Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1907-06-20

y
up in paperllned, ornamented white
wood boxes. Last year more than
5000 glasses Of jelly were made from
these trees. 1.-TWO tropical guaya
trees are growing in the open, near
the house, but are boxed in during the
winter, and as in the case of those in
the large enclosure, are warmed with
oil heaters during frost. On account
Of having been supplied with waste
kitchen water they are bearing well9
Several shrubs OF the cattley or straw
berry guava are growing in the open
or in the enclosure. This guava bears
small, round, purple fruits, which are
agreeable to eat when fresh. but do
not make such well-flavored jelly as
the tropical guaya. The small yellow
Chinese guava, which is also growing
in the open, yields jelly from which
the true guava flavor seems entirely
absent Some of the varieties of
guaya in the enclosure, especially the
large white, are agreeable dessert
fruits,
There are six large fig trees grow
Ing in the open, lower down the hill,
on soil which experience has shown
is not suited for oranges, being slight
ly clayey and apparently resting on
feIruginous subsoil These trees
were injured in the great frost of
E1S94-5 This year they did not start
well in the spring, on account of the
drought, and were cultivated and ma
nured for the first tine. They are of a
fine spreading dome shape, we'll
branched from the base. Two of them,
measured by the writer, are SO yards
in circumference of spread, the
branches being close and reaching
to the ground. The variety which is
used for preserving is called the
Smyrna. II forms quite large figs,
which are yellow when ripe. II the
fruits are left on too long they may
be eaten by the black crows, which
have to be driven of or shot. Zone
or more of the six fig trees bore
sugar figs and these turn brown when
ripe. They are not so good for pre-
serving. and were not used for that
purpose.) AS II is not possible to
ship ripe figs any considerable dis
lance. and the figs connot well be
dried in the sun on account of insects,
and because they cannot compete, II |
dried, with those figs which have
been fortified by the fig wasp (such |
as the dried figs now produced in Cali.
formal the alternative is TO preserve
them in syrup. The figs are picked
when firm, and just beginning to
turn yellow. (There is something
in the fresh figs, perhaps the milky |
juice, which Is irritating 10 the
skin, and it may be best TO wear rub
Der gloves while handling the fruit |
The figs are first boiled In water for
one hour, to remove all acridity. The
water is strained off and the figs
boiled for from two to two and
half hours in strong syrup made from
white graduated sugar. This syrup
Is made as strong as Il can be made
without crystaIizing. The figs are
then put, while hot. into glass bottles
with screw caps. Figs thus treated
form an excellent preserve, which de
serves and will doubtless attain wide
popularity. Last year, at Tacoma,
more than a hundred-weight OF figs
ives gathered from each ig tree.
There seems TO be a good demand
for domestic guava jelly in the Uni.
ted States, since the foreign product,
besides being usually heavily taxed,
is not uniform in quafity, and being
made carelessly and often with wood
for fuel with inferior sugar, is not
seldom smoky or otherwise OF poor
flavor OF consistence Figs we'll pre-
served in syrup seem TO be superior
to the dried article. There appears
TO be a likelihood that, with the whole
OF the United States to supply, the
preparation OF figs in syrup might be
proftably extended IN Florida. Where
fg trees do not do well a heavy mulch
Of perhaps moss, or Of water hyaciuth.
might be tried.
JOHN BELLING,
b. Sc. London.
Late OF the Imperial Department Of