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FICUS 



FIG 



mdrus, Linn. (Sycomorus antiquorum, Gasp.), is a tree with peti- 

 oled, ovate, entire S-10-ribbed Ivs. which are deciduous for some 

 months each year: fla. greenish or yellowish in pedunculate ra- 

 cemes: fr. small but abundant, extensively used for food: it is a 

 branching tree 30—40 ft. high, the Ivs. smaller than those of the fig, 

 more or less angular or even lobed. Egypt and Syria; the s>*camore 

 of the Bible; Pharaoh's fig. Intro, in U. S., but not in the trade. — 

 F. vdsfa, Hort.=F. popuUfolia, an Abyssinian species not in cult. 

 — F. Wcndlandii has Ivs. "10-12 in. long by 8-10 in. wide, of a 

 dark green color, and light green ribs and veins." Its habitat and fr. 

 are unknown. — F. Wrightii, Benth., a creeping or climbing fig not 

 cult, in Amer. outside of fanciers' collections: Ivs. 3-4 in. long, 

 wedge-shaped, S-nerved. Probably=F. foveolata. Wall. China. 



N. Taylor, t 

 FIG (Plate XLII) is Ficus Carica, a native of Asia. 

 It is a warm-temperate fruit, although it wiU stand 10° 

 to 20° of frost under favorable conditions. It was 

 early introduced into North America, but until recent 

 years it has been little grown commercially. It has 

 been known to fruit in the open in Michigan without 

 other protection than a high board fence inclosure, but 

 usually, if grown north of Philadelphia, the plants are 

 lifted in early November, with good balls of earth, 

 kept in a dryish cellar over winter, and planted out the 

 next spring. From Philadelphia to the Carolinas it 

 may be bent to the ground and covered with earth or 

 pine boughs. The fruit is borne on the young wood, 

 and often on young trees. This fruit is really a hollow 

 pear-shaped receptacle with many minute seeds 

 (botanically fruits) on the inside ; it grows like a branch 

 from the side of the shoot. Inferior, run-wild forms are 

 frequent in the southern states, where they are some- 

 times called "old man and woman" by the negroes. 

 Figs may be grown under glass, being planted per- 

 manently in a border after the manner of hothouse 

 grapes. They usually bear better if the branches are 

 trained more or less horizontally. Two or more crops 

 may be expected in one year under glass. Eastern nur- 

 serymen sell fig trees. As early as 1833 Kenrick ("New 

 American Orchardist") described 23 varieties. Popular 

 varieties for amateur cultivation in the East are Turkey, 

 White Genoa, Black Ischia and Celeste. In order to 

 facilitate the ripening of the fruit in cool chmates or 

 under glass, it is a custom to dress the surface of the 

 nearly full-grown figs with sweet oil. As a dessert fruit 

 figs are usually eaten in the fresh state, in which con- 

 dition they are scarcely known to people in cool ch- 

 mates. They are also cooked, and preserved. The 

 commerical fig is the dried fruit. 



The fig is propagated very easily from hardwood cut- 

 tings, as grapes are. Take cuttings in the fall, remov- 

 ing just below a bud. If wood is scarce, single-eye cut- 

 tings may be used, being started preferably in a frame. 

 From cuttings, bearing plants may be expected in two 

 to four years. New varieties are obtained from seeds. 

 Various fruit books give directions for the growing of 

 figs. Pubhcations in Cahfornia and of the United 

 States Department of Agricultm-e discuss them. But 

 the only independent American writing seems to be 

 James T. Worthington's "Manual of Fig-Culture in the 

 Northern and Middle States," ChiUicothe, Ohio, 1869. 

 Although regularly copyrighted, it is a pamphlet of only 

 ten pages. It recommends the laying down of the trees 

 in late fall and covering them with earth. This practice 

 gave better results than covering with other material, 

 or carrying the trees over winter in cellars, either in tubs 

 or transplanted from the open (p. 1552). l H. B. 



Figs in the southeastern and Gulf states. 



In the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf states the fig 

 has been cultivated since the days of the earhest set- 

 tlements. The exact time of introduction and indeed 

 the exact origin of many of the more important varie- 

 ties are unknown. For many years the trees, or more 

 properly bushes, found a place as dooryard or garden 

 plants, and to this day some of the finest specimens are 

 to be found near the shelter of buildings in country, 

 town or village. The fruit was used by the owners of 



the bushes and the surplus found its way into the 

 local market. 



Within the last ten to twenty years, attention has 

 been given to the fig as a commercial fruit and it has 

 found a place as an orchard fruit in many localities. 

 Its culture may be said to extend from Norfolk, Vir- 

 ginia, southward along the Atlantic coast, and around 

 the Gulf of Mexico into Texas. In proximity to the 

 water it is grown without protection, but inland, par- 

 ticularly in the northern limits of its range, the bushes 

 are protected during the winter months, by bending 

 them dov\Ti and covering with boards, straw, heavy 

 paper, in fact anything that will cover them. With 

 some care in protecting the plants by laying them dowTi 

 and covering in winter, the fig is grown beyond the 

 region in which it has a place as an orchard fruit. Most 

 of the orchard plantings have been made in close 

 proximity to the ocean or gulf. 



The propagation of the fig in this region is almost 

 entirely by cuttings made from well-ripened wood and 

 planted during winter or in early spring. The hardened 

 wood from old bearing trees gives the most satisfac- 

 tory results. The cuttings should be 4 to 5 inches long, 

 and cut through the nodes. In planting, the cuttings 

 are set with the upper ends level with the surface of 

 the earth. 



Soils best adapted to the growing of the fig are clay 

 soils, or heavy soils, which are or may be kept uniformly 

 moist. No greater mistake can be made than to 

 attempt the culture of the fig in hght sandy soils, more 

 or less deficient in moisture in the lower South. Under 

 these conditions, the nematode (root-knot) works 

 serious damage to the roots of the trees and the plant- 

 ing soon dies out. But on heavy soils, the nematodes 

 are not able to work such havoc and the fig thrives in 

 spite of their limited attacks. On hght soils, the fig 

 may be grown in the well-packed earth of yards or 

 planted against buildings where the roots may find 

 their way into the soil beneath the buildings, where the 

 nematode has been starved out for lack of food plants. 

 The shaded condition of the soil is also beneficial. It is 

 doubtful whether a successful planting can be made on 

 any large scale on hght soils in the lower South for 

 the reasons just indicated 



Varieties. 



The varieties which may be grown successfully in 

 the area indicated belong to the group which will carry 

 good crops of fruit without pollination. On account 

 of chmatic conditions, it is doubtful whether figs of 

 the class requiring caprification can ever be success- 

 fully grown. 



The more important varieties are the following : 



Black Ischia. — Size medium to large; color of skin 

 bluish black, almost entirely covered with dehcate 

 bluish bloom; flesh creamj' white; quality good. 

 Strong grower, not a heavy bearer but quite hardy. 

 Season late. 



Brunswick. — Fruit very large, broadly pear-shaped 

 with short, rather slender stalk; ribs well marked, eye 

 large, open with rosy scales; skin tough, dark brown 

 in color; pulp thick, pink, soft, quality fair. Midseason 

 and late. 



Celeste. — SmaD to medium, pear-shaped, ribbed; 

 violet -colored, sometimes shading purphsh brown, 

 covered with bloom about half way up from the neck; 

 stem short, stout; flesh whitish, shading to rose-color 

 at center, firm, juicy, sweet, excellent quality. One of 

 the hardiest varieties of figs, and can be grown far 

 outside of the usual limits of culture; very desirable 

 for canning and preserving. Season early. 



White Ischia. — Fruit of medium size, turbinate; 

 skin greenish yellow; pulp rosy, red, soft, melting; 

 quahty rich, sweet; a variety of high quality. Very 

 productive. Season late. 



Lemon. — Fruit medium to large, flattened, faintly 



