SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
249 
of frost, and that, at present, there is no practicable or 
“paying” method of protecting them, we proceed to enu- 
merate the fruits that, with proper attention, may b« said 
never to fail, in this ricinity. 
1st. The Strawberry. — This delicious fruit begins to 
ripen with us early in April, and has, frequently, given us 
a constant supply of fruit until the 20th of July, without 
artijiciat watering. With a soil of the proper depth and 
culture, mulching, manuring with leaf-mould, ashes, &c., 
and a regular supply of water — all of which are essential 
to the perfection of this fruit — we have no doubt that the 
whole period of fruiting may easily and profitably be ex- 
tended from 3 to 5 months. Longer than that, the ef- 
fort to “force” them would not “pay” — and it is probable 
that the appetite, ever “studious of change and fond of 
novelty,” would prefer the other fruits, each of which 
Nature seems to have adapted to its own particular sea- 
son. Very few people, however, in the South have yet 
been surfeited on the Strawberry — and, as our climate is 
highly favorable to its production, we hope to see its cul- 
ture everywhere extended. The reader v/ill find an ex- 
cellent article on the choice of varieties, modes of culture, 
&c., in our July number, page 219. The earlier blossoms 
of the Strawberry are often killed by the frost, but it in- 
variably blooms again and produces an abundance of 
fruit. 
2d. The Fig.— This delicious and healthy fruit— of 
which we have many varieties — grows almost spontane- 
ously everywhere ; though a rich and somewhat moist 
soil is best adapted to its perfect development. Three 
crops a year are produced here, under favorable circum- 
stances — though two crops are as many as we can safely 
count on. As a breakfast dish, ripe and luscious Figs are 
unrivalled — being more light, digestible and v/holesome 
than almost any other fruit. The)^, also, make a very rich 
and delicate preserve^ and the.'-e is no good reason why 
the whole TJ nion may not in time be supplied from the 
Southern States with dried Figs, equal to those of 
Smyrna. There is another most deheious confection, 
known as “Turkish Fig Paste,” which is said to be 
manufactured at Constantinople. It is, apparently , made 
by boiling down ripe Figs in a syrup of v/hite sugar, 
straining the mass to free it from the seeds, &c., flavoring 
it slightly with spices or lemon, and adding isinglass or 
gelatine to give it the proper cqpsistency. It is, while soft, 
poured into little square moulds, allowed to cool and har- 
den, then sprinkled with a fine powder of sugar and flour, 
and packed in fancy pasteboard boxes, holding from 4 to 
6 pounds.' It is sold by the New York confectioners at 
50 cents per lb., retail ; or 35 cents per lb., by the box. It 
will keep any length of time, to all appearance; and we 
should think any of our skillful housewives could make it 
with little difficulty, by procuring a sample box and ex- 
amining the article carefully. The demand, at 25 or 30 
cents per pound would, we doubt not, make it a very 
profitable article of commerce. Who, among our lady 
readers, will exhibit samples of Southern “Fig Paste” at 
the coming Fairs of Georgia, Alabama, or South Caro- 
lina 1 The Cultivator v/ill give a premium of Ten Dol- 
lars (S 10) for the best box shown, and the privilege of 
publishing the recipe for making. Fig trees are not en- 
tirely hardy here — they need a slight protection of pine 
tops or similar shelter, while young, succulent and ten- 
der — severe winters often nip them quite sharply, but 
their recuperative power is astonishing: as some varieties, 
(the Alicante, for instance) even when killed to the ground, 
tln'ow out n.ew shoots in spring and bear fruit upon these 
young shoots the same year. We have never known 
anything like an entire failure of the Fig crop. 
3rd. The Apple. — This most valuable fruit has been, 
heretofore, undeservedly neglected. We find it adapted 
to almost eveiy variety of soil, except a dry and barren 
sand, and at Fruilland’* we Tiever have failed of a crop. 
It is easy to have an uninterrupted succession of Apples 
from the first week in June until the following spring — 
nearly the whole year — by commencing with the Red 
Astraclian, Julian, &c., and ending with the Carter, Cul- 
lasaga, Nickajack, Shockley, Yellow Crank, etc. The 
finer varieties of early apples, such as Red Astrachan, 
Early Harvest, &c., may (when Peaches fail,) be shipped 
at good prices to the Northern cities ; and the fall and win- 
ter varieties always command high rates in our own mar- 
kets. We need hardly repeat the necessity of always se- 
lecting our native Southern varieties for fall and winter 
use. All, or nearly all the European and Northern late 
Apples ripen here in summer or early autumn, and are 
worthless for keeping purposes. New varieties of the 
Apple may be produced from the seed, but the readiest 
method of propagating well known and approved kinds, 
is by grafting and budding into healthy seedling stocks. 
Thrifty grafts of one year old, are large enough to trans- 
plant into the orchard or fruit garden ; but two year old 
trees, prbperly trained, with stocky trunks and low heads, 
are better. The Apple should supersede the Peach, 
largely, wherever the latter is peculiarly liable to be killed 
by spring frosts. It possesses many advantages over the 
Peach, in its hardiness, greater duration and longer keep- 
ing qualities ; and in all its products, such as dried fruit, 
cider, vinegar, &c., &c., it may be made an article of ex- 
tensive use and commercial importance. 
4th. The Pear, when properly grown and ripened, is 
unquestionably the king of all fruits; but comparatively 
few persons in the South have ever eaten in full perfection 
a Bartlett, a White Doyenne, a Scckle, a Duchesse, or a 
Winter Nelis. This fruit is more tender than the Apple, 
but less so than the Peach, Apricot, &c. It seems perfect- 
ly adapted t© all parts of the South, but requires more 
deep and careful culture, mulching, manuring, &c., &c., 
than careless people are willing to bestow upon it. — 
It should be planted largely by all who are prepared to 
give it proper treatment; as the marvelous prices which 
it commands in the large cities (from Si to S6 per dozen, 
for the best winter varieties) will justify a very liberal out- 
lay of money and labor in its production. We shall have 
much more to say on this fruit, when the great experi- 
mental Pear orchard of our friend and neighbor, Mr. 
Berckmans, gets fairly in operation. It may be proper 
to state that there is sometimes a tendency on the part of 
both the Apple and the Pear to fail upon alternate years, 
independentof the frost. This is generally the result of ex- 
haustion by over-bearing in the regular seasons, and may 
be prevented and a crop secured every year, by thinning 
the fruit, proper culture and liberal manuring. 
5th. The Grape. — We are disposed to rank this fruit 
as the easiest of propagation, the surest and most profitable 
in all we have yet mentioned, and to recommend it most 
strongly to the attention of all persons who wish to enter 
into the business of Fruit Growing. The Grape will grow 
and produce well, in the South, in almost any soil which 
has been properly prepared. This preparaiion consists 
in thoroughly loosening and disintegrating the soil by 
trenching with the spade, (or plow and spade,) to tiie 
depth of at least two feet, though even twice that depth 
would be better; and if the land is naturally very poor, 
incorporating the proper quantity of manure with the 
soil, during the process of trenching. As a general rule, 
however, it is not necessary, in common vineyard culture, 
to apply ftny m.anure until the second or third year, when 
the vines begin to bear fruit. The Grape is propagated 
by cuttings, which may be easily and cheaply obtained — 
the hardy native varieties as Seuppervony f Catawba, 
*The Scuppernong must be raised by layering — it does 
not strike well from the cutting. 
