The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1921-07-23
FIG TREES OF SOUTH
FACE DESTRUCTION
UnexplOited Fruit Victim Of
Conspiracy Of the Insect
= World.

The hg is reported lighting a los
ing battle for existence in Louisia-
ma. This struggling against heavy
odds Of insect pests, negligence and
indifference, threatens soon to be-
come q fruit Of the past. w. ]. War
rington. flg expert, warns the South
Of the rapid decline of that fruit, and
recommends that immediate steps be
taken by owners Of every individual
backyard tree to stay its destruction.
For ten years Mr.. Warrington con-
Quoted a fig experiment station near
Alexandria for the United States De
partment Of Agriculture, and has
given deep study to the propagation
and growing of figs. He is consider
ed the best authority on the hg in
the South today.
The fg crop in Louisiana has been
decreasing several years, and is ex-
tremely short this year. Where once
the fruit was peddled for ten and nf-
teen cents bucket it now commands
more than that price for pound, and
is hard to get at any cost.
The fig trees in the city, which al
ways have supplied tables and pre-
serving wants have been almost to-
tally destroyed by the meaIybug and
instead Of being an article If food
and that once we're considered to be
without value now are luxuries.
The Argentine Ant feeds on the
honey secretion supplied by the
mealybug, and has been known to
carry the bugs into trees and foster
their growth for the supply Of honey.
The mealybug has many common e.
nenlles. however, but. the ant often
offers it protection, and for this rea-
scn is almost always co-existent. The
bug is white in color and resembles.
a drop of milk. 1t infests the fib
leaves and sucks the leaf sap, caus-
ing fruit to wither and drop off.
For its control the Unlted Ststes
Department Of Agriculture recon-
mends the use of a spray containing
cresolated distillate emulsion and
soap powder emulsion and the n.
can be kept out of trees by the use
of grease bands around the tree
trunks.
The hg has never been thoroughly
exploited as commercial product,
and in all the country there are only
i've successfully growing orchards
of more than garden size. Three of
these are in the South, the other two
are in California. At Lucedale, Miss,
five hundred acres of figs are in culti-
walton, and more are being planted. |
At Aldine, Tex, land increased in
value from one dollar to 5000 an ac-
re when the fig was in troduced by
a Observation-Disclosures who started
a score of families into the produc-
tion of figs.
The little settlement at Union Sta
ton in iberia parish. boasts the larg-
est ig packing and shipping plant
east Of California Five years ago
the Louivierere brothers started with
a kettle over an open ere to make Ag
preserves for their own table. Last
year more than 10000 cases of fig
preserves were shipped from their
mandatory. A fig syrup is produc-
ed as by-product and the demand
from all parts OF. the country exceeds
the supply.
For ten years the United States
Department of Agriculture, in an at
tempt to popularize the fig as an ag-
ricultural product in the South,
maintained an experiment station at
Pinehurst, near Alexandra. During
that time Mr.. Warrington, who was
in charge, conducted experiments
with more than a hundred varieties
of the fruit. A record kept on the
varieties set out in regard to their
yield, ability to withstand sudden
drops in temperature, excessive rain
fall or drouth, and type of tree or
bush, shows that the Florentine va
riety is the best general utility fig
for commercial purposes in Louisia-
na.-Times-Picayu