The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-10-15
Ole 6asette.
Abo,t Fies.


The capabilities Of our climate
owing chiefly to The extremes oI
heat aud cold, about which so much
eomr laint is made, are much gpeat.
ar than those of the European
countries, from which most OF ut
derive our ancestry. The capa.
bilities are as yet very imperfectly
developed. because we naturally
cling TO the productions and the
modes ol culture inherited by our
fathers, however unsuited to our
surroundings. Bat tho frequent
failures Of late years Of some OF the
fruits on which were wont to rely.
notably, apples and peaches, should
mako as turn to others, though
heretofore unknown among us, il
equally valuable, and now certain
TO bear regular crops In our climate.
Among these, af.er trial OF
more than thirty years, the first OF
experiments, and latterly of com
plete success, / believe that the old
fashioned Biblical fig is one of the
mosr promising.
The fig treo is hardy, healthy, a
quick grower, suits our summer
climate admirably, and is easily
protected without removal through
our severest winters; is a sure
bearer and very prolific. II grows
from the slip, like a currant bush,
bearing fruit in three or four years
from the slip. and have hnd trees
three years old bear fair crop tho
year after they werc transplanted
After the trees are four or Eve
years old they produce from the
same area, with less labor. q larger
and more certain crop 10 SGuthern
Ohio than either potatoes or toma
toes. The large yellow fg begins
10 ripenabout the Same time as the
earliest summer apples. This year
(l868) on the l4th Of July.
The smaller Purple fig begins to
ripen about n month later. and has
q succession of crops until Octo
Der. Sometimes late in October.
mention these two varieties he
cause they have succeeded best
with mo. ] havetbis year, for the
first time, dried a few of The large
yellow figs (the common fig Of com.
merce) and find them ut Ieast as
good as those wo import. These
can be produced in our climate as
eheaply.as dried peaches, and much
more regularly
like them best fresh from tho
tree, and often breakfast on them.
The demand by the family has been
90 great that i have not thought
OF drying them until this season
when have cart load ofripe fgs
from on area Of less than four
square rods.
The fg is not likely tc be grown
in large orchards, bat ia eminently
the fruit u the cottagor and villa
ger, and when its merits and adap
liability TO our climate become gen
erhlly known will be as regularly
grown for family use, all over the
Ohio Valley, As the potato or to.
mato.
A great obstacle to the intro.
duetlon Of new orops, is the suspl.
elon by the much abused public, |
that anything new is highly com.
msnded, chiefly because Of the prof
its to accrue to the c0mmendcr.
For tho fg tree, | can safely suy |
ihat II is so easily aud surely prop |
agated and multiplied that al. |
though i will bo very profitable
TO the cultivator, il Ia not likely TO
be 50 to onursery. mon.
Should this article attract any
attention from fruit growers, I will
N anolher, describe how | have
grown fine ripe figs In the open mir
cheaply, regularly and in grsai
abundance. ~
JAS, t. W0RTHINGToN.