The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-27
Home Grown Figs,

It must be that the reason figs are not
more grown than they are is because it
is not known how easily 1t can be done
writes Joseph Meehan in Practical Far
mer. About Philadelphia there are MANY
private gardens in which they are grown.
and it is not at all uncommon to find the
fruit on the table every day in its season.
which is from the middle OF July to the
same period in September or later. It
surprised me at first when l would show
visitors ripe figs to find very nearly every
one asking me what II was, and to be In
crcdulous when told 1t was the fruit Of
the fig. There is no reason why figs
should not be grown in every ones gar
den, and they can be, with no more trouble
than is given 20 many other fruits. There
is but one thing the bushes ask which is
to be covered with about six inches of
soil when freezing weather sets in, and to
be kept covered all winter. Six inches
is all we find necessary here; possibly
where freezings are very severe more may
be added, but my experience has been
thar it does not hurt them to freeze when
buried under ground. Many practice the
bending over the bushes and burying them.
as raspbe rries are done 1 have quite
given up this plan myself and prefer 10
dig the bushes up entirely and then bury
them underground. IT is much easier
done than the bending over Another
advantage of this system is that the dig
ging up checks the growth. keeping the
plants in bush shape, a more desirable
one than the tree form; and further 1t
promotes fruiung. I have seen little
2-year-old plants not over three feet high
with figs on, and when about or feet
they bear profusely. The first crop of figs
comes from tiny fruit just of a size to be
seen, which form the last thing in the
F-rF..
soon as the bushes are unearthed in spring
and planted. They ripen in about two and
a half months, when in a warm place.
AS soon as growth of shoots commences,
other figs are formed and these follow the
others in riDening with but few weeks
intermission between crops, and often
right after the last of the fret crop are
gone As growth continues other little
figs form, but here we cannot rely on
those ripening which appear after Aug. l.
Il runs the time for ripenlng up to the
middle of October, when it Is usually too
cold for the fruit to perfect itself Young
shoots of figs cut off in late fall, buried
up till spring, and then set out in the
open ground generally all root, hence
plants should not be hard to obtain. At
present but few nurseries keep them. a.
no call for them exists. There are green
ish yellow figs and brown or black ones
White Ischia and Brunswick are of the
lOfDleT Inc Brown turkey, Osborn
Prolific, Castle Kennedy and Black IschIa
are of the latter class. Perhaps some
thing In my soil did not suit the Brown
Turkey, as 1t did not do as we'll with me
as some Others. Prof Massey tells me
the Celestial Is much grown in North Car
DINA. have not fruited tnis one, but in
tend 10, as It is said to be very hardy AMI
prolific, though the fruit is small. Fur
Their South where but l.ttle freez NJ or.
ours, the cultivation of the fig should Re
a profitable industry. The Florida Form
and Fruit Grower says It is a mistake TO
suppose preserved figs are sueared in the
process. They are dried in this wsy:
Gather the figs when entirely rloe ord
partially dry them, SO that they will not
burst when pressed, then pack them in
layers in a box; have a board fitting tight
ON the inside on which place a weight
then keep them in dry place until dry
weather. when II will he found that sugar
has been formed on the outside, and if
well done they are in no respect irits,11r
TO the foreign article. This method 4,
in very common use in California aul IS
said never to fail when properly followed
1t 10 a mis- taken idea tiat figs and raistns
ale packed in sugar; they form their own
sugar There are several pilVAte parties
who grow figs abo II philaielphfa ana IN
whose tables the fruit is 10 he found every
day Of the season. As it requires about
two and one-half months for the fruit to
perfect itself. the small ones which ap-
pear on the bushes after midsummer do
not mature in Northern states.
Close Root Pruning Gaining Favor.
When the strlngfellow system of root
pruning was first suggested several years
ago in Texas, most tree planters consid-
cred the idea visionary, says the Ameri-
can Agriculrurist. II consists in cutting