356 



HISTORY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



This process is performed by suspending by 

 tlireads, above the cultivated figs, branches of the 

 wild fig, which are full of a species of cynips. 

 When the insect has become winged, it quits the 

 wild figs and penetrates the cultivated ones, for 

 the purpose of laying its eggs; and thus it ap- 

 pears both to ensure the fructification by dis- 

 persing the pollen, and afterwards to hasten the 

 ripening by puncturing the pulp, and causing a 

 dispersion or circulation of the nutritious juices. 

 In France, this operation is imitated by inserting 

 straws dipped in olive oil. Many of the French 

 naturalists are of opinion, that caprification is a 

 very unnecessary process. 01 i ver terms it a " tri- 

 bute which man pays to ignorance and prejudice." 

 In many countries of the Levant, he says, it is 

 not now performed, nor is it done in France, 

 Italy, or Spain. Perhaps it may tend to hasten 

 in some degree the maturation of the fruit; but 

 it does not seem to be essential to fecundation; 

 nor, indeed, is fecundation itself indispensably 

 requisite to the swelling and ripening of the 



The traditions of the Greeks carried the origin 

 of the fig back to the remotest antiquity. It 

 was probably known to the people of the East 

 before the cerealia; and stood in the same rela- 

 tion to men living in the primitive condition of 

 society, as the banana does to the Indian tribes 

 of South America, at the present day. Witli 

 little trouble of cultivation, it supplied their 

 principal necessities; and offered, not an article 

 of occasional luxury, but of constant food, 

 whether in a fresh or a dried state. As we pro- 

 ceed to a mors' advanced period of the history of 

 the species, we still find the fig an object of gen- 

 eral attention. The want of blossom on the fig- 

 tree was considered as one of the most grievous 

 calamities by the Jews. Cakes of figs were in- 

 cluded in the presents of provisions by which 

 the widow of Nabal appeased the wrath of David. 

 In Greece, when Lycurgus decreed that the Spartan 

 men should dine in a common hall, flour, wine, 

 cheese, and figs were the principal contributions 

 of each individual to the general stock. The 

 Athenians considered figs an article of such 

 necessity that their exportation from Attica was 

 prohiljited. Either the temptation to evade this 

 law must have been great, or it must have been 

 disliked ; for the name which distinguished those 

 who informed against the violators of the law, 

 compounded from avxau, a fig, and (pxisa,, to shew, 

 became a name of reproach, from which we ob- 

 tain our word sycophant. As used by our older 

 wi'iters, sycophant means a tale-bearer; and the 

 French employ the word to designate a liar and 

 impostor generally, not a flatterer merely. At 

 Rome the fig was carried next to the vine, in the 

 processions in honour of Bacchus, as the patron 

 of plenty and joy; and Bacchus was supposed 

 to have derived his corpulency and vigour, not 



from the vine, but fi-om the fig. AH these cir- 

 cumstances indicate that the fig contributed very 

 i largely to the support of man; and we may rea- 

 sonably account for this from the facility with 

 which it is cultivated in climates of modei-ate 

 temperature. Like the cerealia, it appears to 

 flourish in a very considerable range of latitude; 

 and even in our own country frequently pro- 

 duces fine fruit, vv-ithout much difficulty, in the 

 open air. Yet the tree is not generally culti- 

 vated except in very favourable situations; and 

 it nmst belong to more genial climates to realize 

 the ancient description of peace and security, 

 which assigns the possession of these best bless- 

 ings of heaven to "every man under his own 

 fig tree." • 



The double, and, in some climates, the treble, 

 crop of the fig tree, is one of the most curious 

 circumstances belonging to its natural history-, 

 and further illustrates the value attached to it 

 in the countries of the East. It offers the people 

 fruit through a considerable portion of the year. 

 The first ripe figs, according to Dr Shaw, are 

 called boccore, and come to maturity about the 

 latter end of June; though, like other trees, they 

 yield a few ripe before the full season. These 

 few are probably of inferior value; for the pro- 

 phet Hosea says, "I found Israel like grapes in 

 the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first- 

 ripe in the fig tree at her first time." When the 

 boccore draws near to perfection, the karmouse, 

 or summer fig, begins to be formed. This is the 

 crop which is dried. When the karmouse ripens 

 in Syria and Barbary there appears a third crop, 

 which often hangs and ripens upon the tree after 

 the leaves are shed. 



The time of gathering the summer fig in the 

 Levant, with its corresponding process of drj'ing 

 and packing for the European market, is one of 

 considerable bustle and activity. The principal 

 seat of this commerce is Smyrna. 



The import of figs to Great Britain alone, 

 which is principally from Turkey, amounts to 

 nine hundred tons annually, subject to a duty 

 of £1 Is. per cwt. Dry figs form, also, a very 

 considerable article of commerce in Provence, 

 Italy, and Spain; besides affording, as in the 

 East, a chief article of sustenance to the native 

 population. In Spain the principal exports of 

 dried figs are from the provinces of Andalusia and 

 Valencia; though the fruit grows, more or less, 

 in every province. In the northern parts of 

 F'rance there are many fig gardens, particularly 

 at Argenteuil. 



It is probable that if the fresh fig were much 

 esteemed by the people of this country, the tree 

 would be more extensively cultivated here in 

 favourable situations, such as our southern coast. 



But it would seem, from our old writers, and 

 indeed from a common expression even of the 

 present day, that, from some association of ideas, 



