1872 Tlie Western Pomologist and Gardener. IJfS 



Fitr Culture, 



A Smj'rna letter writer gives an interesting account of the culture of figs, and the prep- 

 aration for market. After ripening on the trees, they are cured or dried in the sun, and 

 then placed in coarse camel's-hair bags, and brought by caravans of from six to twelve 

 camels. Arived at the bazar the camels are made to kneel down and the driver awaits a 

 purchaser. This is one of the most si i gular and interesting sights to the traveller. The 

 camels are kneeling on every side, and their huge jaws moving from side to side, the 

 uncouth humps made still more so by the pack piled upon them, and their great callous 

 feet and knees folded under t"hem. But the drivers are of a still uglier and more inde- 

 scribable expression, and their ill-fitting costume adds to the eflfect. Thin, hollow cheeks 

 and sunken, leering eyes, a sharp, almost hooked nose, an immense mouth, whose black 

 teeth are partially concealed by a few straggling yellow hairs of a moustache, and a scan- 

 ty beard covers the chin, and a fierce wildness of expression of the whole countenance, 

 which makes one fesl that he would uot like to meet the fellow alone on a dark night. 

 Coarse does not express the texture of their garments. Gunny bags seem fine, almost, in 

 comparison with some of them, but they all have .some piece of bright color tied on 

 somewhere. Some of them talk earnestly together, as much with their arms and features 

 as with their tongues. All are smoking the inevitable cigarette, which is taking the place 

 of the naghili — the latter is more used at cafes and in shops. From this bazar the figs are 

 taken to the fig-packing establishment, which is a long, hall-like building, open overhead, 

 with awnings stretched part way across to shelter the " pickers," who are ranged along 

 the side of the building, from the intense heat of the sun. These fig pickers are gener- 

 ally half blind, toothless, dirty old women ; some few children or other semi-useless mem- 

 bers of society. At any rate, " dirty" applies to them all, and one dosen't like to think 

 of them when he is eating a delicate deine. A pile of soft, new figs are placed beside 

 each one, and every fig is taken separately and pulled into shape ; the fingers are mois- 

 tened occasionally with salt water. The nicest and largest are put by themselves, the 

 rest are thrown into a shallow basket with a rim about two inches high. These Jire 'then 

 taken to the packers. The poorer figs are packed in drums and baskets ; the best qual- 

 ity are layer figs, and are packed in sciuare, wooden boxes, in bags or cartoons. There is 

 a quality called washed figs, but the name is a misnomer, as the figs are never washed 

 . in no sense of the word. 



The choicest of the figs are generally taken to London, though of late years some 

 have been sent to America. In packing the drums, a handful of the pulled figs are taken 

 and arranged with the stems all one way, and then crowded into the drum, filling the 

 outer row first. A layer of the better figs are placed on top, and a few laurel leaves laid 

 in, and then it is taken away, the cover nailed on, and the box tied up and piled away to 

 await transportation ; there is no pressing except what takes place in the store room, 

 where they are piled eight or ten feet high, and are necessarily pressed by their own 

 weight. In two or three weeks afterward, the fig worm comes out — one out of every fig. 

 A little white creature, who leaves his web behind him everywhere he goes, and he goes 

 everywhere ; into every crevice of wood work or metal, and into every fold of paper 

 and clothing. The open end of every one of a bunch of keys has its web of fig worm 

 silk ; between sheets of note paper, and inside the covers of books. On shipboard, the 

 correspondent .says he found him iu the maintop, and says he would have found him 

 at the truck, had he looked. So many are there from a cargo of figs that the web can be 

 pulled ofi' in long strips from the moulding around the cabin. Delightful sensation to 

 wake up in the night with two or three crawling, cold worms over one's face. " Be care- 

 ful not to sleep with your mouth open," was a caution given every night on retiring. 

 The large figs arc packed more carefully, each one being pressed out into shape before 

 being placed in the box ; alter one layer is packed the box is turned " end for end " and 

 so on until the box is full ; at the top a few laurel leaves are laid in, and the cover nailed 

 on. The sugaring process takes place after the figs come into cold weather. A few frosty 

 days and nights is suflScient to sugar them finely. No sugar is used in packing them. 

 The choicest figs are of medium size, and have very thin, transparent skin to the very 

 end of the fig. 



