FIG 



587 



the Smyrna product, but i 



Adr 



Bla.'k Is.' 



L-k, 



, Bourjassut,- liluiic IJruu u i LuR..y. eraus) 



California Black, Capri, Culestu (Cclestine), Col di htg- 

 twri Xt-ro Drap d'Or, Du Roi, Grossale, Ladaro, Negro 

 LarK" Roude Noire, Ronde Violette Hative, Royal 

 Vineyard, San Pedro. Smyrna, White Genoa (Grosse 

 Marseilles), White Isehia, White IMars.iU,- i r.tite 

 Marseillesl. The California Expi-rnn. .ir m.iD"!. has 

 grown at various places the above ■-!.■ v;iiii ii< ~, imi'I, hi 

 addition, about 35 others, thus testiiiir a ,-oll. .-i i,.u ..t 

 some 60 sorts, and these have been widely distriiiuted 

 (or 6 or 8 years. The list includes Abondauce Preeoce. 

 Brianzola. Black Brogiatto, Bellona, Bordeaux, Brown 

 Isehia, Dalmatian, Doree Narbus, Rocardi, Rubrado, 

 Verdal Longe, 3 varieties of Smyrna, Osborne Prolific, 

 Pastlliere and an especially fine variety, Hirta du Ja- 

 pon, a medium-sized, turbinate, dark purple Fig with 

 yellowish white flesh and high quality. This last named 

 variety, with Angeliqiie. Early Violet. Brown Turkey 

 and a few orb. r-. is rxr.llent for house culture or forc- 

 ine The b'-t ^.,uir.- in France, Spain and Italy have 

 bein drawn .n.m l^r thr various importations of Figs 



ill California 

 ill tracts sel- 

 : counties, as 

 -. Santa Bar 

 no, but the 

 Sacrament. 





have been i.laiit'''l in iiu'- iiio-n\ in 



dom excei-ilim;- '-'O ari.'^, I In- lr;,.lin;_' 



far as area is .•..m-.rn.cl. an' L"s \nr 



bara, San Bern.ardiuo. Butte and i 



counties of Alameda, Santa Clara, Sob ^. ^ , 



Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Placer, Yuba, El Dorado and 



Shasta contain 



: of the finest groves and specimen 



producing Figs 

 quality. In 1890 M- 

 by the little Pit; " i 

 orchards of the tni. 

 and many Capri Fig 



■ I7i« Smi/rna Figs. -AfU-v many anmipts. the true 



Smyrna Pigs were introdu 1 ^.n qnit,. an extensive 



scale by the San Francisco P,ull...,n ,n lss2. by the late 

 James Shinn, and by t/teori.'.- Ivo.'lin;.'. mI 1 nsno. riom 

 these different imi.ortatiMn-. Ciililonna brrann- \\.ll 



stocked with both tlir l 'a|.ll and Sniyrnla.-:! t\ p.v. I li.' 

 Fig wasp was obta.nrd in .luly bs'.ll. by .lam., Mnun 

 but the locality was nnsnitrd to its piop., .ition. i 

 was again introduced at various times by the L iiited 

 States Department of Agriculture and by Mr. Roediug, 

 until it now seems to be fairly well established at 

 Fresno. The Smyrna Fie was first hand-pollinated in 

 1891 at Niles and n!^o f-.r -v.-.-d -a-ons at Fresno, 

 — ■ ■ ' ,, .ii-,,.,i «(i-.- of superior 



-. , I . Ii-s,caprifled 

 s.veral large 

 , I'lj^, III \ iiriiius varieties, 

 !• ri-adv (or .-olouies of this 

 _ eful Blastophaga"; and it is hoped that a new industry 

 can now be developed in various parts of California. 



Propagation. -The Fig grows very readily from cut- 

 tings. Use well ripened wood of the previous season s 

 growth, cut at the joint, and give them the same treat 

 raent required for grape cuttings. They will e-sen grow 

 from single-eye cuttings. Bottom heat is not necessary 

 in California, where the cuttings are set in the nursery 

 in December or January, and are ready for the orchard 

 in a year. In the eastern states, winter-made cut 

 tings can be started with bottom heat, or in the 

 open air in April. 



Budding is best done by the annular or ring 

 method so useful for the chestnut and walnut 

 The Fig can be cleft-grafted, say in February in 

 California, but extreme care must be taken to 

 exclude the air. Seedlings are. easily grown from 

 the fertile seeds of the imported Smyrna Figs 

 and from the few fertile seeds occasionally ap 

 pearing in common varieties. 



Planting, Culture, etc. -The Fig tree in Call 

 fornia requires much space, hence it is used as 

 an avenue tree, or if in orchard form other trees 

 are set between, to be afterwards removed. In good soil 

 Fig trees, like walnuts, should finally stand not less 

 than 40 feet apart. 



Little pruning is required for the Fig. Trees grown 

 (or table Figs are headed low, about 18 inches from the 



ground, to facilitate picking. Trees grown for drying 

 Fiirs are headed higher, so that the ground can better 

 be kept smooth and clean, for the Figs are usually al- 

 lowed to ripen and fall. Cultivation is necessary until 

 the trees completely shade the ground. 



Figs begin to bear early in California, often the sec- 

 ond or third year. Some trees prove barren, or very 

 poor bearers, and must be replaced by others. Cuttings 

 for propagation should always be taken from well-ma- 

 tured wood of bearing trees. The tree appears to be as 

 long-lived as the olive, has very few insect enemies, and 

 is not subject to disease. The fruit m some districts in 

 some seasons ferments on the trees ("Fig-sour ). inis 

 sometimes seems to come from over irrigation, some- 

 times from lack of vitality, and more often occurs with 

 very juicy and tender varieties. 



Caprification.-The problems connected with lig 

 caprification have long been discussed, and the neces- 

 sitv for the process has been strenuously denied by many 

 writers. But there is no doubt that Figs of the true 

 Smyrna type cast their Figs unless caprifled, for old 

 trees are now growing in California and bear no crop. 

 Cases otherwise reported prove to be of some different, 

 or horte„sis, variety. Fig caprification has been dis- 

 cussed in various papers in the publications of the State 

 Board of Horticulture, by Dr. Eisen and others, in the 

 Dublications of the Divisions of Pomology and Ento- 

 mology, at Washington, and by W. T. Swingle m Science, 

 October 20, 1899. , • ♦■ 



The true Smyrna Figs, which are of several varieties, 

 and doubtless capable of much improvement, yield two 

 crops, the first of which fails, because no pollen is then 

 obtainable from the wild or Capri trees. Both earlier 

 anil laffi- variiti.s ut wild Figs than we now have are 

 nei'ib'.l bv liorti, ultun-t-. The wild Fig now produces 

 three .ro'ii^. Imt .mlv .m.' i- nsiful (or caprification ; the 



-prifyaia,-.. 1 -:•',•' '::;;;^i^ 



^^"dV!;^,:.^,::.::;.:.,^,,,:,::,;:,.',: 1.. ,;,aiiome 



Fi" waM. is wiliionl »iiiK-. '".l ""- I'U'alL bas wings 

 ■,ii"| .nvliki- mandibles; slie cuts her way through scales 

 whirl, ml. rlock over the apex of the half grown Smyrna 

 Fi- sh.- loses her wings in entering, dies in the Fig, 

 and is alisorbed by the vegetable cells; if her eggs are 

 deposited they also perish, and the continuance of the 

 species depends upon those individuals that remain upon 

 the wild Fig trees. The whole story is one of the most 

 interesting known to entomologists. 



Fig-dnjing in California (Fig. 822). -The foreign 

 methods so far as tested in California are not practi- 

 cable under labor conditions, and not entire y satisfac 

 tory in any case. Some growers let Figs fall from the 

 trees, picking such as shrivel on the trees without 

 dropping ; others let all the Figs fall. Picking is best 

 with the finer sorts. Allow the Figs to shrivel on the 

 trees; pick with great care, place on slat trays, bloom- 

 end down and subject 



ulphur fume 

 bleaching is desiied 

 Expose to th 

 turn the truit 

 an hour or so and the 



next day begin to "Fig-pull," or press each Fig between 

 the fingers to keep it from "drying hard." In 4 or 5 days 

 the Figs can be placed in the shade, and m a day or two 

 "dipped" in boiling water, to further reduce the coarse- 

 ness of the skin, close the pores and color the tniit. 



