Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-10-03
FIG-CULTURE.
GliInpses of Trees and Fruit in Different
Sections.

isan Francisco Bulletin.
| To learn more about experimental fig
| culture in the lower counties was the OBJ
| ject of a trip upon which Secretary Lelong,
| of the State Board OF Horticulture, set out
| about two weeks ago. He came back Sat.
urday night, full of information and with
| renewed enthusiasm regarding the future
| capabilities of fig culture in California. He
visited Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange,
Tulare and Fresno counties.
Generally, from all his observation re-
garding climatic conditions, he is satisfied
| that figs do best away from the coast The
Sierra foothills seem especially adapted to
successful fig culture. Fresno figs are
| larger and iucier than those of Placer. but
not so desirable for packing. At Fresno
white Adriatic figs were picked the latter
| part of July, and now more are being
| taken from the same trees. In the coast
counties the first figs are only now matured
and ready for packing. There are really
two crops on healthy trees in the interior.
The second crop is green when the first
| figs are picked, and when the first crop is
| all gathered the second is ready for pick
| ing. 1t is found that both crops Of the fig
known as the California White Adriatic
| are of about equal size. and therefore of
equal value. The San Pedro, white fig
| largely raised in Los Angeles county, has
much smaller fruit for the second yield.
These small, prettily formed figs are largely
| used for preserving and for glace fruits by
candy makers.
New varieties of figs were especially
| sought after the idea being to ascertain and
make known if there are here growing any
new sorts of figs that may be better for
general culture than any now being
planted. He found the results of the en-
| terprise of the Bulletin, in this regard, were
widespread. In the San Gabriel valley, in
| Santa Barbara, all through Los Angeles
and San Diego counties, and especially
| about Fresno, he found trees known by the
| growers as the Bulletin fig. secured by them
| from cuttings imported by this journal
several years ago. Most of these Bulletin
| trees were five or six years old, and on none
| OF them that he came across had the fruit
matured. In many cases he found men
| discouraged because the fruit, when appa-
rently nearly ready to ripen, dropped off
| Mr.. Lelong readily explained this, and in
some cases prevented the valuable trees
| from being uprooted. by telling the growers
that those choice Asiatic varieties never
/ bear good fruit until from eight to twelve
| years old.
In Fresno. on TIE places of both Messrs.
| Denicke and Roeding, he found what he
| considers two distinct kinds of Bulletin fig
| trees. The trees of each kind are about six
years old. The kinds differ in respect to
bark and leaves. One has light, clear,
smooth, gray bark. II has wide spread.
ing habit of growth, and the leaves are
| three pointed. The other has a dark,
rough, knotty, or wiry bark, with leaves
five pointed. 1t is believed that in two
years more ali these trees will bear. and
Mr.. Lelong considers the indications ex-
cellent that the fruit from them will
| demonstrate the great value of the trees
Itis interesiingto note that there are trees
growing near. imported three years ago
from Turkey by w. c. West, which, to all
outward indications, are identical with
those known IS the Bulletin trees. Mr.
Roeding, above mentioned, has the old DR.
Eissn place, near Fresno, and there he has
now growing over twenty-five varieties o1
French aud Italian figs. Some eff thess
are very much like the fig now rs:sed hers