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heated that the fruits laid therein are almost carbonized. Whatever be 

 the mode adopted, there is usually too little attention paid to the clean- 

 liness of the hurdles or the tables over which the fruits are spread to 

 dry, they being left for a long time exposed to all sorts of injuries on 

 the part of insects, and covered with so much dust as to render them 

 black and repulsive to look upon." 



Concerning the cultivation of the fig tree in Smyrna, Consul Stevens, 

 of Smyrna, reports: 



" The cultivation of fig trees in the neighborhood of Smyrna, and in 

 the interior, is carried on to a considerable extent. With the exception 

 of the district of Aidin, the figs are excellent while fresh, but lose their 

 flavor when dried. The figs so well known in the United States, Ger- 

 many, and Russia, are grown in the district of Aidin. When fresh, these 

 figs are not palatable; when dried, they are delicious, and unrivaled by 

 the product of any other locality. 



" The planting of fig trees in the valley of the Meander, where are 

 situated the fig orchards of Aidin, is performed in the following man- 

 ner: Fresh branches (cuttings), about two feet in length, are cut from 

 the tree, and planted in a field which has been previously tilled seven or 

 eight times during the warmest months of the year. The fig cuttings 

 must be put in the earth to the depth of about one and one half feet, 

 and at a distance of about twenty paces one from the other. As each 

 branch is planted, a stick of the same thickness must be put by its side 

 to keep it straight. Three or four times yearly the field is tilled with 

 a plow, and then it is sown with corn or barley. 



"The fig tree gives fruit the seventh or eighth year of its growth, 

 but does not attain its maximum of yield before its twelfth or fifteenth 

 year. It thrives at a distance of fifty miles from the sea. 



u The fruit, perfectly ripe and partly dried, falls from the tree by itself, 

 and is collected by the grower and spread in the sun for several days, on 

 an even and clean surface, until it becomes fit for the market. The figs 

 of superior quality are those collected when perfectly ripe, and while 

 the north wind blows. Each tree yields on an average from forty to 

 one hundred pounds of fruit. Trees one century old usually yield from 

 two to three hundred weight. What would seem extraordinary, is the 

 fact that fig trees from Aidin planted in other localities never give good 

 results; the trees grow well and become very strong, but yield fruit 

 inferior in quality to the commonest local variety. 



" The dried figs, packed in hempen bags of a capacity of two and one 

 fourth hundred weight, are conveyed to Smyrna by rail and carried to 

 the fig market, where packers and export merchants get their supplies. 

 The fruit intended to be put up for export trade is carried to the packing 

 establishment, where it is sorted into different qualities. It is then 

 handed to workmen, who press it between their thumb and forefinger to 

 soften and flatten it, and pack it in rows into small, shallow, wooden 

 boxes or small drums. Packers in manipulating figs keep their hands 

 wet with sea water, as it is claimed that brine hastens the sugaring of 

 the fruit. Occasionally laurel leaves are placed between the rows of 

 figs in order to improve their flavor and keep them free from moths. 

 Figs of inferior quality are packed in wicker baskets or small hempen 



" In the transportation of fruits of all kinds from the plantations to 

 Smyrna, or to the stations on the lines of railway leading to Smyrna, 



