PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONTENTION. 85 



THE SPLITTING OF FIGS. 



The past season is reported everywhere to have been an ideal one 

 until the September rains came. These were followed by cool, damp 

 weather, with considerable splitting' and souring of figs. It is the senti- 

 ment of many growers that splitting is caused by cool, damp weather 

 and not by overpollination, nor excessive irrigation. One of the writers 

 has seen trees growing on the banks of an irrigating ditch, in which 

 water was flowing a good part of the year, and the fruit on these trees 

 split no more than on trees in other parts of the orchard which were 

 irrigated only twice during the season. One grower, however, speaking 

 of the large size of the figs on these trees said he would rather have 

 some splits than small fruit. One large Smyrna fig orchard planted on 

 ground so moist that a drainage canal is being constructed through it, 

 showed very few split figs. Certain trees and some varieties, the White 

 Adriatic for instance, split worse than others. In the Maslin orchard 

 are trees with fruit that split more or less every year, while others, 

 equally surrounded by capri trees and swarms of blastophaga, show no 

 splitting at all. Location seems to have something to do with it, as in 

 Fresno County in those orchards near the foothills the trouble seems to 

 be less prevalent than out in the valley. The past season in most locali- 

 ties has been the worst in several years, still it is not a very serious 

 matter. It is noticeable that of the Lob Ingir many split specimens close 

 up in drying and still make good figs. This fig contains so much sugar 

 that, unlike the White Adriatic, very few sour even when split. It is 

 at present difficult to account for this trouble in many cases and the 

 subject should have further study. 



CURING FIGS. 



It is well known that when the Smyrna fig is perfectly ripe and 

 nearly dry it falls to the ground. It is likely that most growers will 

 find it less troublesome and about equally profitable to sell the product 

 to the packing houses as soon as sufficiently dried, rather than attempt 

 to gather around him the necessary labor and appliances to put his 

 fruit into elaborate packages in order to secure the highest price. 



A few suggestions, some of which represent the experience of the 

 growers who are putting up the best figs now on the market, may not 

 be out of place at this time, and may be of service to the inexperienced. 

 One of the most important details, though troublesome, is to gather the 

 fruit from the ground very often, in fact as often as every other day. 

 This will in a great measure prevent the entrance of beetles that lay 

 their eggs and make wormy figs. Another important consideration is 

 not to dry the figs too much. If too dry the seller not only suffers loss 

 of weight, but also injures the quality, as overdried fruit must be 

 processed before it can be packed. When the figs have become suffi- 

 ciently cured they are still pliable, yielding to a slight pressure of the 

 fingers. In very warm weather the smaller figs are sufficiently dried 

 when they fall from the tree. The larger will require exposure to the 

 sun on drying trays for two or three days. After the figs are suffi- 

 ciently dried they are rinsed in clean water to remove any dust or 

 dirt that may have adhered to them, and are then exposed to the sun 

 long enough to remove the surplus moisture. After grading as to size 



