Imperial Valley press., 1912-09-24
FIG

There is an interesting history
lying back of the fig in California
Some thirty years ago the boom in
this fruit was just beginning to mani
fest itself. The state had become well
acquainted with the old mission fig
the common, large, purple fruit. but it
wanted something else and it wanted
TO set into figs big. 1t began TO
experiment with the several varieties
of white figs, and some of them devel.
oped into pretty good form, but they
never were made rivals of the i'm
ported Smyrna fruit
At last the government found that
the Smyrna fl g is cross fertilized with
the wild fig of Smyrna, the Capri, a
small insect serving to carry the pollen
of the wild bloom to that of the ed
ible fruit, and after much pains the
wild fl g and the insect were colonized
in Fresno county, from which time by
caprification a dried pressed fig has
been produced which ranks fairly well
with the imported.
DCL u Q inns vas dtuiCNtu many TOT
tunes had been sunk in an effort to
build up fig industry, and even vet
the industry is conducted on n small
scale
There is one distinct disadvantage
with the fig, which is its perishable
nature. and unless some new method
can be found for prolonging its keep
ing qualities, the fig will never be
widely distributed in its fresh state.
Possibly such a method can be found,
like that found for grapes, by packing
them in sawdust.
But two Of the finest table delicacies
served are sweet-pickled and pre-
served figs, and the fig industry in
America must be in large part built
on such use of the fruit, though there
should be a great market developed
for loosely dried and pressed dried
fruit.
Dried figs should be cheaper
throughout the country than dried
apples. and if the American house
wife knew of their merits the con-
sumption would run very high.
Such are some of the factors of
the market which the producer of figs
in this valley must face, and SUNNI ed
up they mean that the fig market is
yet to be created, and the cultivation
of the taste of the American people
is an expensive undertaking.
For this reason, the Press does not
believe the conditions are favorable
for men of limited means to engage
in the growing of figs beyond the
few that may be supplied to coast
cities during the month or SO before
coast figs ripen.
1t is to be regretted that no ready
made market exists for the valley figs,
for there is scarcely another section
which can rival this in the production
of this fruit. Here are grown the
largest and the sweetest figs known
to California, and experiments made
here with cross fertilization of Smyrna
figs indicate that the valley figs are
superior to the Fresno product.
The time may come when the fig
will have a great market, and when
that time does come this valley will
be one of the greatest of producers
but for the present there is nothing
TO Justify the planting of a large acre.
age of this magnificent fruit.
But even for the present, the Press
is anxious to see a few trees grown
on every farm and see the expert
mental paintings take a wide range
of varieties, that when the time doe
come to develop the market it will b
better known what varieties should be
planted.
Some day the fig should rival the
prune and raisin in bulk and profit.
and there is no obstacle, horticultur-
ally speaking, to Imperial valley being
the chief producer.