The farmers' vindicator. (Jackson, Miss.) 1873-1???, 1874-08-14
81 0rtiGultnre.
HOW TO CULTIVATE, CURE, AND PRE-
SERVE THEM.

sSA1fAVhf AAAAsAtAs
Many articles have been written on
the subject Of zig culture, and people
have tried in various ways to make
them a source of profit as well as
pleasure, and in most cases failed from
the want Of knowledge as to the diff
ference between the well-known fig of
commerce and the different varieties
grown in the Southern States of
America. The imported fig ofSmyrna
is an entirely different kind from that
grown in our gardens, being Of very
dry texture, and, when plucked from
the trees, insipid and tasteless so
much so that it is not eaten to any great
extent by the natives of those regions.
1t is not packed in sugar or otherwise
preserved for transportation, and scarce
ly any preparation is necessary to fit
them for market. Being shaken from
trees, they are packed into baskets or
hampers after few hours exposure to
the sun. Our own figs are produced
from cuttings imported from France,
Spain, and Italy, and entirely different
from the Smyrna fig, being very sweet,
juicy and luscious-so juicy that in
our warm climate it has hitherto prov
ed Of no value in commercial sense,
owing to the fact that unless the wealth
er is very dry or some artificial process
is used, they are apt to sour and be-
come entirely worthless, SO that most
persons who have tried to preserve them
by the, drying process have generally
given it up in despair, combining them
selves either to their use as table
fruit, or preserving them in sugar in
the usual way, leaving the bulk of
the crop for the pigs and chickens.
We have long been Of the opinion
that our native fig would become in
the course of time of inestimable value
as desert fruit, adding thousands of
dollars to the resources of the country,
could some practical way be found to
prepare them in proper shape for mar
ket. One way Of doing this is by the
celebrated Alden pneumatic process,
which in very short space Of time
evaporates the water in the fruit, turn
ing out a fine, clean merchantable ar
ticle, bright and free from insects and
their eggs. The principal part of the
apparatus CONSISTS of q vertical chamber
fifteen to tNfBnty feet high, and three
to Eve feet sg2Iare, containing. a series |
Of frames ond above another, four and
a half inches apart, covered with wire
netting, and all moved upward together
by endless chains. The heating appa-
ratus ia placed under this chamber,
from which currents Of air, heated to
any required temperature, pass up
through and around the frames. On
each frame is spread, say twenty
pounds of fruit. The lowest frame
is first placed in the chamber directly
over the heat at the bottom of the
shaft, where it remains for six minutes.
1t is then moved up four and half
inches, and fresh frame is put on be-
meath it. AT regular intervals of six
the whole series of frames are
moved upward four and half inches,
and fresh frame is put beneath them
until all the frames are in, containing,
say twenty.one bushels of fruit. At
this time, the shaft being full, one
frame is taken off the top and one is
put in at the bottom every six minutes,
evaporating twenty-one bushels of fruit
ready for packing every six hours. 1t
is claimed that $4,000 pounds OF
grapes can be converted, weekly, with
one evaporation, into $4,000 pounds of
raisins, at a cost of one ana half cent
a pound, ready for market. The same
quantity of figs will produce $4,000
to 10000 pounds. One bushel of ap.
pies, six pounds; one bushel peaches,
six and a half pounds; the same guam.
tity of tomatoes, three pounds is the
result. BY this description of the
svaporator and its results, it will be
seen that the culture of our best va
rietles of figs can be made extremely
and is an industry that has
been very much neglected. Cor. ~ Y
Times.