THE SMYRNA FIG AT HOME AND ABROAD 19 



CHAPTER III. 



SMYRNA FIG CULTURE IN ASIA MINOR. 



VISITING A SMYRNA FIG ORCHARD. 



My first insight into the methods of caprifying the Smyrna Fig was at Karabounar, 

 in an orchard, the property of my host Mr. S. G. Magnissalis, located in the famous 

 Herbeyli district. The visit could not have been made at a more opportune time, 

 for on my arrival there, June 16, 1901, the Smyrna Figs were being caprified for the 

 second time. Singular as it may seem, the Capri figs in the immediate vicinity of 

 the orchards are never used, the natives insisting that better results are obtained 

 when taken from other districts. This is another of their traditional theories, and 

 cannot be of any importance, for there are so many Capri figs growing in close 

 proximity to nearly all the orchards, that the Smyrna trees in many instances, 

 (even if not caprified at all), would still produce good crops. The Capri figs are 

 always picked in the morning before sunrise, for then the figs are cool, and none of 

 the insects have commenced to issue. Before distribution, however, they are first 

 strung on rushes (Scirpus holoschoenus), two at each end; these are found growing 

 on the lowlands of the valleys in great profusion, the workman with a bunch of rushes 

 and a basket of figs going through the orchard and stringing the figs, distributing as 

 he proceeds. How often it was necessary to distribute the Capri figs and the number 

 required to a tree were two of the important points which I wished to clear up. The 

 number of times the Smyrna figs must be caprified depends entirely on the develop- 

 ment of the young figs a matter requiring some judgment. At the time of my visit, 

 as already stated, the trees were being caprified for the second time, and as 

 there were a number of young figs not developed enough to be in the receptive 

 stage, I was informed another distribution of the figs would have to be made 

 inside of six days. When the workman comes to a tree, he draws one of the rushes 

 from the bundle, dexterously forces the stem end of the rush through a couple of 

 figs, drawing them down to the blossom end, which has a small knob; he then 

 strings two more at the same end, retaining the last fig in place by a sort of half 

 hitch in the fig. This and other strings fixed in a similar manner are now thrown 

 up into the tree at different points. From six to fifteen of these strings are hung in 

 the younger trees, while in the gnarled old giants as high as twenty-five strings are 

 suspended, depending, of course, on the quantity of the young figs on the trees. 



While in the orchard, I examined a number of Smyrna Figs. When they presented 

 a glossy green appearance on the outside and the flowers were of a creamy white 

 color, invariably from two to three insects were found crawling around in each fig 

 broken open. After the figs had developed beyond this stage, and even of a dull green 

 color, the insects were found to be dead, indicating that the flowers had been 

 fertilized and the figs had passed the receptive stage. The figs are distributed as 

 far as possible in the morning before the insects have commenced to issue freely, 

 although in many places the work proceeds all day, regardless of the fact that 

 many of the wasps are lost, through the carelessness of the workmen in this respect. 



