68 THE FIG: ITS HISTORY, CULTURE, AND CURING. 
Allusion is made in the letter to two unsuccessful attempts to forward ship- 
ments of fig trees to this city, one of which was completely dried out and dead 
on its arrival, and the other was mislaid somewhere while en route and never 
reached its destination at all. 
The case of trees forwarded by Mr. Smithers did not reach this city until the 
8th of June. 1880. A considerable portion of the wood had rotted, and the season 
was so far advanced that the cuttings, when planted, although the greatest care 
was taken with them, made but a feeble growth. However, 200 of them had 
formed roots during the summer and promised in time to make thrifty trees. To 
distribute this small number was altogether out of the question, where each of 
several thousands of our applying subscribers was expecting to receive a tree. 
About this time Consul Smithers arrived in San Francisco, en route to Chin Kiang, 
China, to which consulship he had just been promoted. fe informed us that at 
the time the shipment was made he had caused to be planted 4,000 cuttings, which 
had in the meantime become rooted trees and which we could purchase from the 
party who then owned them at from 8 to 10 cents each, the usual price of trees in 
Asia Minor. It was then determined, rather than disappoint our subscribers who 
were expecting their promised fig trees that season, to import the whole lot. 
Funds were therefore forwarded to an agent in Smyrna to purchase the trees 
referred to and toship them at once. About the Ist of April, instead of the trees, a 
letter, dated February 16, came to hand, from which the following paragraph is 
taken: 
I have had Mr. at my office, who says that the 4,000 cuttings he had planted, 
and to which your order refers (on E. J. Smithers’s suggestion), have by this time 
grown up into strong young trees from 4 to 6 feet high, and he is offered $1 per 
tree at the nursery at Aidin. He says he can not afford now to part with them at 
anything under $1.25 each trom this port (first cost). 
The owner of the trees was an Armenian, a race of notoriously sharp traders, and 
put the price up to an exorbitant figure, because he thought he could get it, and 
probably has the trees on hand yet, the story of the offer from another purchaser 
being most likely a pure invention. 
Correspondence with our agent, a prominent merchant in Smyrna, was kept up 
during the summer, and in September, 1881, orders were sent to make a large 
shipment of cuttings to the Bulletin Company, which we found could be obtained 
at areasonable price. Every precaution had been taken to secure the safe arrival 
of this consignment, even to shipping moss from New York in which to pack the 
cuttings. The cases, on arrival at New York, were repacked by Peter Henderson 
& Co. before starting them across the continent. 
The shipment consisted of 14,000 good cuttings, and arrived in excellent condi- 
tion. A large portion of these cuttings were distributed early in 1882 to Bulletin 
subscribers in all parts of the State. It was estimated that about one-third of this 
first distribution escaped destruction by gophers, drought, and other casualties. 
Many of these were planted in unsuitable soil and unfavorable locations as to 
climate, so that but few favorable reports were received regarding them after they 
were old enough to commence bearing. In most localities the trees made a ram- 
pant growth, but the fruit dropped before ripening. Parties who had visited the 
fig orchards of Asia Minor were sure that we had been imposed upon, and had 
received some wild and worthless variety which grows along the fences and divid- 
ing wails of that country. Much other adverse criticism, principally from busi- 
ness rivals, was published, and further information was sought from our agent in 
Smyrna. He wrote that it was impossible that wild cuttings were sent, as it was 
easier and cheaper to get the best, as that variety was most abundant; and further- 
more, that ‘‘ the cuttings were obtained from one of the most renowned orcha1ds 
in the Aidin Province.” About this time E. J. Smithers, for twenty years United 
