THE SMYRNA FIG AT HOME AND ABROAD 67 



the hands, and are then taken out and placed on large trays, 3x6 feet. The figs 

 are piled in these trays a couple of inches deep, and are then exposed to the sun a 

 half a day, being turned once during this time. This final exposure is made to re- 

 move all superfluous moisture from the figs. 



The trays are then taken to the drying shed, and their contents are dumped into 

 sweat boxes. A sweat box is made of one-inch lumber, is eight inches deep, two feet 

 wide, by three feet long. The figs are now ready for packing. 



If the figs have been carefully handled they will have a tender skin, and 

 be soft and pliable, and present a fine, glossy white appearance. The skin of the 

 Smyrna Fig when dried is white, and to one not familiar with its natural tendency, 

 to have this color, the inference would be that the figs had been sulphured. Sulphur- 

 ing of figs is always objectionable, but it is found necessary with the ordinary White 

 Adriatic, in order to give the skin a white color, but this gives that fig a bitter flavor, 

 and extracts what little of the true fig flavor this variety originally possessed. 



PACKING. 



The Packing House for handling the product of the Fancher Creek Nurseries is 

 located in the city of Fresno, and as the quantity of fruit to be packed is limited, 

 the building is of modest pretentions, fully large enough, however, to accommodate 

 the force of twenty-five to thirty men and women engaged in packing the Calimyrna 

 Figs. 



The figs are hauled in the sweat boxes to the packing houses. Here they are 

 piled up, each box being carefully placed above the one below it to prevent the en- 

 trance of insects, which are attracted by the sweetness of the figs. The first step 

 before packing is to grade the fruit into sizes. This is quickly accomplished by a 

 fig grader run by power, and especially designed for this purpose. This grader con- 

 sists of a series of trays, in a frame, all on the same plane; underneath are the hop- 

 pers, partitioned off to receive the several grades. The trays are made of galva- 

 nized iron, and are perforated with round holes. The first tray has holes % of an 

 inch in diameter, second one, 1 inch, the third one, l 1 ^ inches. The figs dropping 

 through the first tray are designated as three-crown, the next, four-crown, and the 

 last one five-crown. Those passing over all these trays and into the hopper at the 

 end of the machine are the six-crown. The trays are fastened to a frame built 

 inside of the main frame of the machine, but not touching it. This frame is sup- 

 ported by levers, which are so adjusted when the machine is started that it is 

 given a quick up-and-down motion, causing the figs to pass from the trays with the 

 small holes to the larger ones. 



The three-crown figs are not packed, but are dumped loose into fifty-pound boxes, 

 as they are too small; only the four, five and six-crown are packed in cartons. 

 The six-crown are extra large, fine, meaty figs, and run from sixteen to twenty to 

 the pound. Just before packing, the figs are placed in a steam chest lined with 

 galvanized iron, and steamed. The trays used have a wire screen bottom, and hold 

 about thirty-five pounds of figs. From three to four of these trays are placed in the 

 box at one time. The steaming is done with a twofold object in view, viz., to heat 

 the figs through thoroughly in order to destroy all insect life and germs, and to 

 soften the fruit so that it can be easily handled by the packers. The packing is done 

 entirely by women. A long table, about two feet high and four feet wide, is provided 

 for this purpose. 



The figs, when taken out of the steam chest, are dumped into small boxes, placed 

 in front of each packer, who selects a fig, and, flattening it out between the fingers, 

 turns the orifice end to the under side, and then with a small knife, slits the fig from 

 the orifice to the stem end; meanwhile spreading it out to the proper width, so the 

 sides of the figs will fit snugly into forms, which are made of hard wood and divided 



