8o 



THE ECONOMIC PLANTS OF JAPAN— II. 



shoots, often measuring five to six inches long and four 

 to five inches broad. The bark is smooth, brownish- 

 gray ; habit of growth moderately spreading, and 

 branching much, affording a dense shade in summer. 

 It is doubtful if it would be hardy in the extreme north 

 of the United States. 



The Fig {Fiais caiica, L. ; F. hirta, Sieb.). Jap., 



with the greatest ease and without protection, and from 

 the character of the fruit, one would imagine it 

 would be much cherished. Not so, however. A few 

 trees are occasionally planted about the dwellings, and 

 the ripe fruit may be found on the fruit stands in their 

 season, but there is no general admiration of them. I 

 have seen but three varieties of them, and I am unable 



Fig. 7. HovENiA dulcis. Full Size. (See page 78.) 



Ichijikii. The fig is not a native of Japan. It is sup- 

 posed to have been introduced by the Portuguese some- 

 thing more than two hundred years ago. However that 

 may be, the fig tree is well known there, and is very 

 generally distributed all over the country, especially in 

 southern and central Japan. But, strange as it may 

 seem the fig is not a popular fruit. It can be grown 



to say whether they originated there. All three were 

 alike called ichijiku, with some descriptive adjective to 

 indicate size or color. One was a large purple fig of 

 rather indifferent quality ; another a small fruit of the 

 same color, of the highest quality, and the third a small 

 yellowish fruit, also of good quality. There are, doubt- 

 less, several other kinds in various parts of the country. 



