; ribs numerous and distinct; apex flattened; eye large, open;
skin downy, pale yellowish green, mottled with white; pulp amber, with
a few large seeds. One of the best figs for drying. Requires sandy,
rich soil.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Mission, Black.</span>—Medium to large, turbinate; neck long; stalk
short; ribs distinct; eye prominent, open; skin rough, deep mahogany
violet, with a red flush; pulp not fine, red, but not bright or brownish
amber; sweet but not high-flavored; common in the Southern States,
California, and Mexico. The oldest fig in this country.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Monaco Bianco</span> (syn. <i>White Monaco</i>).—Large, rounded, turbinate,
flattened; neck small but very distinct; ribs numerous; eye very open;
skin dark, bluish green with thin bloom; pulp dark-red rose; a most
excellent fig for table; one of the best in California.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Pastilière.</span>—Large, 3 inches by 1½; elongated, pyriform with long
neck; stalk short; eye closed, surrounded by an elevated iris; skin
rough, hairy, with blue bloom; pulp red. Fine for preserves.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Ronde Noire.</span>—Large, round, but irregular; neck distinct, short;
eye small; skin smooth, waxy, dark violet brown; pulp amber. Greatly
to be recommended as a table fig. It is not related to Black Ischia or
Osborn Prolific.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>San Pedro, Black.</span>—Very large, elongated ovate, with no stalk, but
with well set neck; skin smooth, violet black with green neck; pulp
red, coppery, tinted violet. For table use. The largest fig known. It
is not related to the following variety:</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>San Pedro, White</span> (syn. <i>Brebas</i>).—Very large, round, flattened at
apex; stalk and neck short; eye open; skin thick, tender, of a bright
yellow color or greenish in the shade, without bloom; pulp amber. A
remarkable and handsome fig. Only the first crop matures without
caprification. Suited only for table use. Requires moist, rich soil.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='sc'>Verdal, Round.</span>—Below medium, round pyriform, without stalk or
<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>neck; skin smooth, waxy, bluish green; eye closed; pulp dark, blood
red. A small fig, but valuable for canning and preserves; better than
the Ischias or Celeste. It does well in the Santa Clara Valley, but is
inferior in the interior of the State.</p>
<h3 id='s4' class='c016'>CAPRIFICATION.</h3>
<p class='c009'>This process must be practiced wherever the Smyrna figs are grown,
for without it they will not mature either seeds or figs. The flowers of
the Smyrna figs are all pistillate and require pollination, which in the
case of these varieties can be effected on a large scale only through
caprification. The process consists in the suspension of wild caprifigs,
which possess staminate and gall flowers, in the Smyrna fig trees, when
the pistils in the blossoms of the latter are in a receptive condition. A
minute wasp, the <i>Blastophaga</i>, breeds in the caprifig in large numbers,
and on leaving it crawls into the Smyrna fig, covered with the pollen of
the caprifig. This pollen, transferred by contact from the body of the
wasp to the receptive stigmas of the flowers in the Smyrna figs, effects
the fertilization of the ovules of those flowers and causes them to form
seeds and mature the fruit of which they are a part. These seeds impart
a nutty aroma and flavor to the fig when dried, and give it a marked
superiority to our common figs. Caprification is not yet practiced in
the United States, the wasp not existing here, though both it and some
of the Smyrna figs have been brought to this country several times. The
first importation of Smyrna fig trees was made by Gulian P. Rixford,
about 1880, when three varieties of Smyrna figs and a single caprifig
tree were introduced.</p>
<h3 id='s5' class='c016'>CLIMATE SUITABLE FOR FIG CULTURE.</h3>
<p class='c009'>A native of a semitropical climate, the fig requires a similar climate
to attain perfection. Many horticultural varieties, however, have originated
in temperate regions, and these can be grown with profit in a
climate much colder than that of the habitat of the wild fig. Figs, in
fact, may be grown in all regions where peaches and apricots succeed
without protection, and if given winter protection they can be profitably
grown in such regions near large cities which furnish a market for the
fresh fruit at profitable prices.</p>
<p class='c010'>In considering the suitability of the climate of a region for fig culture,
the purpose for which the figs are to be grown must be first determined.</p>
<p class='c010'>Figs may be grown for drying, for canning and preserving, for sale
in the fresh state, or for general home consumption. As the conditions
and treatment necessary to produce fruit suited to these different uses
vary considerably, each subject will be discussed separately.</p>
<h3 id='s6' class='c016'>FIGS FOR DRYING.</h3>
<p class='c009'>The best dried figs are produced in warm countries, such as the
Mediterranean region of Europe, Asia Minor, Upper and Lower California,
but especially in Asia Minor, in the valleys near Smyrna. The
<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>conditions of climate there are as follows: The days are moderately
warm, the temperature seldom exceeding 90° F. These conditions
prevail during the summer, while the figs are growing and ripening.
The winter is seldom frosty. The winter climate, however, is of less
importance, provided it is not cold enough to injure the young figs or
the tips of the branches. Such frosts will not injure the second crop,
which is used for drying, but it is a great drawback to the wild fig and
to the fig insects, which are necessary to the maturing of the fruit of
certain varieties of drying figs. The summer climate is almost rainless,
while in winter there are abundant rains. The air in summer is
not a dry, desert air, however, but carries considerable moisture. The
moisture of the air is an important point, as in a very dry air the figs
do not develop high flavor, but are “flat” in taste. During the drying
season there should be little or no rain.</p>
<h3 id='s7' class='c016'>FIGS FOR TABLE USE.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Figs are grown for the table as far north as Paris, in France, and in
the south of England.</p>
<p class='c010'>They may be similarly grown in most of the Middle States of the
United States. In England figs are grown against walls as dwarf trees
or shrubs, and the trees are covered with mats during the winter. In
the vicinity of Paris the trees are dwarfed and grown as “suckers,”
which are bent to the ground in winter and covered with several feet
of soil. Only certain varieties are suitable for this culture, which, however,
is very profitable. The figs produced are all “first crop” figs, and
are as a rule of superior quality.</p>
<h3 id='s8' class='c016'>FIGS FOR PRESERVING, CANNING, AND HOME CONSUMPTION.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Except in the most favored localities in the Southern States and
California, these are the uses to which American-grown figs must be
devoted. To produce fruit suitable for these purposes, freedom from
fogs, from summer rains, and from spring frosts is essential. If there
is a choice of locality, a warm southern or eastern exposure is to be
preferred. The soil should be well drained, never swampy, and the
locality should not be exposed to heavy winds. Elevated bottom lands
or benches along creeks are the most favorable localities for figs. Large
plains, swampy places, or exposed hillsides are all unfavorable. The
nearer the conditions approach those of the Smyrna region the better.
Rains during the fruiting season are frequently injurious to figs, causing
them to crack and sour. Still, the fruit may be profitably grown where
moderate summer rains occur.</p>
<h3 id='s9' class='c016'>SOIL.</h3>
<p class='c009'>All varieties of figs do not require the same kind of soil. Most of
them, however, must have a warm, moist, but not wet soil. A very few
varieties thrive in a poor, gravelly soil, but most kinds require a deep,
<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>rich loam, containing a considerable percentage of lime, in order to produce
superior figs. A moderate proportion of gravel tends to keep the
soil warm and is desirable, but the soil must be rich.</p>
<h3 id='s10' class='c016'>PROPAGATION.</h3>
<p class='c009'>The fig tree is easily propagated by the methods commonly practiced
with fruit trees. It may be budded or grafted, but is most readily grown
from cuttings. These may be planted where the trees are to stand or
rooted in the nursery rows and transplanted later to the orchard site.
Which method is advisable for any particular site depends upon the
conditions there. If the soil and climatic conditions of the proposed
location are favorable to the uninterrupted growth of cuttings, it is
better and cheaper to plant them directly in the field. If there is any
doubt on these points, or if the proper care and attention can not be
given them, the better plan is to plant trees with good roots and well-formed
heads, grown under favorable conditions by a nurseryman. The
best time for making cuttings is after the leaves have fallen, when the
fig tree is comparatively dormant. Cuttings may be made of either one
year or two year old wood. If the cuttings are to be planted where
they can remain, 2-year-old wood is preferable, as longer cuttings can
be secured, but if they are to be planted in nursery, yearling wood is
best. In either case the wood when freshly cut should disclose a moist
surface, covered with small, whitish, milky drops. If dry when cut, it
should be discarded. The length of the cutting must be regulated by
the condition of the soil. If this is moist and likely to remain so the
cuttings may be 12 to 18 inches long. If the surface soil is dry, the cutting
should be sufficiently long to have its lower end in moist soil. On
very dry soils this may require a cutting 3 or 4 feet in length, though
such long cuttings are rarely needed, and in no case except when they
are to be planted directly in the orchard. In making the cuttings care
should be observed that the lower cut be made just below a joint or
node and the upper one just above a joint. The best cutting is one
which terminates in a bud and has a smooth, clean cut just below a
joint at its base. No matter what the length of the cutting, it should
always be planted so deeply that but one joint protrudes above the
surface of the soil. This will prevent the drying out of the cutting by
the action of sun and wind. It is better to have the top bud covered
with earth than to leave a high stump projecting above the surface.</p>
<p class='c010'>Fig trees may be grown from single eyes or short tips, in boxes filled
with moist sand, set in frames and covered with cloth to keep the soil
moist and cool. These will make fine trees in time, but they generally
require to be a year older than those grown from large cuttings before
they are suitable for planting in orchard. Great care should be exercised
in removing fig cuttings or plants from one place to another.
They dry out readily and a few moments’ exposure to the sun or hot,
dry wind will seriously damage them. They should never be allowed
<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>to become dry, and should be wrapped in wet sacks or cloths as soon
as taken from the trees or from the propagating bed. Cuttings partially
dry may be revived by soaking in water, but fig roots once dry are dead
and incapable of restoration to life.</p>
<h4 id='s10a' class='c016'>SEEDLINGS.</h4>
<p class='c009'>Seedling figs are easily grown from seeds of imported Smyrna figs.
These Smyrna figs always possess germinable seeds, as they have been
pollinated. It is quite safe to say that any seedling fig so far recorded
in this country has originated from seeds of Smyrna figs imported from
Asia Minor. The seeds of our common figs are mere shells without
germs, and will of course fail to grow. The percentage of trees producing
fruit of high quality among seedlings grown from Smyrna figs
is very small, however, and a commercial orchard planted with such
seedlings would be a failure. The grower may now and then produce
a variety which will repay his efforts, and such variety can be propagated
for general planting.</p>
<h4 id='s10b' class='c016'>BUDDING AND GRAFTING.</h4>
<p class='c009'>The fig may be propagated by shield budding, provided the work is
done at the proper time. That time is winter, when the tree is as near
dormant as it can be found. Budding is rarely resorted to, however,
as it is an uncertain method when done by persons without skill.
Grafting the fig is successfully practiced in California by a method
invented by Mr. John Rock. It is the only method of fig grafting that
has proved reliable, practical, and of real value there. By means of it,
new varieties are brought into heavy bearing within three years after
grafting on old trees. In addition to this saving of time, the usual
advantages resulting from grafting, such as better and stronger stock,
more vigorous growth, etc., may also be attained.</p>
<p class='c010'>The best time for grafting the fig is autumn or winter, when the sap
is most sluggish. Late spring grafting is less successful. The best
scions are made of 2-year-old wood. The sloping end of the scion must
be wedge-shape, tapering from front to back as well as from the top of
the cut to the bottom. But one surface of the wedge should show the
pith, and this surface should face toward the center of the stock when
the scion is set. Incipient fruit buds should be cut away without
injuring the scion. The scion should be so placed that the broad side
of the wedge will be outside and the narrow edge toward the center of
the stock.</p>
<p class='c010'>For the stock, any limb from 2 to 4 inches in diameter may be used.
This should be cut off squarely at the point to be grafted. A downward
cut should then be made with a chisel, in such a way that it shall be
tangential to the circular stub. It must not pass through the pith of
the stub. The cut should run somewhat obliquely downward and outward,
in order that the stock may not be split. The scion, which is
<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>about 3 or 4 inches long, must, when inserted, form an angle with the
long diameter [pith] of the stock branch on which it is grafted.</p>
<p class='c010'>It is best to place two scions on each branch grafted. These should
be on opposite sides of the stub and they should lean slightly toward
each other. The exposed surfaces of the stock and scion should then
be heavily waxed and the scions should be held in place by binding
with cord or other material. It is best to place a large number of
scions on one tree. Four or five branches may be cut off and grafted,
but one or two should be left uncut for a year to draw the sap. A
large stake should be driven into the ground near each branch grafted,
and when the scions have started the new growth should be secured
to the stakes to prevent them from breaking off. The trunk and main
limbs of the fig tree should be covered with bundles of straw to prevent
sunburn. The after-treatment of the new growth is similar to
that required in the grafting of other fruit trees. The new growth is
strong and rapid and the connection with the stock perfect. Ninety
per cent of the grafts may be readily made to grow.</p>
<h3 id='s11' class='c016'>PLANTING.</h3>
<p class='c009'>The proper distance to be given fig trees in the orchard depends
upon the size and habit of the variety to be planted. The smaller
kinds require 25 feet; the larger ones should be 50 feet apart in every
direction. Sometimes other fruit trees are planted between the figs
and allowed to remain until the latter become so large that they require
the entire space. The fig tree requires an abundance of air and sunshine
to mature its fruit, and it is therefore absolutely necessary that
the trees be so arranged that they shall not shade one another. After
the distance is decided, the laying out and planting require the same
general skill, labor, and methods used in planting other permanent
orchards. A few points in planting are peculiar to the fig, however,
and require special consideration.</p>
<h3 id='s12' class='c016'>DOUBLE TREES.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Trees may be set singly, as standards, in the way commonly practiced
with other fruit trees, or they may be set “double”—that is, two trees
planted together in one hole and allowed to remain. The latter method
has not heretofore been advocated in this country but is worthy of
thorough trial. The method consists in planting two long cuttings,
about 12 inches apart, in the same hole, allowing them to protrude from
the ground a few inches. Both are allowed to grow and the two are
treated as a single tree with two stems or standards. The object sought
is to produce two distinct stems or trunks, in order that the splitting
down of branches may be prevented. In this way trees with low, sloping
branches, having their main trunks leaning outward, will be formed
and it will be impossible for the trunks, the main branches, or the
<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>smaller ones to split down. Branches split only when they point
upward or stand straight out—never when they slope downward from
the trunk.</p>
<h3 id='s13' class='c016'>STANDARD TREES.</h3>
<p class='c009'>These may be planted in the usual way, but great care must be taken
in shading the roots while the trees are being planted. After they are
set, the trunks should be shaded by wrapping them with paper bags
or other material, as a sun-burnt tree will never regain its health or
bear profitably. Standard trees should only be set for ornament or shade,
and even for these purposes the double trees are preferable. The fig
tree naturally branches near the ground, and the only way to successfully
imitate this habit in cultivation is to plant by the double-tree
method.</p>
<h3 id='s14' class='c016'>PRUNING.</h3>
<p class='c009'>The pruning of the fig varies according to the age of the trees and
the purpose for which pruning is done. While other fruit trees require
yearly, and generally heavy, pruning to insure fruit of good quality,
the object in pruning the fig is simply, or at least principally, to keep
the tree healthy and give air and light to the fruit. The most important
rule to be observed in pruning the fig is that no branch shall be
cut off squarely or be cut back so as to leave a stump. This is almost
surely fatal to the future welfare of the tree and to the quality and
quantity of its fruit. When it becomes necessary to remove a 1-year-old
limb the cut should be made at least as far down as the next fork
below, and it should be close to a joint in the fork. There should be
nothing left but a scar to show that a limb has been cut away. There
must be no stump left. The fig tree may require to have its branches
thinned out, but it must not be headed back except to correct unsymmetrical
growth. In dense trees branches which cross should be
removed entirely and in such a way as to give the tree a rounded,
dome-like outline, with the lower branches nearly touching the ground.
In pruning recently planted trees the object in view is, of course,
entirely different, as fruit can not be expected for several years to come.
The object of this early pruning is to shape the tree. When two
cuttings are set together little pruning is required, as they will generally
shape themselves and form two main trunks diverging from each
other, but when a single tree is planted it is best to cut back the stem
to within a foot of the soil and let it branch from that point. The only
case in which it is proper to have a tall standard is when it is desirable
to grow trees for shade and pleasure and where the quality of the fruit
and its quantity are of but secondary importance. If recently planted
fig trees show any tendency toward drying out, the main limbs or the
whole trunk should at once be cut back to live green wood.</p>
<div>
<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>
<h3 id='s15' class='c016'>DRYING AND CURING.</h3>
</div>
<p class='c009'>The drying and curing of figs must necessarily differ in different
countries, under different conditions, and for different purposes. For
home consumption little skill and care are required to produce a palatable
and useful article of diet, while figs intended for shipment must
be more carefully dried, cured, and packed in order to command a fair
price in competition with the imported article.</p>
<p class='c010'>The fig is mature and ready to dry only when it has attained its
proper size and is palatable for eating fresh. When the crop has
reached this stage it may be gathered and dried for home consumption,
but in order to produce a superior article the figs must be as sweet as
possible and very pulpy. Too often do we find figs in the market consisting
of nothing but skin and empty seeds, without sweetness, flavor,
or pulp. Figs do not ripen all at one time, and the trees must be gone
over daily, in order that only the ripest shall be gathered. Before
being picked the fig should be soft to the touch; it should be wrinkled,
and should hang downward. Some kinds when ripe show white seams
or cracks in the flesh. This is generally a sign of complete maturity.
Figs will not ripen after picking and never become sweeter than when
cut from the tree. Similarly, figs which have once attained their full
maturity do not improve and should be dried at once. If allowed to
hang longer on the tree they may quickly rot, sour, or mold, and soon
become unfit for use. In order to compete with the best imported figs,
our figs intended for drying should be very sweet; in fact, the sweeter
the better. When freshly cut they should contain 35 per cent of sugar
and when dried about 55 per cent. For home consumption they do not
need to be so sweet as this, for any palatable figs are useful when carefully
dried.</p>
<h3 id='s16' class='c016'>PICKING.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Figs to be dried should never be shaken from the trees, for if bruised
and injured they will sour during the drying and become unfit for use.
A few figs spoiled in this way will check or prevent the sale of a box
of fruit that is in other respects good. Pulling the figs from the trees
will also injure them in a similar way. The ripe figs should therefore
be cut from the tree with a knife or shears and carefully placed in boxes
or trays. Of course, many half-dried figs that drop from the trees may
be utilized, but they should first be examined to determine whether
they are in good condition, and they must be freed from soil and sand.
Our figs do not, as a rule, drop at perfect maturity, but either before
or after it. Only the Smyrna figs drop when fully ripe.</p>
<p class='c010'>For the higher growing varieties a convenient instrument called the
“fig cutter” may be used. It consists of a forked stick across which
has been nailed a strip of tin plate. Below this is a small bag kept
open by a wire. With this “cutter” the higher figs may be reached by
running the fork up under the fig, severing it from the branch and
causing it to drop into the bag below.</p>
<div>
<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>
<h3 id='s17' class='c016'>SULPHURING.</h3>
</div>
<p class='c009'>Of late years sulphuring figs before drying has become a very common
practice among growers. It consists in exposing fresh fruit to the fumes
of burning sulphur in air-tight tray holders of varying sizes. The sulphur
fumes cause the figs to become semitransparent when dried, and
to present an attractive appearance to the buyer. But nothing is more
deceptive, for this very handsome appearance hides a more than worthless
interior, not only detestable to the taste but also injurious to the
health of the consumer. Few persons will buy such fruit a second time.
Besides giving a semitransparent appearance to the fruit, the sulphuring
prevents fermentation of the figs while drying. This, of course, is of
value, and in fact is the only advantage in the process. A short and
light sulphuring may therefore be admissible with varieties which otherwise
would not dry and cure without souring.</p>
<p class='c010'>For convenience, the box in which the figs are to be sulphured should
not be more than 5 feet high nor more than 7 or 8 feet wide. This will
admit two trays abreast. The trays slide on a rack or on a cleat nailed
to the sides of the box, and need not be farther apart than just sufficient
to clear each other when charged with a single layer of figs. The
door must be air-tight, in order that the sulphur fumes may not escape.
Two feet of space should be left between the bottom tray and the sulphur
pan. The latter, a heavy piece of sheet iron, is heated, but not
to redness, and placed on noncombustible supports in the bottom of the
box. Two handfuls of sulphur are thrown upon this iron and when it
is burning the doors are tightly closed. Exposure to the sulphur fumes
for fifteen minutes is sufficient to prevent fermentation during the drying
process and leave the figs with a minimum of sour taste. If sulphured
longer they become too acid. After removal from the box the figs
should be immediately exposed to the sun. Black figs should never be
sulphured.</p>
<h3 id='s18' class='c016'>DIPPING FRESH FIGS.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Instead of being sulphured to improve their color and soften their
skins, figs may be dipped into a hot solution of salt or saltpeter, or
even lye. Unless, however, they are immersed for a long time this dipping
will rarely prevent fermentation, though it will prove advantageous
in other ways. Figs with a rough and tough skin are especially
benefited, the principal effect of the dipping being to soften the skin.
But this dipping should be practiced only on figs of inferior quality,
the best grades not being improved either by dipping or sulphuring.</p>
<p class='c010'>In dipping, the figs should first be placed in a perforated bucket and
rinsed in cold water, to free them from dust. They should then be
transferred to a kettle containing boiling lye, made of 1 pound of potash
to 10 gallons of water. An immersion of from one-fourth minute to one
minute suffices; the time being regulated according to the size of the
figs and the pliability and thickness of the skin. Boiling salt water
<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>may be substituted for the lye water for the dipping of some figs, different
varieties requiring different solutions to secure the desired result.
After dipping, the figs are dried without rinsing. If salt or saltpeter is
used instead of lye, 1½ pounds of either to 50 gallons of water is a proper
quantity. Lye is generally used, but the writer prefers salt or saltpeter,
either of which gives good results as regards pliability of skin, while
the salty taste generally improves the flavor.</p>
<h3 id='s19' class='c016'>DRYING ON TRAYS.</h3>
<p class='c009'>For convenience in handling, wooden or paper trays are commonly
used for drying figs in the Western States. By their use the fruit can
easily be stacked and sheltered in wet weather. The trays are of various
sizes, but a small size, such as 2½ feet by 3½ feet, or 3½ feet by 4 feet, is
preferable, as when filled with fruit it can easily be handled by one
man, while a larger size requires two men. The drying ground should be
a clean space outside the orchard, where the trays may be exposed to
the uninterrupted rays of the sun. The figs require all the sunshine
obtainable, and the drying ground must therefore be free from the shade
of trees or buildings. The drying floor may consist simply of beds of
soil elevated a foot above the general level. A drying floor 4 feet wide
may be raised 8 inches additionally along one side. The slope toward
the sun thus given will insure greater heat. Trays may be placed on
strips of wood or scantlings supported by low sawhorses. The sawhorses
should be long enough to support two rows of trays abreast.
Three scantlings or strips will be required for each pair of sawhorses.
They should be of even lengths, as long as obtainable, and the middle
one should be larger than the outside ones; 2 by 4 inches for the middle
one and 2 by 3 inches for the side scantlings will be found convenient
sizes. The figs should be placed singly on the tray, with their eyes
all toward one side, and this side of the tray should be slightly raised
in order to prevent the contents of very juicy figs from running out
during the process of drying. The raising of the trays is the most
easily accomplished by placing the 2 by 4 inch supporting strip in the
middle of the sawhorses and the 2 by 3 inch strips on either side.
Immediately after sulphuring, if that is practiced, or after dipping, the
fruit should be spread and the trays distributed on the racks where
they will have the full benefit of the hottest sun. This distribution of
the trays should be finished before noon each day to secure the best
color of the dried product.</p>
<p class='c010'>The figs must be turned twice a day at first and once a day in the
later stages of drying. The turning requires much work and expense,
as it can be done well only by hand labor. An inferior product may be
turned by placing an empty tray face downward upon a filled one and
inverting them, leaving the fruit on the new tray. To produce the best
grade of dried fruit, the figs should not touch one another on the trays
during the process of drying. During the turning, all inferior figs,
<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>such as those that ferment and puff up, should be culled out and used
for vinegar. Figs which show a slight froth at the eye are turning
sour and should be removed.</p>
<p class='c010'>Covering the figs must not be neglected, if a choice article of dried
fruit is to be produced. If white figs are left out over night uncovered,
they will be discolored. Rain and dew are very damaging and the fruit
should be protected from them. This is best accomplished, in California,
by stacking the trays one on top of another when rain is expected.
The top and sides of the stacks should then be protected with empty
trays. If permanent drying beds of gravel and cement are made, a
mechanical device for covering the trays with a horizontal canvas curtain
can be used, and in this way they can easily be covered every night.</p>
<h3 id='s20' class='c016'>DEGREE OF DRYNESS.</h3>
<p class='c009'>It is very important that drying cease when the figs have reached the
proper stage for packing. They must on no account be overdried nor
should they be removed from the trays too soon. The proper degree of
dryness can be detected by pressing the figs between the thumb and
finger. They should be soft and pliable, with the contents distinctly
pulpy, and when squeezed the fig should not resume its former shape,
but remain pressed. It should be plastic, not elastic nor dry. Underdried
figs will spoil in packing, while overdried ones are hard, leathery,
and worthless as food or delicacy. The trays must be gone over every day
and the properly dried figs taken off, the spoiled ones being removed at
the same time. The time required for drying varies from four to sixteen
days. Drying within six or seven days yields the best quality of
product.</p>
<h3 id='s21' class='c016'>SWEATING AND EQUALIZING.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Dried figs are greatly benefited by being sweated or equalized as
regards moisture. This is accomplished by placing them in sweat
boxes holding 75 pounds or more. The boxes are stacked up one across
another in such a way as to insure a free circulation of air. This is to
prevent the sour fermentation, which would spoil the figs. The room
where the sweat boxes are stored should be closed and the walls should
preferably be of brick. Daily examination of the contents of the boxes
should be made, so that any inclination of the fruit to ferment and heat
may be detected. In a few days an improvement in the texture of the
figs will be noticed, the overdried ones having attracted moisture from
those that were underdried and all having become more pliable.</p>
<h3 id='s22' class='c016'>ARTIFICIAL DRYING.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Where figs can not be dried in the open air, evaporators or driers,
heated artificially, may be used to advantage, just as in the drying and
curing of raisins. Large driers are expensive and are beyond the reach
of many growers, but small driers, holding a ton of fruit, may be built
<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>cheaply. It may be safely stated, however, that localities where artificial
drying is necessary are not suited to the most profitable production
of commercial figs, as any extra handling will greatly increase the
cost of the product. Where a very superior article is produced the
occasional use of the drier may be profitable, in order to save a crop
that would otherwise be injured by inclement weather.</p>
<h3 id='s23' class='c016'>PACKING.</h3>
<p class='c009'>The method of packing dried figs and the kind of package used should
vary according to the quality of the finished product. They should be
packed in order to prevent drying out, as well as to make them present
an attractive appearance. It pays to pack the best grades well, for
good packing always enhances the value of fruit.</p>
<h4 id='s23a' class='c016'>DIPPING.</h4>
<p class='c009'>The first step in packing is the dipping of the dried fruit, and this
must be done whether the figs are packed cheaply or expensively. The
dipping, which must be done just before packing, causes the figs to
become soft and pliable, equalizes moisture, and improves the skin and
its color. Perforated buckets holding 5 gallons of dried figs are suitable
vessels for holding the figs during the dipping. A kettle arranged for
heating water and large enough to permit the immersion of the bucket
of figs should be provided. In this kettle sea water or brine made of
one-fourth pound of coarse salt to a gallon of water should be heated to
the boiling point. The bucket of figs should then be immersed in this
boiling brine for a few seconds and emptied on to wire screens to drain.
While draining, the figs should be covered with a cloth or otherwise
kept dark. The fruit should be packed on the same day that it is
dipped. The best grade of white figs, or very soft figs of any grade,
should only be dipped in <em>cold</em> salt water, just before packing. The salt
water is never washed off, and the salt that remains does not in the
least injure the figs, but, on the contrary, improves their quality.</p>
<h4 id='s23b' class='c016'>ASSORTING.</h4>
<p class='c009'>The inferior figs which were removed from the trays during the drying
process should be assorted into at least two sizes for packing. A
yet lower grade which can not be profitably packed may be sold in
sacks. The largest Smyrna figs weigh, when dried, about 23 grams
[355 grains, or about four-fifths of an ounce avoirdupois], while the
average French and Italian figs weigh each about 8 grams [123.45
grains, or a little more than one-fourth of an ounce avoirdupois].</p>
<h4 id='s23c' class='c016'>PULLING.</h4>
<p class='c009'>The best grades of figs should be pulled or flattened before packing.
This pulling consists first in squeezing the fig with the hand to soften
it, and then flattening it so as to shape it into a disk in which the eye
<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>and stalk are nearly in the center of the flat sides, as may be observed
in packages of figs imported from Smyrna. The object of this pulling
is to have the figs present as fine a surface as possible when they are
pressed and packed, this method enabling the packer to hide the
eye and stalk ends effectually. For inferior brands it will suffice to
simply flatten the figs in such a way that the eye and stalk are at
opposite extremities of the fruit when pressed. In pulling and handling
the figs, the hands of the worker should always be moistened with
salt water to prevent them from becoming sticky with sirup and thus
soiling the figs.</p>
<h4 id='s23d' class='c016'>PACKING.</h4>
<p class='c009'>The packing should be regulated according to the size and quality
of the figs. The size of the boxes will therefore vary, but they may
be made to contain 5, 10, or 20 pounds each. In Smyrna the figs are
packed in the shape of bars, and this method should be followed for all
the better grades. In order to pack quickly in bar fashion, the writer
several years ago invented a “bar-packing device” or “guide.” This
guide consists of a frame of two or three parallel strips of tin or zinc
connected at opposite ends by two similar strips. The guide, which is
really a metal box without top or bottom, fits exactly into the packing
box flush against two of the sides, but is slightly higher than the depth
of the box in order that it may be pulled out after filling. The guide
is placed in an empty fig box, thus dividing it into three or more compartments.
The figs are then placed in rows in each compartment
with the eyes downward, each fig slightly overlapping the other, in the
way shingles are laid on a roof, just sufficiently to hide the stalks.
The compartments in the guide should be slightly narrower, or at most
no wider than the figs, so that when pressure is applied the figs will
flatten and fill them. The object of the guide is to keep the fig bars
separate. After the box is full a slight pressure is applied, which
squeezes the figs against the sides of the guide, and when the latter
is withdrawn leaves the bars intact without large air holes between
the figs or bars.</p>
<h4 id='s23e' class='c016'>PRESSING.</h4>
<p class='c009'>The raisin presses used in California are suitable for pressing figs.
There is no better machine for this purpose made anywhere. A follower
of wood covered with zinc is first placed in each compartment on the
figs and a slight pressure applied in the press. The pressure must be
strong enough to bring the figs to the level of the box. The guide is
then lifted out, while the fingers of the packer press firmly on the follower
to hold the figs in place. Instead of having a guide in which the
bars are connected at the ends, the box may be grooved on the inside
and a single strip of zinc or tin dropped down, thus dividing the box
into two or more compartments as may be necessary. The strips are
more easily removed than the more complicated guide. Before the box
<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>is nailed up, small leaves of the sweet bay (<i>Laurus nobilis</i>) should be
inserted between the figs on the surface, and over the whole should be
spread a sheet of waxed paper. Instead of the sweet bay leaves, other
native laurel leaves may be used, provided they are aromatic, have the
distinctive laurel flavor, and are not otherwise objectionable.</p>
<p class='c010'>It can not be too strongly urged that American-grown figs be packed
and sold under their proper labels and not designated “Smyrna” figs.
Careful selection of varieties, skill in growing and curing, and careful,
honest packing will in time procure a large market for our figs.</p>
<p class='c010'>In all the Mediterranean countries the fresh as well as the dried fig
is a common article of diet, both nourishing and wholesome, and it is
only a question of time when its value will be generally recognized in
this country.</p>
<div class='pbb'>
<hr class='pb c001' />
</div>
<div class='chapter'>
<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>
<h2 id='c2' class='c005'>FIG CULTURE IN THE GULF STATES. <br /> <span class='small'>By <span class='sc'>Frank S. Earle</span>.</span></h2>
</div>
<p class='c015'>The fig is a domestic fruit of prime importance in all the Gulf and
South Atlantic States; throughout this region it is a common dooryard
tree. Its broad, rich foliage is one of the first things to catch the eye
of the Northern visitor and assure him that he is really in the South.</p>
<p class='c010'>Toward its northern limit the tree is sometimes injured by unusually
severe winters, but unless killed to the ground it never fails to produce
heavy annual crops. Even severe winter-killing is usually but a temporary
loss, as the roots send up vigorous sprouts that bear the following
year.</p>
<p class='c010'>Although the fig is so widely distributed and so universally esteemed
for household uses, it is only recently that any attempt has been made in
the territory under consideration to utilize it as a commercial product.
In the search throughout the South for possible money crops, other than
cotton, it is beginning to attract attention, and in this connection a brief
statement of our present knowledge as to the growth and possible uses
of the fig may be of service.</p>
<h3 id='s24' class='c016'>PROPAGATION.</h3>
<p class='c009'>The fig roots easily from cuttings and is usually propagated in this
way. Short pieces or even large branches of well-matured wood, cut
from the tree at any time during the winter and simply thrust into the
soil, will usually take root and make a strong growth the following
summer. The well-matured wood is best for making cuttings. One of
the most desirable methods is to cut a section bearing a short but
thrifty lateral branch from a good-sized limb. The section taken
should be 6 or 8 inches long and be entirely buried in the ground, leaving
the end of the side branch projecting to form the tree. This is not
at all essential, as a straight cutting will usually root and grow readily,
but it is desirable, as the buried cross section holds the cutting firmly
in the ground and its bulk prevents it from drying out easily. In the
coast region cuttings are often planted in August with good results.
In this case the leaves should be removed. It is advisable to plant the
cutting where the tree is to stand, as fig roots are easily injured by
transplanting. Little is gained in growth by planting rooted trees, but
when such are used both roots and tops should be heavily pruned when
planted, to secure a satisfactory growth.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>Sometimes it is advisable to plant the cuttings in the nursery and to
keep them there for three years before removing them to their permanent
location, as winter protection can be more easily given them.
After the trunk of the fig is three years old it is much less easily
injured by cold. This practice would seem to be of doubtful value,
since young figs are more often injured by late frosts after growth has
started in the spring than by the greater cold of midwinter when they
are dormant. Figs can be grafted without difficulty, but it is seldom
done in the south.</p>
<h3 id='s25' class='c016'>SOIL AND LOCATION.</h3>
<p class='c009'>The fig will grow in almost any location, but it attains its highest
development on a rich, moist, but well-drained soil, that contains
abundant humus.</p>
<p class='c010'>A plentiful supply of lime, phosphoric acid, and potash is also needed,
and if not contained in the soil must be supplied by fertilization. The
best conditions for fig growth are found in the bottoms and hammocks
rather than in the sandy uplands, though many fine specimens can be
found in either location. In planting for home use it is advisable to
plant the trees near the house and about the farm buildings, for they
always thrive in such locations, while many failures have been made
in attempting to establish them under orchard conditions, especially in
the light soils of the “piney woods” region. It is not easy to account
for these failures, since the old dooryard trees are so universally
healthy and thrifty, though growing without care or attention. Several
causes can be cited that may contribute to the result, but all seem
insufficient to account fully for the facts observed. There must be
some undetected factor that contributes to the almost universal superiority
of dooryard over orchard-grown fig trees in the Gulf States.</p>
<p class='c010'>One of the most obvious difficulties in establishing a fig orchard
arises from the fact that the young trees are tender and easily injured
by the cold. Figs start very early in the season, and the frequently
occurring spring frosts often catch them in quite vigorous growth.
This does no great harm to old trees; though the young leaves are killed,
they soon push out again, and as the principal crop of fruit is borne on
the new wood the crop is not much injured. With young trees, however,
it is different, as the tissues of the trunk are softer. Fine, thrifty
trees of one or two years’ growth are killed to the ground by a slight
freeze after their spring growth has started. They may start again
from the root, but their vitality is injured and they do not seem to
fully recover. Such trees at 3 or 4 years old are often no larger than
after the first summer’s growth. Young trees also suffer much more
severely than old ones from extreme cold in winter, even when entirely
dormant. It would appear that the shelter afforded by buildings and
yard fences may sufficiently protect young trees from damage, when in
an open space they would be severely injured. Then, if from a dozen
cuttings stuck down in such out-of-the-way places only two or three
<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>grow, they are seen and remembered, while the failures are forgotten,
whereas an orchard row showing a stand of only one-fourth is very
unsatisfactory. The dooryard tree usually gets the benefit of ashes
and house-slops, and perhaps the wash from the barnyard. These
sources of fertility are all beneficial, for the fig is a gross feeder. Its
roots are never broken by the plow, which is another great advantage,
for the fig has a shallow rooting habit and does not thrive when its
feeding roots are disturbed.</p>
<p class='c010'>In the light soils of the South it is extremely difficult to keep plows
and cultivators from running so deep as to do serious injury to fig trees,
and the proper cultivation or treatment of a fig orchard is therefore a
serious question. Many growers advise against plowing after the first
year, but the tree will not thrive if choked with grass and weeds. To
keep a large orchard clean with a hoe is no small undertaking. Some
advocate heavy mulching to keep down weeds, and that is doubtless
often advisable, but the hard, clean-swept southern dooryard seems to
suit the root habit of the fig better than any system of cultivation
yet devised. Another point to be considered is that the fig suffers
severely from root knot when planted in the fields where vegetables or
cowpeas have been grown, as the nematodes causing this trouble
multiply in the roots of all such crops.</p>
<p class='c010'>In planting a fig orchard care should be taken to select new land
that is known to be free from these pests.</p>
<p class='c010'>The fig has a spreading habit of growth and when old requires considerable
room. As the cuttings cost but little, it is well to plant rather
closely, with the expectation of thinning out the trees when necessary.
With 200 trees to the acre the earlier crops would be double those
obtained from a planting of half that number, though doubtless 100
full-grown trees would sufficiently occupy the land. Twelve by 16 is a
suitable distance for the trees when young. Removing alternate rows
when needed would leave the permanent planting 16 by 24 feet. It is
best to plant two or three cuttings at each place, to be sure of a stand.
All but the most vigorous can be cut out if more than one starts to
grow.</p>
<h3 id='s26' class='c016'>CULTIVATION AND FERTILIZATION.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Unquestionably figs should be thoroughly cultivated during the first
season. This is necessary to give them a good start, and as the young
trees make their largest growth after midsummer it is important to continue
the cultivation late in the season. Unless the soil is quite rich
some fertilizer should be used, as the future of the tree depends largely
on its vigor during the first season. An excessive use of stable manure
or other nitrogenous fertilizer should be avoided, as the tendency of
these is to induce a soft, succulent growth too easily injured by the
winter. The “piny-woods” soils are deficient in phosphoric acid, and
this should be a prominent ingredient of all fertilizers used in regions
where these predominate.</p>
<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>It is not advisable to attempt to cultivate any vegetable crop among
fig trees, on account of the danger of increasing root knot, and because
such crops are likely to interfere with cultivation at the time when it
may be most needed.</p>
<p class='c010'>The best subsequent treatment for a fig orchard is, to a certain extent,
an open question. It is probable that in most locations the best results
will be obtained by mulching heavily near the tree with any available
material that will hold moisture and keep down the weeds. Pine straw,
marsh grass, or planer shavings answer the purpose. The dust from
old charcoal pits is sometimes used, and on the coast a mulch of oyster
shells is often seen. The slowly decomposing shells probably act to
some extent as a fertilizer, since the fig is known to thrive best in strong
lime soils. The middle of the rows can be kept clean by a shallow plowing
and harrowing without disturbing the mulch and without injury to
the roots protected by it. Winter protection of some kind should certainly
be provided during the first two or three years, at least to the
extent of mounding the dirt or mulch high about the base of the tree
in the fall. Protecting the tops with old gunny sacks or pine branches
will often prove of great advantage.</p>
<p class='c010'>Pruning is seldom practiced, except so far as may be necessary to
properly shape the young tree, and this is better done in summer by
pinching. In case of a freeze, all injured wood should be promptly cut
away. It is said that the size of the fruit can be greatly increased by
judicious pruning, but, as before stated, it is seldom done.</p>
<p class='c010'>Figs come into bearing very early. A thrifty growing cutting will
often set some fruit the first season, but this seldom matures. When
the tree does not winterkill, a little fruit may be expected the second
season, and by the third the crop should be of some importance.</p>
<h3 id='s27' class='c016'>INSECT ENEMIES AND DISEASES.</h3>
<p class='c009'>The fig is usually spoken of as being comparatively free from insect
enemies, and the literature of its diseases, of which there are a number,
is scanty. It is probably true that in most localities it is less
frequently injured from these causes than are other fruit trees.</p>
<p class='c010'>Among the diseases reported from the South the one causing most
widespread injury is doubtless root knot.</p>
<h4 id='s27a' class='c016'>FIG-TREE BORER.</h4>
<p class='c009'>A longicorn beetle, <i>Ptychodes vittatus</i>, has caused considerable injury
at some points in Louisiana and Mississippi by burrowing into the
trunk and larger branches. In reply to inquiries regarding this insect,
Director W. C. Stubbs, of the Louisiana Experiment Station, says:</p>
<p class='c017'>The damage done in Louisiana is to a large extent conjectural. In our groves we
have lost several trees temporarily, all being bored into by this borer. They, however,
start up again quickly from the roots and soon replace the injured trees. We
have had no remedy against this invasion except to dig it out while very young with
a penknife. We have tried various insecticides without any apparent results.</p>
<div>
<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>
<h4 id='s27b' class='c016'>FIG-LEAF MITE.</h4>
</div>
<p class='c009'>A browning and subsequent premature falling of the leaves, caused
by the work of a minute mite, is reported as rather common in Florida
by Mr. H. J. Webber, of the Subtropical Laboratory. It has not been
studied.</p>
<p class='c010'>Mr. Ellison A. Smith, jr., botanist and entomologist of South Carolina
Experiment Station, has published a list<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c018'><sup>[1]</sup></a> of insects observed feeding
on ripe figs, but he does not mention any that injure the tree.</p>
<h4 id='s27c' class='c016'>ROOT KNOT.</h4>
<p class='c009'>This disease is caused by a microscopic nematode or true worm,
<i>Heterodera radicola</i>,<a id='r2' /><a href='#f2' class='c018'><sup>[2]</sup></a> that infests the soft fibrous roots causing small
galls or swellings. When present in sufficient numbers it causes the
death of the roots and the consequent starvation and death of the tree.
It is by no means confined to the fig, but attacks the roots of many
other fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs and is especially injurious
to many garden vegetables and farm crops.<a id='r3' /><a href='#f3' class='c018'><sup>[3]</sup></a> This pest thrives best in
moist sandy soils, and is troublesome throughout the entire coast region.</p>
<p class='c010'>No effective remedy is known when a tree is once infested, hence the
necessity for planting on land known to be free from the pest, and the
importance of not growing vegetables between the trees that will act
as a nurse crop for the disease.</p>
<p class='c010'>Neal recommends thorough drainage of the land and the application
of tobacco dust mixed with unleached ashes or lime as the most promising
remedial measures. He advises against the excessive use of
ammoniacal manures as producing a soft, succulent root growth favorable
to the growth of the nematode. (See Bulletin No. 20, previously
cited.)</p>
<h4 id='s27d' class='c016'>FIG-LEAF RUST.</h4>
<p class='c009'>Brown spots frequently appear on the foliage during the summer,
and, if numerous, cause the leaves to fall prematurely. These spots
are caused by a true rust fungus, <i>Uredo fici</i> Cast. It occurs quite
frequently widely, and abundantly, but as it usually does not develop
enough to be noticeable until after the crop is ripe, it seems to do but
little harm. No attempt has been made to find a remedy.</p>
<h4 id='s27e' class='c016'>FIG CERCOSPORA.</h4>
<p class='c009'>A somewhat similar injury to the leaves is known in Europe, caused
by an entirely different fungus, <i>Cercospora bolleana</i> (Thum) Sacc. It
had not been observed in this country until the summer of 1895, when
<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>it was found abundantly in Mississippi by S. M. Tracy. A <i>cercospora</i>,
probably the same species, is also reported from Florida by H. J.
Webber. It probably occurs quite commonly, but has been overlooked,
its injuries being confounded with those caused by the <i>Uredo</i>.</p>
<h4 id='s27f' class='c016'>DIE BACK.</h4>
<p class='c009'>A dying of the young shoots in the fall and early winter is sometimes
noticed. This occurs before they can have been injured by severe cold
and its cause is not known. It usually occurs in feeble trees, those
injured by previous winter killing or perhaps those suffering from root
knot. A similar trouble is noted by A. F. Barron, of Chiswick, England,
(The Garden, June 20, 1891, p. 577). He finds it occurring in trees grown
in pots, and says it is there seldom noticed in trees growing out of doors.</p>
<h4 id='s27g' class='c016'>ROOT ROT.</h4>
<p class='c009'>The fungus <i>Ozonium auricomum</i> Lk., which causes a root rot of cotton
and of many other plants and trees, has been reported upon the fig,<a id='r4' /><a href='#f4' class='c018'><sup>[4]</sup></a>
but the extent of damage caused by it is not known. Several other
species of fungi are known to occur on the fig, but none of them can be
classed as disease-producing organisms.</p>
<h3 id='s28' class='c016'>VARIETIES.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Much confusion exists in the naming of fig varieties. They were
first introduced by the early French and Spanish settlers, and there
have been more or less frequent importations since. Trees from these
various sources have been known under many local names, and it is
probable that there are now many more names recorded than we have
varieties in cultivation. On the other hand, distinct varieties are often
met with that can not be named from published descriptions. In
Louisiana and Mississippi it is safe to say that nine-tenths of all the
figs grown are of the Celeste variety. This is sometimes written Celestial,
but among growers it is uniformly known as Celeste. The tree is
hardy and very fruitful. The fruit is small, but it is one of the best in
quality. When ripe it is a light yellowish brown, tinged with violet.
The flesh is light red, delicate in texture, and very sweet and rich. A
number of other varieties occur, but they are known under local names,
such as “black fig” or “Spanish fig.” More attention has been paid to
nomenclature and to the planting of different varieties in other parts
of the South, but the Celeste is the favorite in nearly all localities.</p>
<p class='c010'>Some interesting papers on figs were read at the meeting of the
American Pomological Society, held in Florida in 1889, and in the
published proceedings of the meeting the following 18 varieties are
catalogued among the fruits recommended by the society.</p>
<div>
<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>
<h4 id='s28a' class='c016'><i>List of figs recommended by American Pomological Society.</i></h4>
</div>
<p class='c009'>Alicante; Angelique—synonym, <i>Jaune Hative</i>; Brunswick; Blue
Genoa; Black Ischia; Brown Smyrna; Celeste; Green Ischia—synonyms,
<i>White Ischia</i>, <i>Green Italian</i>; Lemon; Violet, Long; Violet,
Round; Nerii; Pregussata; White Adriatic; White Marseillaise; White
Genoa; Superfine de la Sausaye; Turkey—synonym, <i>Brown Turkey</i>.</p>
<p class='c010'>On comparing this list with 11 others furnished by nurserymen and
writers on the fig, and taken at random from Texas, Louisiana, Georgia,
and Florida sources, we find 14 of these names occurring more or less
frequently. Four are not mentioned at all, while 13 additional names
appear, making a total of 31 varieties in the 12 lists. Celeste and
Brown Turkey lead, being mentioned 11 times each; Adriatic, Lemon,
and Brunswick come next, each occurring 8 times. White Marseillaise
is mentioned 7 times; White Genoa and Green Ischia, 6 times; Black
Ischia, 5 times; and San Pedro, which is not in the American Pomological
Society’s list, occurs 4 times. We may perhaps conclude that
these 10 varieties are the most generally grown in the South, but some
of them are to be considered as nurserymen’s recent introductions from
California, rather than as varieties in general use. They are characterized
in the Pomological Society’s list as follows:</p>
<table class='table1' summary=''>
<tr>
<th class='btt bbt brt c019'>Variety.</th>
<th class='btt bbt brt c019'>Season.</th>
<th class='btt bbt brt c019'>Color.</th>
<th class='btt bbt brt c019'>Quality.</th>
<th class='btt bbt c019'>Size.</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='brt c020'>Brunswick</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Early</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Violet</td>
<td class='brt c020'>First</td>
<td class='c020'>Very large.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='brt c020'>Black Ischia</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Medium</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Black</td>
<td class='brt c020'><span class="in2">do</span></td>
<td class='c020'>Medium.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='brt c020'>Celestial [Celeste]</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Early</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Pale violet</td>
<td class='brt c020'><span class="in2">do</span></td>
<td class='c020'>Small.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='brt c020'>Green Ischia</td>
<td class='brt c020'><span class="in2">do</span></td>
<td class='brt c020'>Green</td>
<td class='brt c020'><span class="in2">do</span></td>
<td class='c020'>Medium.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='brt c020'>Lemon</td>
<td class='brt c020'><span class="in2">do</span></td>
<td class='brt c020'>Yellow</td>
<td class='brt c020'><span class="in2">do</span></td>
<td class='c020'><span class="in2">Do.</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='brt c020'>White Adriatic</td>
<td class='brt c021'></td>
<td class='brt c021'></td>
<td class='brt c021'></td>
<td class='c020'> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='brt c020'>White Marseillaise</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Medium</td>
<td class='brt c020'>White</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Second</td>
<td class='c020'>Medium.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='brt c020'>White Genoa</td>
<td class='brt c020'><span class="in2">do</span></td>
<td class='brt c020'><span class="in2">do</span></td>
<td class='brt c020'><span class="in2">do</span></td>
<td class='c020'>Large.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='brt c020'>Turkey</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Early to late</td>
<td class='brt c020'>Brown</td>
<td class='brt c020'>First</td>
<td class='c020'><span class="in2">Do.</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class='bbt brt c020'>San Pedro</td>
<td class='bbt brt c020'>Not mentioned</td>
<td class='bbt brt c021'></td>
<td class='bbt brt c021'></td>
<td class='bbt c020'> </td>
</tr>
</table>
<p class='c009'>Other lists agree in describing both White Adriatic and San Pedro
as very large white figs of the best quality and very desirable where
they succeed, but as being tender and nonfruitful in many locations.
Celeste, Brown Turkey, and Brunswick are more uniformly commended
for hardiness, fruitfulness, and general utility than any others.<a id='r5' /><a href='#f5' class='c018'><sup>[5]</sup></a></p>
<h3 id='s29' class='c016'>USES.</h3>
<p class='c009'>At present figs are mostly used for household purposes, comparatively
few being prepared for market. They are eaten fresh from the tree or
are served on the table with sugar and cream. They can also be stewed
and made into puddings and pies, and when canned or preserved they
make an acceptable table delicacy throughout the year. On first tasting
fresh figs many people are disappointed and think they will not
care for them, but on further acquaintance nearly everyone learns to
<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>like them. If picked at all green the fig exudes a milky, acrid juice
that has a rank, disagreeable flavor. When fully ripe this disappears,
and in learning to eat figs one should choose only the ripest specimens.
The beginner will find eating them at the table with plenty of sugar
and cream a pleasant introduction. It is needless to commend this
method to those who are acquainted with it.</p>
<p class='c010'>For canning, figs should be picked when still firm enough to hold
their shape. To secure the best results they require the use of more
sugar than do some other fruits. If undersweetened they seem tasteless
and lacking in quality. The amount of sugar used and the method of
procedure vary greatly in different households. A pound of sugar to
3 or 4 pounds of fruit would probably suit most tastes, though some
prefer the regular “pound for pound” preserve. Ginger root or orange
peel is sometimes added to give variety of flavoring, and figs are often
made into sweet pickles by adding spices and vinegar. Figs are sometimes
peeled before canning, and this is considered to increase their
delicacy of flavor. More frequently, however, they are cooked unpeeled
and with the stems on, just as they come from the tree. They hold
their shape better and look more attractive when treated in this way,
and the difference in flavor, if any, is very slight.</p>
<p class='c010'>Figs are occasionally dried for household use, but as they ripen at
the South during the season of frequent summer showers, this is so
troublesome that it is not often attempted. A nice product could doubtless
be made by use of fruit evaporators, but these are seldom used far
South.</p>
<p class='c010'>In speaking of home uses for the fig, its value as food for pigs and
chickens should not be forgotten. Both are very fond of them, and on
many places the waste figs form an important item of their midsummer
diet. In fact, no cheaper food can be grown for them.</p>
<h3 id='s30' class='c016'>MARKETING FRESH FIGS.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Ripe figs are very perishable. To be marketed successfully they must
be handled with great care. It is best to pick them in the morning,
while still cool. They should be taken from the tree with the stem
attached—great care being exercised not to bruise them in handling—and
placed in small, shallow baskets, in which they are to be marketed.
In large packages their weight will bruise them badly. The ordinary
quart strawberry basket crate is a suitable package for marketing figs.
They will carry better, however, in flat trays, holding but a single layer.
This form of package is especially desirable for the larger varieties.
Figs should hang on the tree until quite ripe and develop their full
sweetness and flavor, but in this condition they are soft and perishable
and must be consumed at once. For marketing at a distance it is necessary
to pick them while still quite firm. This is unfortunate, for
though they will soften and become quite edible, they will lack the fine
quality of tree-ripened fruit. This fact will always be an obstacle to
the successful introduction of the fresh fig into distant markets. When
<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>picked in right condition the fruit will keep from twenty-four to thirty-six
hours at the ordinary temperature and may be shipped short distances
by express. Figs ripen in midsummer when the weather is hottest,
and this is one reason why they are so difficult to handle. Like
other fruits they will keep longer at lower temperatures. They do well
under refrigeration, and by using refrigerator cars it is quite possible
to put them on the more distant Northern markets in good condition.
This has been done experimentally in connection with other fruit shipments,
but it is not often attempted. Fresh figs are not known or
appreciated in Northern markets, and consequently the demand is too
limited to encourage shipments. It seems doubtful if the distant shipment
of fresh figs will ever become a profitable business. The fruit is
more perishable than any other that is generally marketed. It can be
handled only by the most careful and experienced persons, and even
then it is not in a condition to show its best quality. Ripening in midsummer,
when the Northern markets are crowded with many well-known
fruits, and not being specially attractive to the eye, fresh figs would at
best gain favor slowly. The fact that many people do not care for them
at the first would be another obstacle in the way of their popularity.
Moreover, the fig is a tedious crop to handle, when in proper condition
for market. It is necessary to pick the trees over carefully every day
during the season, or much fruit will be overripe. With large trees,
this involves much labor; the acrid juice of the immature figs eats into
the fingers of the pickers and packers, while rainy weather occasions
heavy loss by the cracking of the fruit, which renders it unfit for
market.</p>
<p class='c010'>Notwithstanding these drawbacks, a limited demand would undoubtedly
be created if the fig were placed regularly on the market, for many
people are very fond of this fruit. It is quite possible that in sections
especially adapted to fig culture, and favored with rapid refrigerator
transportation, the shipment may become a business of importance.
When a regular home market can be found, even at moderate prices,
no crop is more profitable, as the trees bear regularly and abundantly.
The only hope for such a home market, except in the immediate neighborhood
of large cities, is in increased use by canners.</p>
<h3 id='s31' class='c016'>CANNING FACTORIES.</h3>
<p class='c009'>Everyone likes canned figs. The taste does not have to be educated,
as is often the case with the fresh fruit. The factories at Biloxi, Miss.,
and at New Orleans, La., appreciate this fact, and for several years have
been putting increasing quantities of the canned product on the market.
Up to the panic of 1893 the demand for these goods was very active,
and the canners paid as high as 4 cents per pound for the fresh figs
and could not get enough to fill their orders. Since then the demand
for all luxuries has fallen off and factories have curtailed their packing,
but have not materially reduced the price of the product, which
has always been very high. There seems to be no reason, aside from
<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>the larger quantity of sugar required, why figs should not be grown
and canned as cheaply as peaches. If this were done the demand
would soon be very large. It is in this direction, if at all, that there
seems to be an opening for the building up of the fig industry in the
South.</p>
<p class='c010'>The processes used by the factories in canning figs differ somewhat
from household methods. They also differ among themselves. Each
factory has worked out a plan of its own, the details of which are
regarded to some extent as trade secrets. In one factory, whose product
has been much admired, the process consists in boiling the fruit
at first in a very light sirup, allowing it to cool, and then transferring
it with successive heatings and coolings to sirups of gradually increasing
density. The whole process requires nearly two days. In the
finished product the fig, while holding its shape perfectly, has become
partially transparent, and as the final sirup is clear and free from
sediment the fruit is very attractive.</p>
<hr class='c022' />
<div class='footnote' id='f1'>
<p class='c010'><a href='#r1'>1</a>. South Carolina Experiment Station, Annual Report, 1889, pp. 105, 106. The list is
as follows: Allorhina nitida (L.), Ptychodes trilineatus, Lybithea bachmanni (Kirth),
Apatura celtidis (Bd. Sec.), Grapta interrogationis (F.), Pyrameis atalanta (L.).</p>
</div>
<div class='footnote' id='f2'>
<p class='c010'><a href='#r2'>2</a>. G. F. Atkinson, “A preliminary report upon the life history and metamorphoses
of a root-gall nematode (<i>Heterodera radicola</i> (Greeff) Müll.) and the injuries caused
by it upon roots of various plants.”—Alabama Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. No. 9.</p>
</div>
<div class='footnote' id='f3'>
<p class='c010'><a href='#r3'>3</a>. J. C. Neal, in an account of the root-knot disease (Dept. Agr., Div. Ent., Bul.
No. 20) gives a list of over 60 species of plants known to be infested by it.</p>
</div>
<div class='footnote' id='f4'>
<p class='c010'><a href='#r4'>4</a>. Farlow and Seymour, A Provisional Host-Index of the Fungi of the United States,
Part 3, p. 183.</p>
</div>
<div class='footnote' id='f5'>
<p class='c010'><a href='#r5'>5</a>. The canning factories greatly prefer the Celeste, paying one-fourth more for them
than for larger, coarser kinds.</p>
</div>
<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 53136 ***</div>
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