August i, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
CULTIVATION OF THE FIG IN TURKEY. 
(From the Journal of the Society of Arts.) 
Tin: United States Consul at Smyrna states that 
the Aidin district is the only one which produces 
figs for exportation. The fruit will grow anywhere in 
the neighbourhood of Smyrna, of a good quality for 
consumption, in a green state; but the Aidin plain 
is unique in its climate and soil as being favourable 
for the proper curing of the fig. The thermometer 
wl-loin falls below three or four degrees under freez- 
ing point, and in tho summer seldom rises above 130 
degrees Fahrenheit in the sun. In Aidin, the winters 
are generally wet, the dry weather commencing in 
May and continuing till the end of October. Any rain 
at I ho end of July, or during the mouths of August 
and September, when the fruit is under the process 
of drying, injures the quality, by causing it to burst, 
hardens the skin, gives the fig a dark colour, and 
spoils its keeping quality. Heavy dews will cause the 
same evils. 
The fig tree will grow in almost any soil ; a rich 
heavy soil is, however, preferable ; but to produce 
figs that will dry well and please the merchant, the 
soil ought to be of a good depth, and of a rich, 
light, sandy nature ; this, if the weather be favour- 
able, will produce large figs, of a wliite thin skin, 
and of the finest quality. Before planting, the ground 
is well ploughed two or three times to a good depth, 
well fertilised, and freed from all weeds and extra- 
neous roots. The lig is propagated from slips, selected 
with us many fruity buds as possible. To from a 
tree, two slips arc planted, one foot apart, and then 
joined at the top. The trees, if planted in rich soil, 
should be placed about 30 feet apart, and for poor 
soil about 25 feet distant from each other. The cut- 
tings are planted in the month of March, two in 
each hole, at about 9 inches or a foot apart at the 
root end, and during the growth of the trees, the 
ground is ploughed up two or three times during the 
winter or spring, and the space between them is used 
to cultivate cotton, sesame, or Indian corn. 
The lig harvest generally lasts about six weeks, and 
when the tig is ripe, it falls of its own accord from 
the tree. Women and children aie employed to pick 
up the fruit into small baskets, to be conveyed to a 
place in the garden well exposed to the sun, where 
they aro spread on a bed of dry grass, or matting, 
singly, and not one on the top of the other, and are 
turned over every day, in order to get every part of 
the fig exposed to the sun. After a few days of this 
exposure, those figs which are sufficiently dry are 
selected from the mass, and divided into first, second, 
and third qualities, care being taken not to dry them 
too much. They are then sent to Smyrna, where 
they are assorted and packed for shipment. 
On arrival at Smyrna, they arc conveyed to the fig 
bazaar, or market place, where the merchants attend 
early next morning to effect purchases. The parcels 
belonging to each individual owner are separately 
examined, each purchaser giving his own price ; a broker 
is nearly always employed as an intermediary by the 
merchant, on payment to him of 2 per cent of the 
value, the amount being ultimately refunded by the 
seller. A seller is but seldom the owner himself, this 
latter being generally represented by a .lew or Arme- 
nian merchant, at au exorbitant charge of 7 per cent 
as a commisson. Tho figs arc then, after purchase, 
conveyed to the packing establishment, to undergo 
manipulation and putting into boxes; tho sacks are 
emptied out on the floor in a Square heap, and on 
all suh s squatted rows of women and girls, employed 
in nurely twisting round each fig two or three times 
hetv.c rii Hi. forefinger and thumb, to render it soft, 
and give it the required oblong form. On the heap 
are a row of low ba»kets, into whiph ace thrown 
separately the first and second qualities to be used 
for packing ; at least 10 per cent, of the whole number 
is worthless for putting up in cases, and, | during 
the first process, the inferior fruit is picked up and 
thrown in a separate heap. Undersized, tough, or 
spotted figs, and such as are burst, come under this 
category, and are packed, or rather preserved, promis- 
cuously in small boxes, and labelled " Figs for family 
use. Sometimes, when the parcel is unusually good, 
three qualities are selected instead of two. The figs 
are then laid on long benches, at which are seated 
the practiced packers. Each man has a box before him, 
and swiftly and dexterously the figs are placed along- 
side each other in rows, the rows varying in num- 
ber according to the depth of the box, the flat ones, 
which are in more general use, requiring but two. 
This mode of packing is called ''pulled." Above all, 
a row of " layers " is then placed, to show the figs 
to advantage. The "layers" are stretched out by 
means of both hands, and laid flat side by side in 
parallel rows. Of late years, "layers" throughout 
the boxes have come into great demand, and nearly 
all the best qualities are packed in this way. In pack- 
ing, the fingers are now and then dipped int > a 
bucket of sea-water, to ease their working ; the figs 
become thus moistened with salt water, which it is 
said, has the effect of hastening their sugaring. The 
boxes are again passed on (o the women, who com- 
plete the process by placing laurel leaves between the 
upper rows, before the final nailing down and polish- 
ing off by the carpenter. The packages used are of 
various dimensions aud forms ; at one time all figs 
exported to the United States were placed in drums 
or paper boxes, but of late years flat wooden boxes 
are being extensively shipped. Very few drums, if 
auy, find their way to the English market, to which 
the best qualities are usually sent. America consumes 
but little of the superior qualities, though tho demand 
for such has now increased. Small canvas bags are 
now being used with much success, and in fact, every 
season some novelty in the style of packing may be 
noticed. The refuse, or " naturals, " are put into large 
boxes or barrels, and shipped to England, Egypt, 
| Europe, and Turkey, the high rate of duty in America 
entirely excluding those inferior figs from the market. 
TOMATOES. 
(From Hogg's Gardeners' Year-Book.) 
The Tomatoe or Love- Apple. — The love-apple or 
tomatoe (Lycopersicum esculentum), is a native of 
Mexico and South America, but it is also found in 
the East Indies, where it is supposed to have been 
introduced by the Spaniards. The Malay name is 
Tamatte, and in Mexico it is called Tamalt. The 
whole plant has a disagreeable, acrid, and nauseous 
odour; aud its juice iuspissated over the fire emits a 
vapour so powerful as to cause vertigo and vomiting. 
The fruit, which are the only part used as an esculent, 
>pain, 
Italv 
and France in 
their natural 
state they have an agreeable acid flavour. In our own 
country the cultivation of love-apples is becoming 
much greater than formerly, and the more the commu- 
nity becomes acquainted with the many agreeable forms 
in which the fruit can be prepared, the wider will the 
cultivaton be extended. For soups, sauces, ketchup, 
preserves, and coufectiouery they are equally applicable, 
and the unripe fruit makes one of the best ol pickles. 
By analysis the fruit of the love-apple has been found 
1 to contain a particular acid; a volatile oil; a browu 
very fragrant, extraeto-rcsinous matter; a vegeto- 
mineral matter; mueo. saccharine, somo salts, and in 
all probability an alkaloid. According to the analysis 
of Poderfi and Hecht the tomato was found to cou- 
tiin : - 1. A pecular acid which is destroyed by a 
distilling heat, and which is combined by a bitter 
