THE FIG* 



(Ficus Carica.) 



"And they shall sit, every matt under his own vine and under htt 

 fig tree." — Micah iv. 4. 



The great antiquity of the fig tree is unquestionable. The Bible 

 contains the earliest references to it and many passages cit ''J 



ture mention it; the first notice being in Genesis, where Adam ana 

 Eve are described as sewing fig leaves together to make themselves 

 ■aprons. In Deuteronomy the fig is mentioned as one of the valued 

 products of Palestine. The spies who were sent out from the wil- 

 derness brought back clusters of grapes, pomegranates and hgs. 

 Mount Olive was famed for its fig trees in ancient times, and they 

 are still found there. The old phrase for possession of a country 

 was that every man should "sit under his own vine and under his fig 

 tree." Throughout the Bible the fig tree and the vine are spoken 

 of as the sign of prosperity. They typify peace and plenty ; and the 

 failure of the fig harvest is noted as a portent of affliction. The 

 importance of the fig among staple articles of food in New Testament 

 times is shown by the fact that in case of fire on the Sabbath day 

 only three necessaries of life were to be rescued, viz., a basket of 

 loaves, a cake of figs and a jar of wine. Dried and pressed into 

 square or round cakes and allowed to harden, the fruit was thus 

 easily transported, forming ideal rations for soldiers. This method 

 of treating figs was known in Egypt from very early times. Two 

 hundred fig cakes formed part of Abigail's present to King David 

 To this day, in the East, dried fig cakes, strung upon cords, make 

 an important article of commerce from Persia to India. The med- 

 icinal use of figs was known to classical and Arabic writers; Pliny 

 has much to say of their value in this respect, and we find Isaiah 

 prescribing a poultice of fig cake as a cure for Hezekiah's boils. 



From the time of its first economic use in Eden the fig tree has 

 been held in high esteem in all oriental countries, where it is still 

 extensively cultivated. From its orig:inal home in Persia, Arabia and 

 Asia Minor it has accompanied man in all his wanderings throughout 

 the warmer parts of the earth, becoming, wherever introduced, one 

 of the most highly prized fruits for its healthfulness and delicious 

 flavor. Grown for home consumption everywhere, the fig is a staple 

 article of diet in many parts of those countries bordering on the 

 Mediterranean. 



* Besides a brief account of the introduction of the Smyrna fig into California, 

 this chapter has been written with special reference to the Fig in the South, where 

 its culture in cotamercial orchards offers profitable use for capital in the develop- 

 ment of one of the most promising of the many neglected industries in the Gulf 

 States. 



