i 



355 



f 



From hlftorv, both flicred and profane, the Fig-tree appears to 

 have been knou;ii m the moil early times. It has been Ioiip- culti 

 vated in England, and if icreened from the north-eaft winds com 



^ ripens its fruit here. The Fig, which has always been 



nd a wholelome food, was by the ancients ' ripened or 



me 



X 



brought to perfedion by Caprification ; a pradice which in fo.... 

 countries is ftill continued." It had been obferved, that the fruit of 

 this tree frequently withered and dropped off before it arrived at a 

 ftate of maturity, and upon examination it was difcovered that thofe 

 ^3 fucceeded heft which had been perforated by certain winged 

 inleds, which therefore were fuppofed'to be inftrum'ental in ripening 

 the fruit. This gave rife to caprification, which formerly confifted 

 in tying near the young figs the fruit of the wild fig tree, in v/hich 

 the flies above mentioned breed in abundance, and thefe infeds, upon 

 acquiring fufficient ftrength, iffue from the wild fruit, and by'pene- 

 trating the young figs produce the effed intended. That this infed, 

 which by the ancients was called Pfenes, or Culex, and by Linnasus* 

 Cynips Pfenes, produced this defirable efFea, is generally admitted • 

 but how it is to be explained has been the fubjed: of fome difpute. 



To prevent ripe Figs from running into putrefadion, it is ufual to 

 dry them ; which may be done either by the heat of the fun, 

 means of an oven : the latter way is preferred, efpecially when the 

 fruit has been caprified, as the larva of the cynips is deftroyed by 

 the heat. The beft Figs are imported from the fouthern parts of 



Europe in fmall chefiis, and are comprelTed into a circular form, of a 

 yellowifh colour, and filled with a vifcid fweet pulp, in which are 

 lodged numerous fmall yellow lenticular feeds. The furface of the Figs 

 is commonly covered with a faccharine matter, which exudes from the 

 the fruit, and hence they have been named Carica pingiies^ or fat Figs. 

 ^ The recent fruit, completely ripe, is foft, fucculent, and eafily 

 digefled, unlefs eaten in immoderate quantities ; when it is apt to 



afion flatulency, pain of the bowels, and diarrhoea.*' The dried 

 fruit is pleafanter to the tafte, arid is more wholefome and nutritive. 



^ . .^ ^ ■ * See Theophra/ius, Sutdas, Piiny, and others. 

 Lapriacatlon, as pradtifecl at ibme of the Archipelago Iflands, when vifited by 

 i^ournefort, appears to be a very curious but troublefome bufinefs. See Tournefort^ 



P'o^jagi du Levant^ vol. i. p. 130, « Murray^ Jpp, Med, vol iv, p. 585 



2 



X 



Figs 





