60 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



fig tree covered the middle and southern part of the Mediterranean basin 

 from Syria to the Canaries. ' ' 



It has been cultivated in these regions from the earliest historic 

 times. The extreme ease with which it can be propagated from cut- 

 tings, the resistance to heat and drought, the early yield and ease of 

 culture had, in the early ages, much to do with its wide dissemination. 



CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS. 



The fig endures about the same degree of cold as does the olive. If 

 not long continued, a minimum of 12 to 14 degrees above zero is not 

 injurious to mature trees, but this appears to be about the limit. It 

 delights in a dry warm climate, but thrives to a certain extent in a 

 moist one. The Smyrna fig, by far the best in cultivation, is, climati- 

 cally speaking, more exacting, as its crop of fruit is absolutely de- 

 pendent on the fertilizing wasp, Blastophaga, and its culture is therefore 

 confined to regions where the winters are sufficiently mild to permit the 

 Mamme, or winter insect bearing crop, to live through without injury. 



Frost, however, is not the only controlling factor, for it is well known 

 that the insect bearing figs wintered much better during the unusually 

 frosty season of 1912-13, when in many localities the temperature went 

 down for several nights to 14 or 16 degrees without much injury to the 

 Mamme crop ; while during the past winter, with a minimum ten degrees 

 higher, the loss of Mamme figs was very serious almost throughout 

 California. 



While the fruit of the cultivated fig tree is one of the most whole- 

 some and nutritious when fresh, it becomes a product of commercial 

 importance only when dried. To produce the best dried figs, there- 

 fore, dry, warm summers are indispensable. The ideal climate is 

 therefore one with winter temperature sufficiently mild to permit the 

 tree with its winter crop of figs and its insect inhabitants to pass the 

 cold period without injury, followed by a long, dry, warm summer and 

 rainless autumn. The ripening period of the main fig crop in Cali- 

 fornia is from the last of August to October. As the figs dry on the 

 trees and fall to the ground, rain during this period would be dis- 

 astrous. As these conditions prevail nowhere else in the United States 

 except in California and parts of southern Arizona and perhaps limited 

 areas in New Mexico and southern Texas, the future development of 

 the fig industry will be restricted to these regions. 



SOIL. 



While the soil requirements of the fig are less important than those 

 of climate, the size and quality of the fruit are affected to a considerable 

 extent by the character of the land upon which it is grown. While the 

 tree is not fastidious in the matter of soil, some varieties, like the 

 Mission, seem to thrive on almost all kinds from light sand to heavy 

 adobe. It is now pretty well settled that the best Smyrna figs are 

 grown on quite heavy soil, not adobe, rather than light sandy land. 

 The water requirements of the fig are less than those of most other 

 fruit trees. Still it demands above all a well drained soil and little 

 irrigation. The fig will not succeed for instance, on land where the 

 Bartlett pear thrives. Next to a well drained, compact loam, a rich 

 sandy loam is best and a good dressing of stable manure will always 

 repay the cost of the application in the increased size of the fruit. 



