238 WITH THE FLOWERS AND TREES 



figs with their generous summer shade and suc- 

 cessive abounding crops of fruit that begin in early 

 summer and continue until late in the autumn, are 

 among the pleasantest features of California 

 ranches. I have in mind, as I write, one that stood 

 by the dwelling of a rancher in the Santa Clara 

 Valley, whose hospitality I once enjoyed. The 

 tree's ample spread of foliage was as impervious to 

 the sun as a shingle roof, and a cool draught seemed 

 always passing through. All the warm, rainless 

 summer the family utilized its shade as a dining hall 

 and living room. The long table was always there, 

 and chairs and hammocks. Meals eaten in that nat- 

 ural bower brought a realization of the peace and 

 security which the ancient Hebrews associated so 

 peculiarly with dwelling under one's own vine and 

 fig tree; and when the cool nights and rains of au- 

 tumn came, the leaves fell, letting the blessed winter 

 sunshine into the house. 



There are several varieties of fig planted in Cali- 

 fornia but none seems more popular than the black 

 Mission stock of the Spanish Franciscan's intro- 

 duction, though its fruit does not dry so well as the 

 Smyrna sorts of more recent setting out, and such 

 as are caprified. The dweller in the land of the fig- 

 tree, however, does not wait for the drying. He 

 plucks the fresh fruit when dead-ripe not till 



