Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-04-26
Ayers Hair Vigor,
Sold nv DrurpisfS and Perfnmers
THE SMYRNA FIG.

How the Toothsome Fruit 10 Prepared for
tho Market.
The fig market at Smyrna has an
appearance scarcely in accord with
the Importance # it's transactions or
the area over which its goods are ulti-
mately distributed. Two narrow.
dirty streets. lined with shanties. are
devoted to the staple industry of the
place. tits with figs as other highly
priced articles of food-the less we
know of the earlier stage of them the
greater our comfort in their con snmp-
ton. The sacks are laid out in the
open street and block up the whole
thoroughfare but for narrow pas
sage through which the camels thread
their way. Passengers have to scram-
BILE along as best they can. The sacks
are heaped up two or three strata
high. 1t is arduous work clambering
over them. The goat-hair bags make
a slippery surface. but if you fall. at
least you are not hurt. These sacks.
when they are of the full size. weigh
about two kintals (say $50 pounds)
apiece, aud two of them form a
camel load. 1t is curious that
you never see more and never see less
than the two sacks. Some kind Of
prescription fixes the burden. quite
without regard to the capacity of tho
bearer Some of the camels are
sturdy beasts. that could easily bear
more than five hundred pounds on
their backs. while others are weak
and weary; the load is always the
same. Into these two streets at mar.
ket time come the Greek merchants,
who are the middlemen in the fig
trade. Indeed. there are many mid.
dlemen. and several series of profits
are realized before the article reaches
the consumer As a rule, the Greeks
sell 10 the packers. who in turn sell to
the shippers; though sometimes the
shippers buy and pack for themselves.
The packing is, perhaps, the most
characteristic stage in the whole
process. First there is the re-sorting.
and this duty is trusted to women,
Turks and Christians working togetll-
er in perfect peace. The sorting
done. the fruit. is carried to
the pullers and the packers.
The pulling is not pleasant to think
Of The mentor it needs the
strength of male fingers-sit in long
rows on each side of temporary
table made of two boards on trestles.
They sit on stools; squatting on the |
ground has quite gone out now in the |
towns Beside each packer stands .
pile of empty boxes. and near every
two or three is placed large fat |
basket full Of sorted fruit and beside |
the basket can of salt and water.
The man chooses the fig he intends to
pull. and then. dipping his hand in
the salt water. fattens it between his
fingers, at the same time splitting it |
near the stalk. He then places it in
the box. Long practice gives great
perfection in the arts of pulling and
packing. You see the fruit distrib- !
uted in rows so neatly that . knife
might be dropped between them with
out cutting any Of the fruit Nearly
all Of the figs packed for export are
pulled" The salt water brings out /
the sugar. which, in about three
months comes to the surface when
the fruit Is In the best condition for
eating IN r Commercial Adeestiees.
Joseph A. Gin accompanied his wife 10 I
Oakley to-day on her way to Omaha