132 THE FIG: ITS HISTORY, CULTURE, AND CURING. 
season of the year. The more distinct these seasons the better, 
showers during the ripening season being very injurious. 
(2) Warm, dry winds during the ripening of the figs, accompanied 
by sunshine and absence of clouds and fog; the temperature in the 
shade not regularly to exceed 100° F. 
(3) During the winter the thermometer should not fall below 18° F. 
(4) Natural rainfall of not less than 25 inches, confined to the 
winter and spring months of the year, say from November to May. 
(5) Warm nights during the summer also favor the fig, its devel- 
opment, and its quality. 
SOILS. 
GENERAL REMARKS. 
The fig will grow in almost any soil, and with an abundant water 
supply will do fairly well even in somewhat poor soils. Lime soils 
are more favorable to the fruit than others. Whatever the soil is, it 
must, in order to secure the best results, be warm, have the property of 
retaining moisture when properly cultivated, and it should be deep, 
well drained, and not underlaid by hardpan or bed rock. Figs will 
grow in almost all places, but with rocky ledges or hardpan close to the 
surface the trees will suffer in times of drought, and in badly drained 
soils the fruit will be of inferior quality. The most favorable soil is 
one which is deep, loamy, soft, full of humus, and with an abundance 
of lime. © The latter is indispensable in producing a superior drying 
fig. In very dry soils the fig is small and woody, most varieties 
requiring continually moist soils. Bottom lands and mesas or table 
lands adjoining rivers are the most suitable places for fig orchards. 
The alluvial soils in such localities generally have the faculty of 
retaining moisture so necessary to produce pulpy figs. It is an addi- 
tional advantage if these soils are sandy, provided they also are rich 
in soluble plant food. Not all sandy soils are suitable for figs; only 
those are which are really rich in plant food and in lime. Very 
heavy clay or adobe soils should be avoided, especially in localities 
which are naturally cold and damp. Alkali soils are not suited to 
figs, as the alkali tends to counteract the necessary formation of 
sugar in the fruit. It is well known that both carbonate of sodium 
and sulphate of sodium change the crystalline properties of such 
fruit sugars as those contained in beets and cane, and if present in 
too large quantities will prevent the formation of sufficient sugar to 
pay the grower for his work. Figs, as well as raisin grapes and 
beets, will grow in alkali lands and produce, but the fruit should be 
used for table only and not for drying or for a product where sugar 
is the most important part. 
SOILS IN THE EUROPEAN FIG DISTRICTS. 
No chemical analysis of the best fig soils has ever been made. The 
soil in the Meander Valley, near Smyrna, the principal fig district in 
the world, is a rich and loose alluvial loam of great depth, containing 
