PART II. 



THE SMYRNA FIG AT HOME. 



CHAPTER VI. 

 EARLY HISTORY OF THE FIG IN CALIFORNIA. 



Fig growing in California is by no means a new industry, and dates back to 

 the advent of the Mission Fathers, who probably planted the first figs at the same 

 time the vine and olive were started. Where the trees came from has never been 

 fully determined, and the early history of their introduction is somewhat shrouded 

 in mystery. The fig, the olive and the vine, which originated in these Missions have 

 been widely distributed throughout the state, and their proper names being unknown, 

 they were all designated as Mission, so that at the present time we have the Mis- 

 sion Olive, Grape and Fig. The old Mission Fig is the well-known large black variety 

 common in our gardens and widely distributed throughout the Pacific Coast region. 



In after years, when the horticultural possibilities of California became more and 

 more apparent to hose, who had interested themselves in this line of work, many 

 other varieties of figs were introduced notably from Asia Minor, Greece, Portugal, 

 Spain, Italy, France, Austria and England. 



The desideratum of every horticulturist interested in this work was to introduce 

 and establish a fig, which would equal in flavor ard sweetness the Smyrna Fig of 

 commerce. Although many figs were to be found growing throughout the state, none 

 of them compared to the imported article, hence the introduction and establishment 

 of a fig, which when dried would be equal in flavor and sweetness to the imported 

 fig, was considered of vital interest to the well-being of this industry in California. 



It will not be within the province of this work to go into details in reference 

 to the importation of other varieties of figs than the Smyrnas, and I will therefore 

 confine the subject to that class as applied to Pacific Coast conditions. 



IMPORTATIONS OF SMYRNA FIG CUTTINGS. 



The first shipment of cuttings from Smyrna was made in the year 1880 for the 

 San Francisco Bulletin Company, through the assistance of Mr. E. J. Smithers, 

 United States Consul at Smyrna, five hundred cuttings being imported at that time. 

 In the following year, another importation was made by the same people through 

 the instrumentality of Mr. Alexander Sidi, an American merchant in Smyrna. These 

 were widely distributed by the Bulletin Company, gratuitously to its subscribers. 

 After a few years the trees commenced to bear, but the fruit failed to mature, and 

 people receiving the trees therefore concluded that they were worthless, and the 

 Bulletin Company was censured for having innocently placed an article before the 

 public, of no value. In fact the Bulletin people themselves came to the conclusion 

 that they had been tricked by the wiiy Smyrnoites. 



In the year 1885, Mr. E. W. Maslili raised quite a number of trees from Smyrna 

 Fig seeds, and the following is an extract from an article read by him before the 

 State Fruit Grower's Convention at Fresno, November 5, 1889: 



"In the spring of 1885, I bought in San Francisco, a box of the largest Smyrna 

 Figs, which I could find, and sowed in a hot-bed, letting the growth remain until 

 1886, when the trees were planted on a hillside in a deep, warm soil. They have 

 made a wonderful growth, the trunks being from four to six inches in diameter, and 



