The Penn's Grove record., 1892-01-29
THE PIONEERING OF THE FIG.
By MRS. NEISLER.

To the uneducated eye, the fig is a
mystery. The fruit seems to come
from where the flowers ought to be,
and there seems he no flowers before
fruit, as in other plants. In past ages
1t was attributable to something mirac-
ulous; the appearance of anything out
of the ordinary course of nature, was
taken as occasion to connect these Won
drous appearances with some indl-
vidual whom they wished the world to
venerate and esteem. So this fig tree
wonder came to be associated with the
fleeing of Mary with the infant Jesus
into Egypt. We learn from the Span
iards, that in her flight she sheltered
herself under q fig tree. In recon-
pense for the security afforded her, she
blessed the tree, and bestowed upon it
marvellous power. One of the bless
ings conferred, was producing two
crops a year. In order that the tree
might he fertilized, even in those daysit
was known that the flower was OF two
sizes. The tree put forth, by her COM
mand, Il magnificent white flower of
unknown beauty and purity. 1t sent
forth rays of phosphorescent lowell
ness, This fructities the whole tree,
and renders any other flower unneces-
sary.
This Towering continues every year
on n night only-St, Nicholas. 1t
opens for a few minutes at midnight,
and whoever could see or secure this
flower, at the expense of the whole fu-
ture of fig culture, would possess him
self of a charm which would enable
him to procure anything he might
wish in the world. Tue Virgin Mary,
knowing this, caused the tree on the
evening OF its towering to be guarded
by all kinds of horrible thines-snakes,
lizards, bloated toads, birds of ill
omen, wild beasts and venomous rep
tiles OF every description, so that nj
Il has ever leen able to get near
enough to see this wonderful and mar
vicious bower. The story is firmly be-
Heved by all those Latin races, whose
chance for life is cast in those regions
where the fig tree dwells, and has
always been a sufficient reason to them,
why the fig never had any tiower-so
they think. What a pity all those
beautiful aud Interesting stories are
o'uSS 5CltuCo tello u.s. III oplbo
OF these lovely traditions of ages past,
that the hg tree has flowers as every
other plant, but the flowers are inside
what We call the fruit. All flowers rest
upon something. The apple, is mach
sought and enjoy ed by us during the
summer S%olstice, Whel we thirst for an
hclu. The formation of this fig Is
analogous to the apple; the little globe
We zee pushing from tue AXIS of the fig
Leaf, and which afterwards becomes the
irnlt, is filled with floral parts, just as
we See IN the apple, but these parts
never project up the centre, 80 as to he
seer by vulgar eyes. There is a small
orillce at the apex through which the
ponce Is drawn, and this is all that is
kiown OF the formulation of the fig.
The curiosity is rewarded in opening
a Hover, 10y finding it filled with q
pihN' slongy substance; each of the
mile projections composing it. 10 ecn
To DO a small flower b, the aid of a
Iona Thus the mystery of the fig tree
Is solved. The fig is a little commn
nity IN which hundreds of individual
mowers dwell inside the Iruit.- W0D.un's