Year: 1872

To the uneducated eye the iig ~ q
wonder. The fruit seems to come out in
the place where flowers ought to be, and /
the appearance is that there are no flow
ers before the fruit, as there are in other
plants. II was the habit in the past ages |
to attribute something miraculous to ev-
cry appearance out of the ordinary course
of nature, and to take the occasion to
connect these marvellous appearances with
some individual whom they wished the
world to yencrate and esteem. So this
fig tree marvel came to be associated with
the fight of Mary into Egypt with the
infant Jesus. The Spaniards tell us that
in her fight she sheltered herself one
night under fig tree. In recompense
for the security afforded, she blessed the
tree, and bestowed upon it marvellous
power. In foreign countries it produces
two crops year, and this was one of the


blessings then conferred. But in order


that the tree might be fertilized-ior even
in those days it was known that flowers


were of two sexes-the tree put forth, by


her command, one magnificent white


flower of rare beauty. 1t was pure white


and shot forth rays of phosphoresccnt


loveliness. This fructifes the whole tree,


and renders any otherhower unnecessary.


This towering still continues every year


on one night only-St. Johns night. II


opens for a few moments at midnight,


and whoever could see and secure this


flower, though at the expense of the


whole future Of fig culture, would possess
himself of charm which would enable
him to procure anything he might desire
in this world. The Virgin Mary. know
ing this, caused the fig, for this evening
of its Towering, to be guarded by all


kinds of horrible things. There are
snakes, Lizards, bloated toads, birds Of
i'll omen, wild beasts, and venomous rep
tiles of every description, so that no one


has even been able to get near enough to
see this miraculous and wonderful flower.


This story is firmly believed in by all


those old Latin races, whose chance for


life is cast in those regions where the fig


tree dwells; and has always been suf-


ficient reason to them why the fig tree


has never any flower, as they think.


What a pity it is that the cold hand OF


science is so ever ready to crueh to-siust


all these beautiful stories. 1t tells Us, IN
spite of those lovely traditions, of ages
= past, that the fig has flowers like unto
+ any other plant, but the flowers are in
side what we call the fruit. All flowers
rest ON something. Take the apple fol
instance. Tue flowers are set on small
; globular productions. The floral parts,
the stamens, rise out of the centre Of this
globe; and after they die away this globe
swells and becomes the apple which we


eat. The Gig is pretty much formed in


the same way. The little globe which


we see pushing from the axle of the leaf,
and which afterwards becomes the fruit,
is filed with floral parts, just as We see
in the apple; but these parts never pro
ject up through the centre SO as to be


seen by vulgar eyes. There is a small
orifce at the apex through which the
pollen is drawn, and that is all that is
: known to any one, except OF the more
curious class. The curiosity is rewarded,


on breaking open a young flower, by
finding it filled with pink, spongy sub
stance; each of the little projections COM
: posing it being found by a small pocket


lens to he a small flower. Thus the mys'
} terry ceases. The fig is reaxS.a little com
munity in which hundretfSb individual
flowers dwell, and thus ends in hard cold
facts the mystery of the Virgin and the
; fig tree.