THE SMYRNA FIG AT HOME AND ABROAD 83 



CHAPTER XIX. 

 ECONOMIC AND ORNAMENTAL VALUES. , 



THE CALIMYRNA AS A BORDER TREE. *~* 



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The Calimyrna Fig tree has other uses and values beyond being merely the 

 inhabitant of an orchard. Its fine shape, clean trunk, exemption from disease and ^ 

 injurious insects, together with its beautiful foliage and spreading head commend 

 it for planting as a border and avenue tree. When to these advantages we add the 

 commercial value of its "fruit, it becomes almost the tree to plant for this purpose. : 

 Singular as it may seem, it does remarkably well when planted in this way, - 

 particularly if set some distance from other trees and afforded ample room in which 

 to develop a vigorous root system, calculated to support its wide spreading head, v / 

 and density of foliage. Indeed, when so planted under these conditions it often does 

 better, both in habit of growth and in yield of fruit, than when situated in an orchard. 

 These advantages have been strikingly exemplified in the Fresno district wherever -"' 

 the fig has been planted as a border tree around vineyards or aligning some of the ^ 

 leading public roads. Clean" and handsome, affording protection and a commercial \ 

 product, it can be commended as a tree of great value for these purposes. 



These considerations also render it of peculiar interest for ornamental planting 

 in the home grounds, and of special value to the small orchardist. Requiring little 

 or no care when so planted, it is a matter of unalloyed pleasure to the tree lover, 

 and a source of fruit supply to the culinary department of every well-regulated 

 household. The simple method by which the fig crop is harvested, viz., dropping to 

 the ground, and then only requiring gathering, makes the Calimyrna Fig a desirable 

 commercial product to grow in a small way. Thus the man with a small acreage 

 cannot only sit under his own vine and fig tree, but his children can gather and 

 market the fruit, while peace and contentment, based on a positive source of income, 

 casts her benign influence over a home so happily situated. 



THE ECONOMIC USES OF THE FIG. 



It is probably safe to assume that fully ninety per cent, of the people know of the 

 Smyrna Fig only as a luxury, in its dried and cured condition, just as they buy it of ^ 

 their local grocer or confectioner. In large measure this is excusable, because 

 fully seventy-five per cent, of the annual output finds its way to the vast army of 

 consumers as an article of food coming under the head of table delicacies. Its 

 economic value however, is much more varied in the realm of an enlightened , 

 domestic household economy. The method of "working up" a crop extends beyond the 

 drying and curing of the fruit. Excellent jams and marmalades are made with the ' 

 fig, retaining all the dietary and nutritious principles and flavor of the cured Smyrna 

 Fig of commerce. The inferior fruits, those small in size, of bad formation and 

 bruised, can be worked up in this way. The really best specimens can be used 

 for crystallizing, and will undoubtedly become a regular feature of the confectioner's 

 trade. For culinary purposes, particularly in pastry cooking, the Smyrna Fig has a 



