Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1872-01-20
The FlOwering of the Fig.

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wonder. The fruit seems to come out
in the place where flowers ought to
be; and the appearance is that there
are no flowers before the fruit, as
there are in other plants. 1t was the
habit in the past ages to attribute
something miraculous to every ap-
pearance out of the ordinary course OF
nature, and to take the occasion to
connect these marvellous appearances
with some individual whom they
wished the world to venerate and es-
TEEN. So this fg-tree marvel came
to be associated with the flight of
Mary into Egypt with the infant
Jesus. The Spaniards tell us that in
her flight she sheltered herself one
night under fig tree In recon-
pense for the security afforded she
blessed the tree, and bestowed unon
it marvellous power. In foreign coun-
tries it produces two crops a year, and
this was one Of the blessings then con-
ierred. But in order that the tree
might be ferlilized-for even in those
days it was known that flowers We're
Of two the tree put forth by
her command one magnificent white
flower of rare beauty 1t was pure
white, and shot forth rays of phoSpho-
resent lovelness. This fructities the
whole tree, and renders any other
flower unnecessary. This towering
still continues every year on one night
onlv-St. John night. 1t opens for
a few moments at midnight, and who
ever could see and secure this flower,
though at the expense of the whole
future Of fig culture, would possess
himself Of a charm which would ena-
bic him to procure anything he might
desire in this world. The Virgin
Mary, knowing this, caused the fly,
for this evening Of its Towering, to be
guarded by all kinds of horrible
things. There are snakes, lizards
bloated toads, birds of i'll omen, wild
beasts and vcnemous reptiles Of ev-
cry description, SO that no one has
eyer been able to get near enough to
see this miraculous and Wonderful
Hover.
This story is firmly believed in by
all those old Latin races, whose chance
for life is cast in those regions where
the liz tree dWells; and has always
been sufficient reason to thnm why
the liz tree have never ANY AoWer, a.
;hey think.
What a pity it is that the cold hand
Of science is 50 ever ready to crash t.
dust all these beautiful stories. 1t
tells us, in spite Of these lovely tradi-
tons Of ages past, that the fig has
flowers like unto any other plant, but
the flowers are inside what We call the
fruit Al. flowers rest on something
Take the apple, for instance. Th"
flowers are set on a small globular
production. The floral parts, the pc
tails, and s,amens, rise out Of the cen
tire Of this globe and after they die
away this globe swells and becomes
the apple which We eat The fig is
pretty uucA formel in the same way.
The little globe which we see pushing
from the axle of the Ioafanl which al-
forwards becomes the irlitIs filled with
floral parts just as we see IN the ap-
pie; but these parts never project ny
through the centre so as to be seen by
vulgar eyes There is small oriiice
at the apex through which the pollen
is drawn, and that is all that is known
to any one except Of the more curious
class. This curiosity is rewarded on,
breaking open young flower, by iil-
ding it filled with a pink, aponSy sub
stance each Of the little projections
composing 1t being found by a small
pocket lens TO be Il small flower
Thus the mystery ceases. The fig is
really a little community in winch
hundreds of individual flowers dwell,
and thus ends in hard, cold facts the
mystery Of the Virgin and the fig
tree.