660 THE FIG. 



Vails, of St. Augustine, went into the business of preserving 

 them, using during the season some sixty bushels per day, 

 but, as he finally gave it up, we may infer that the profits were 

 too uncertain to warrant the continuance of the enterprise. 



In the Southern Atlantic and Gulf States one great difficulty 

 lies in the time of ripening, which comes at the opening of 

 the rainy season. Should the rains be moderate or slightly 

 delayed, all is well ; if not, the figs, surcharged with watery 

 juice, burst open and decay just before maturity. In the 

 warm interior valleys of California and Arizona the conditions 

 are much more favorable, on account of little or no rain fall- 

 ing during the ripening period. 



The fig is not at all particular about soils. It will grow in 

 the driest situations, but unless there is moisture enough to 

 support and preserve the foliage the fruit will not mature. 

 Even in the hottest valleys, so long as its roots can draw up 

 water, scorching winds that roast all other fruits only serve to 

 help along the fig. It is a voracious feeder, and the long rope- 

 like roots travel surprising distances in search of nutriment. 

 Trees on the sites of old buildings, amid decaying mortar and 

 the accumulated fertility of years, have borne enormous crops 

 for many successive seasons. The soil should be moderately 

 well drained, but excellent results have been noted even 

 where water came near to the surface, so long as it did not 

 overflow and remain upon the ground. Moist and rich lands 

 promote a late and heavy growth of unripened wood easily 

 killed by frost, and such places should be avoided where ex- 

 treme cold weather is likely to occur. Many tender varieties 

 from the warm regions about the Mediterranean cannot be 

 expected to do well in our country, except in a few favored 

 sections subject to similar conditions, where the nights as 

 well as the days are warm, as a rule, and where there is a 

 sufficiency of moisture in the soil. 



PROPAGATION. 



Seeds. Propagation may be effected from seeds, cuttings, 

 layers, and suckers. Seedlings are only resorted to when new 

 varieties are desired, and as their tendency is to revert to a 

 wild state, and the figs raised in this country seldom contain 



