262 FLORIDA FRUITS FIGS. 



sixty bushels of that fruit daily ; but the supply was soon 

 exhausted, and in the quaint old city the people complained 

 because there were no fresh figs left for them to purchase 

 for home use ; thousands of bushels more could have been 

 sold in this one place alone, with great profit to the grow- 

 ers. It was the same with limes and guavas ; the factories 

 were compelled to close for want of material to operate on, 

 and yet there are thousands of acres of land suitable for 

 the culture of these valuable fruits still unoccupied. 



The fig-tree grows very readily from cuttings, and this 

 is the most satisfactory way to start a fig orchard : plant 

 the cuttings deep just where they are to stay, for the fig 

 is much like the pine-apple with regard to its roots; the 

 latter object so strongly to transplanting, unless very care- 

 fully done and kept moist, that they are very likely to die, 

 or at least lie dormant for months or even years, while 

 new roots are forming alongside of them and outstripping 

 them in the race. 



We heard not long since of a gentleman who set out 

 several fine young fig trees procured from a nursery ; the 

 trees did not die, they lived, but that was all they did do 

 for more than three years, and so disgusted was their owner 

 that he was on the point of digging them up and throwing 

 them away, when, happening to relate his experience to a 

 neighbor, the latter bade him let them be as they were. 



"I have often remarked," said he, ''that almost invari- 

 ably a fig tree transplanted will lie comparatively dormant 

 for four years and then start out, grow rapidly, and bear 

 prolifically for years upon years. Wait a few mouths 

 longer ; your four years are nearly up, and then you will 

 see." 



So the fig owner waited and he did see. The condemned 

 trees suddenly awoke to life, and put on a vigorous growth. 

 In one season they gained as much bearing surface as could 



