The oasis., 1893-12-14
CURING THE WHITE ADErArIc FIG


 IA paper read by c. A. Raymond before the California State Fruit Growers Convention at Los Angeles, November 22nd, ls9J.l
 In what l am about to say on the curing of the fig, please bear steadily in mind:
 First-That speak of the White Adriatic only, and
 Second Of that fig as grown by me in my own orchard and locality Of other varieties, other localities and other methods have but little knowl- edge and no practical experience. So 1 condemn none of these things, claim ing no superiority in any respect.
 The proper curing of the fig begins with the picking. No one with large clumsy hands and thick blunt fingers, can pick as it should be done. The stem must be taken, but the skin must not be bruised nor the fruit split. Pick when the fig is fully ripe, but do not use figs that have dropped on to the ground. differ here from other growers but l find that sound fig will not drop. but will dry on the tree and also find that the figs that drop are always defective. Do not forget that | am talking only of my figs. Pick in small wire baskets that hang on the left arm, leaving both hands free. Empty these into shallow boxes or baskets. Do not use deep ones as the fruit is so tender that the lower DOT tion in n deep vessel becomes bruised and for curing worthless. Place the figs carefully on the trays, none touch ing, all lying in the same direction. Sort into two sizes and keep on separ- ate trays Use enough sulphur to burn fifteen or twenty minutes and leave in the sulphur box an hour. Place the travs on racks in the sun. When one side is bleached turn each fig over by hand to bleach the other, The racks for trays should hold them at a conye- nieat height from the ground for the frequent handling they now require.
 It is paIpable that picking can be done only in the forenoon, as the en- tire afternoon is required for bleach ing.
 In about two days begin Co roll the figs. This will require extreme care, to avoid bursting the skin, as it isstill quite tender. In laying down each fig lightly press it a little flat. The fol- lowing day they can be rolled much more vigorously and from now on will stand rough handling. In putting down the figs after the second rolling. press them quite flat, they will then cure more quickly. In another day or two they should be well cured but not dried. Never let them get dry and leathery, as they cannot be restored to softness. Stack the trays for another day or so and then empty into the sweat boxes. At every handling, be- ginning with the picking, a process of sorting any reJectlng goes on. me sorting for degree of curing, and the rejection of bad and defective figs. The defects are mainly black mould and white and souring How to de- tect these it is impossible to describe partly by their appearance but prin- clpally by the feeling. Often the bad f,s are the largest and handsomest hgt they never feel just as a perfect one does. The only rule l can pre- scribe is, until you have learned the trick, to break open and examine any fig tll4t is in the least suspicious. In this way vau will soon learn to detect tue bad ones and 1t thereafter becomes almost instructive aud mechanical.