The herald., 1893-09-03
EXPERIMENTS IN FIG CULTURE
The Report of the State Board
of Horticulture.
A Study Of the Manner of Picking
and Curing the Fruit.
General Raymond Gives the Result Of
His Experfence-All the Details
of the Picking and Our
ing Process.

ug given IN vul5 Dulleblu WoIe puUHshou
in the report of the state board OF hor-
ticulture for 1889, and are now fepub-
lished at the request OF many growers,
the report for that year having become
exhausted,
EXPERIMENTS IN FIG CURING.
After several years OF experimenting
in processing figs, for the purpose of de-
termining the best and cheapest method
of the many used in this state and OF
those from foreign countries, we were
able in 1889 to give to the public two
recipes which have been used by grow
ers with excellent results. George A..
Raymond of Miramonte, Kern county,
who has acquired worldwide reputa-
tion for the excellence of his dried tg,
under date of November 8, 1892, writes: :
My process for picking and curing IS
that described by you on page l2S OF
the annual report OF the state board OF
horticulture for 1889. / have learned
two things OF great Importance by ex-
perience. The first is, that the trees
must not be irrigated later than elk
weeks before the fruit ripens. The Sec
ond is, that so soon as the nights grow
s.aol and there ia the least indication OF
dew, at once stop curing. In either
case, il these rules are not carried out
the figs will ferment within very few
montbs after curing; these roiea apply
here. | keep my trees ss close 20 the
ground as possible, heading out at
foot to Is inches. My trees have very
denee foliage, go close that from the
outside you can rarely look we'll
into the tree. This | find
prevents a great deal of sunburn on the
fruit, to which the fig is quite liable.
My trees have no so-called first crop.
The White Adriatic has only one crop.
A good thing, as / am satisfied that crop
will not cure and keep well. The fruit
begins ripening about the middle of
August and is all picked in about six
weeks or less. This year (1892) began
picking August 18th and finished Sep
tember l9th, Just as the first cool nights
came on, and at that time there was not
an average of half pound of fruit left
per tree-very convenient habit of the
trees.
THE PROCESS.
The process is as follows, The figs are
allowed to shrivel on the trees, then are
picked and placed on their sides on
trays. The trays used are made OF Stats
to allow ventilation from the bottom.
The trays are then placed in the sulphur
ing house, or box, which should not be
too large, and neither should the trays,
for it is difficult to handle such heavy
fruit without hruising. The trays hav-
ing been placed in the sulphuring house,
or box, the door is shut, and the sulphur,
which is placed on the ground in an iron
kettle or pan at least two feet below the
lower tray, is lighted and allowed to
burn. Great care must be used in the
amount of sulphur that is burned.
which is acquired only by experience,
for il too much is used the figs will have
Il smoky taste, and again, ii not enough,
the figs will not become entirely
bleacfred, and when drisd will not pos
fess that light color so much desired,
but will retain partI Off the greenish
tint, apeciahy-the paftJresting on the
tray.
TIME TO SULPHUR.
Fruit cannot be we'll ieulphured or
iumed in less than 20 minutes from the
time the sulphur is ignited, as at least
10 minutes is required for the mass of
sulphur to generate enough fumes or
smoke to entirely fill every space of the
sulphur house. However, after the
box, or house, is we'll flied with fumes,
10 minutes longer is enough time for
the fumes to accomplish their effect. 1t
could do no further good if the fruit
should be allowed to remain longer
time. The object, therefore, in leaving
the fruit in the sulphur bath longer
time is for the purpose of allowing the
fruit to undergo an artificial sweat. to
reduce the skin, which is done by the
heat generated by the inclosed fumes.
This is great advantage, for when the
fruit is 30 treated and placed in the sun
to dry, the skin is reduced to a mini
mum and turns quite transparent.
CARE IN sULPHURING.
Sulphur must not be burned too near
the trays, for the reason that the fumes
are heavy. and considerable pure sul-
phur is liberated and deposited on the
fruit. Thus considerable fruit becomes
damaged. The fruit on the lower trays,
instead OF bleaching out, will become q
pinkish color and will not dry. Such
fruit, generally, when put in the sun
to dry remains puffed up, seemingly
full of air. This can be avoided by
placing an empty air-tight tray on the
bottom and allow the fumes to ascend
by the side. After the house or box ia
well filled with smoke, which can be
seen through q trap door, it is about
time to withdraw the sulphur pan.
TIME OF PICKING.
/ find it best to pick the fruit in the
morning, or early in the afternoon, for
after it has been subjected to the sui.
phur fumes and placed in the sun it
bleaches out beautifully, much better
than in the afternoon, as the hot rays OF
the sun are an advantage. Fruit picked
and Hulphured late in the afternoon will
not bleach out as we'll, as the sun will be
almost too weak to accomplish the pur-
pose. Fruit put out in the morning or
early in the afternoon, during the wsrm.
eat part of the day, become much better
fruit, pliable. soft, and the skin is re-
duced considerably.
TREATMENT WHILE IN THE SUN,
The fruit having been exposed to the
sun for an hour, is turned over by hand.
This is done to allow the part resting
on the trays to also become bleached
as that part will retain its original color
ii not turned over. After being out one
or two days handling begins, that is the
figs are rolled between the fingers, popu-
larly called ZIG pulling" or 'rolline. -
This Is done to prevent the fige from
getting hard in drying, and which opera
tion can be repeated every day if the