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Transcript of Fig Growing in the South
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Agriculture Handbook No. 96
ii.S. ïFT. F GRICUL'URC LIBRARY
I AUG9-Î961 'î-'ENT tRIAl E C O R D ]
FIG GROWING IN
THE SOUTH
\QM̂
Grcwih T h r ough Agricultural Pr o g r e s s
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C O N T E N T S Botany and classification Varieties
Identifying varieties Selecting varieties Common southern varieties.
Miscellaneous varieties Soils.
Page
1
2
2
4
5
7
Temperature elations Growing season emperatures Dormant season temperatures.. Methods of protection from
cold
9
9
10
10
Establishing he orchard 1 Propagating 1
Spacing and planting 2 Training to tree and bush forms. 4
Page
Managing he orchard 5 Cultivating S
Mulching 6
Cover crops 7
Fertilizing 7
Water equirements 8 Pruning 8
Causes of unfruitfulness 9 Fig pests and diseases 0 Insects and mites 0 Nematodes 1
Other pests 3
Diseases 3
Handling fresh fruit 5 Processing 5
Varieties for processing 6 Stage
of maturity
6
Picking 6
Peeling 6
(
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S Pictures f he unt ig nd nformation oncerning t ere urnisfied y
Dr. . . 'Rourke, r., f he ouisiana gricultural xperiment tation. Much echnical nformation oncerning he istory nd roduction f igs was obtained rom he numerous works of Dr. ra . Condit, Subtropical orticulturist Emeritus of he California Agricultural Experiment Station.
This Handbook contains nformation of the ype formerly presented n Farmers' Bul-
letin No. 031, Fig Growing n he South Atlantic and Gulf States.
Washington, D.C. Issued June 1961
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government rinting Office,
Washington 25, D.C. — Price 15 ents
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3 1 1
FIG GROWING N THE SOUTH By A. H. Krezdorn and G. W. Adriance
The ig Ficus carica L. s native
to Caria, n sia inor. t e-
longs o he enus Ficus, roup
of
lants
ncluding
rees,
hrubs,
and limbers, hich ave ilky
juice or atex.
Frequent eferences o he ig are made n he ible, nd t s
also ictured n gyptian iero-
glyphics. t s dapted o he
temperate egions nd as een
( ighly steemed nd widely ulti-
( vated for centuries in most countries
in he Mediterranean area.
In he United tates, he irst
figs pparently ere rought o
Parris
sland,
.C.,
here
hey
were eported rowing n 577.
Two years ater hey were eported
from Saint Augustine, Fla. n 1621 figs were ntroduced from he Ber-
mudas o irginia, nd n 62 9
they were reported nourishing there.
Figs were ntroduced nto Mexico
in 560, nd rom here nto California and Texas.
BOTANY AND CLASSIFICATION The ig ruit iffers trikingly
from most ther ruits n everal
ways hat elate istinctly o problems of production.
In most lants he ruit s he
matured vary f ingle lower.
The ig, owever, s ot imple
fruit; nd pinion iffers s o ts
true structure. arly investigators
considered the fig a fleshy, enlarged
receptacle earing lowers n he
interior urface. ore ecent
evidence indicates that the enlarged,
fleshy portion s ctually ollow
peduncle, r ruit tem. t s known otanically s yconium.
In ny vent, he ain dible
portion f he ig s ot varian
tissue; nd o t s n ccessory fruit. he minor portions re he
remains f he lowers nd mall,
gritty tructures ommonly alled
seeds. hese o-called eeds re
either he rue ruits r he hard-
ened alls f nfertilized varies
that failed o develop.
Hormones, roduced s esult
of sexual fertilization following pol-
lination, re necessary n rder for
most pecies f ruits o nlarge
and mature. ome varieties of figs
require sexual fertilization and some
' Dr. Krezdorn is Head, Department of Fruit Crops, University of Florida (formerly
Associate Horticulturist, Texas Agricultural nd Mechanical College); Dr. Adriance
is Head, Department of Horticulture, Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College.
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AGR. HANDBOOK 19 6, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
do ot. he atter re alled
parthenocarpic varieties.
Figs re ivided nto our ypes
based n he inds f flowers nd
the need for pollination nd ertil-
ization. hese re: he apriñg,
the Smyrna, he ommon, nd he
San Pedro.
Capriñg.—The aprifig ype s
inedible. ll ther ypes re d-
ible. he aprifig as ale r
staminate flowers as well as female
flowers n he avity f he ruit. The ollen s ransferred rom he
caprifig o he edible ig by he ig
wasp lastophaga senes .
The wasp atches n he ruit f
the aprifig, scapes hrough he
eye of the fruit, and then enters the
eye f he dible Smyrna-type ig
in an attempt o ay eggs. n his way the pollen with which the wasp
is overed s ransferred o he e-
male flowers.
Smyrna.—The myrna ype
bears only pistillate or female low- ers nd equires pollination o de- velop he mall, ry, rue ruits
and he enclosed seed.
Common.—The hird ype, he
common ig, develops ts fruits par-
thenocarpically. aturally, rue
seeds uch s re ound n he
Smyrna type are not present in the
common ype. arieties ecom-
mended or he South re n his
group.
San Pedro.—The last mportant
type of fig s he San Pedro. his
type ears wo rops, s o ome
varieties of the other ypes, one on
the ood roduced he revious
year nd he ther n he xils f
the leaves of the new growth. he
first rop f he an edro ype sets arthenocarpically, ut he
second rop equires ollen rom
the caprifig.
VARIETIES Two eneral roblems oncern-
ing varieties ace ig growers—cor-
rect dentification, nd selection f
the best variety for the area and for
its intended use.
IDENTIFYING VARIETIES
A iven ig variety s ften old
under everal ifferent ames. Sometimes nursery offers a given
variety for sale under wo or more
names. his as aused uch
confusion.
The agnolia ariety, s t s
known hroughout he South, was
introduced as Madonna from Eng-
land, where the name was later
changed o runswick. t as
named Magnolia n Texas when tree eddler rroneously old large umber f ig rees for rna-
mental agnolia rees. n ali-
fornia, he Magnolia variety is cor-
rectly known as Brunswick, but the
fruit as ometimes een rrone-
ously marketed s Brown Turkey. The true Brown Turkey is widely
grown in the South under that name
and was o ntroduced rom Eng-
land. owever, n he past t has
frequently been sold as Brunswick.
In California, the San Piero variety
is ometimes mistakenly isted s
Brown Turkey. Sometimes the
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH
San iero s old s alifornia
Brown Turkey and he rue Brown
Turkey as Eastern Brown Turkey.
Another confusing varietal name
is he Everbearing, lso nown s Texas verbearing, amsey, nd
Harrison. rom he standpoint of
fruit nd ree haracteristics, his
variety s dentical ith rown
Turkey.
To void onfusion, he varietal
names most common o he South
will e sed n he ext f his
handbook. ome ynonyms re included n he escriptions f he
varieties.
Two actors make t ifficult o
describe nd dentify g arieties.
First, some varieties bear two crops:
One, nown s he reba rop, s borne n he eafless revious
season's wood; he other, known as
the econd r main rop, s orne
in he xils f he eaves f he
current eason's wood. igs rom
these wo rops ary trikingly.
Second, the appearance of partheno-
carpic arieties s hanged on-
siderably when hey re apriñed.
Nevertheless, ig varieties re est
identified by heir fruit characteris-
tics. ince he reba rop s f
minor significance n he South and
caprification
s
ot
racticed,
e-
scriptions will e ased n ain
crop, uncaprified fruit.
The fruit shape may be spherical
(round), urbinate top-shaped),
oblate flattened n oth nds),
or pyriform (pear-shaped). t may
also be lopsided or oblique. The basal portion f he ruit s
is sometimes a distinguishing feature
because of its length.
An pening t he pex, which
is ined with cales, s alled he
eye nd eads o he ruit avity. The ye aries n ize. n ome
varieties t s arge nd pen nd
in thers mall nd losed y
overlapping scales.
Flowers re orne n he avity
wall nd, ogether with ortion
of
his
all,
onstitute
he
ulp.
The pulp may vary rom white o
amber to some shade of red or pink,
the ast enerally eing escribed
as trawberry olored. he e-
mainder f he wall s alled he
meat, and t s usually white.
The
ndeveloped
rue
ruits
re
contained n he ulp nd re
sometimes hard nd ritty. hey
are ommonly alled eeds, nd
this term will be used in the
EY E
PX-1038
FIGURE .—Diagrammatic ongitudinal
cross section of a common type fig fruit.
Female flowers line the cavity, and scales
line the eye. aprifigs would have male
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AGR. HANDBOOK 196, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
varietal escriptions ven hough
no fertile seeds are contained.
The kin f he ruit ay e
green, ellow, ronze, iolet, ark
purple,
r
lmost
lack.
he sur-
face s ften ibbed r orrugated.
Because there are several distinct
leaf hapes, uch ttention as
been iven o eaves s dentifying
features. owever, no variety can
be dentified n he asis f eaf
type lone. n ree f iven
variety, everal eaf ypes ill occur, lthough ne ype will re-
dominate. lso, everal arieties
may ave he ame eneral eaf
shape. evertheless, the leaf shape
can e sed o elp erify n
identification based on he fruit.
An early classification isted ive
leaf types: Okra, oak, maple, grape,
and poonbill. hese ames re
rather escriptive nd more seful
to he rower han ore recise
taxonomic erms.
SELECTING VARIETIES
For
he
South,
usceptibility
o
souring nd plitting, old esis-
tance, and ability to set large
PN-1039
FIGURE .—Variation n eaf ype c-
curring on a single Celeste ree. qual
variation s common n other varieties.
parthenocarpic crops are of ara-
mount importance.
A umber f arieties re x-
cellent as fresh fruit and make good
quality reserves. owever, or
commercial se, igs with he ol-
lowing characteristics are preferred:
They hould e edium-large,
should eel asily nd old o-
gether ell hen ooked, hould
be elatively eedless, nd hould make ight-colored anned nd
preserved product.
PN-1040
FIGURE .—The redominant eaf ypes ccurring n he hree ig arieties ost
commonly rown n he South, rom eft o ight re Celeste broad-lobed rape leaf), Magnolia (okra eaf), and Brown Turkey (grape eaf).
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH
FIGURE 4.—Fruits of the Brown Turkey Everbearing) variety.
COMMON SOUTHERN VARIETIES
Brown Turkey (Lee's Perpetual,
Eastern Brown Turkey, Bruns-
wick, Ramsey, Harrison, Texas Ever-
bearing, Everbearing).—Leaves
3- to 5-lobed of rape leaf ype; i fruit medium-sized, urbinate; usu-
r ally without neck; eye medium
open; kin ronze; ulp m.ber o
pink; seeds few, soft; moderate
vigor; mall reba rop; arge ec-
i . ond crop matures from mid-July
i ^ until ate n he season; resh fruit
] quality good; makes an excellent
home preserve. mall ommercial
acreages are grown for local market.
Celeste Celestial, Blue Celeste,
Celeste iolette, ugar, mall
Brown, alta).—Leaves - o -
lobed, primarily with 3 broad obes
of he rape eaf ype; ruit mall,
pear-shaped ith apering eck
and lender talk; ye losed; kin
light rown o iolet ronze; pulp
strawberry pink; seeds small, hardly
noticeable; fruit droops at maturity
and s ery esistant o ouring
and plitting; arely produces re-
FlGURE 5.—Fruits of the Celeste variety. Note closed eye.
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AGR. HANDBOOK 196, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
FIGURE 6.—Fruits of the Green Ischia variety.
bas ut as ery eavy ain
crop; ipens ith rown urkey
but as horter eason; resh
quality xceptionally ood; re-
served uality xcellent ut ark
colored; most widely rown oor-
yard ariety n he South; ew
preserved or the pecialty market.
Everbearing.—Widely rown
under his ame ut pparently
the same as the Brown Turkey.
Green schia Ischia reen,
Ischia,
erte).—Leaves
onlobed
to -lobed f aple eaf ype;
fruit edium-small, urbinate o
pyriform; ye losed; kin right
green; ulp ivid trawberry ed;
seeds umerous nd oticeable;
like eleste, roops t aturity
and s esistant o ouring nd
splitting; arely roduces rebas; main rop arge nd matures ate,
about ugust ; resh uality
good; reserves ark nd eeds
somewhat bjectionable; rimarily
used s ooryard ariety ut
some sold locally.
Hunt.—Leaves - o -lobed;
fruit small to medium, pear-shaped;
neck short; talk ong and slender,
allowing he ruit o roop; kin
dull ronze with white lecks nd
a istinct loom; ye losed; pulp
amber o pink; seeds few; very few
brebas; resh ruit uality ood;
somewhat imilar o eleste, ut
fruit is larger and yields are smaller;
planted to some extent in Louisiana
as a dooryard variety.
Kadota (Gentile, White Endich,
Dottato).—Leaves onlobed, - lobed, nd -lobed ut ending
heavily oward -lobed nd on-
lobed, nd arger han eleste;
fruit variable n size from mall o
medium-large, spherical to flattened
on both ends; sometimes with short,
thick neck ; eye open but sealed with
a drop of honeylike substance ; skin
rubbery nd right ellow n ot climate f exas ut reen n
cooler limates; pulp mber; eeds
few; produces moderate breba crop
and ery arge econd rop; e-
sistant to souring ; fresh fruit quality
fair to good ; makes excellent canned
and preserved product; not so com-
mon as other varieties in this group
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH
PX-1044
FIGURE .—Fruit of the Hunt variety. Note he ong fruit stalk and
closed eye.
but should be more widely planted
in he rier arts f he outh.
Kadota s he ommercial anning
fig of California.
Magnolia (Madonna, Dalma-
tia, Brunswick).—Okra-type eaves
FIGURE 8.—Fruit of he Kadota variety.
Note rops f oneylike ubstance
have haracteristic ong, ingerlike
lobes that are most pronounced on
sucker ood nd eavily runed
trees; ruit medium-large, blique-
turbinate, opsided; kin olor
bronze; eck bsent; talk hick
and rominently wollen t ruit
base; ye pen; pulp ight mber;
seeds mall, lmost acking; mall breba rop; arge econd rop,
ripening over a long season if pruned
heavily; eak rower; oes ot
droop when mature nd plits nd
sours adly f eft ntil ull ma-
turity; resh ruit uality air;
excellent or anning nd reserv-
ing. agnolia s he ommercial
processing ig f exas nd s
widely lanted s ooryard a-
riety.
MISCELLANEOUS VARIETIES
Lemon.—Medium-sized; reen-
ish-yellow; ye pen; hite ulp; fairly conspicuous seeds; eportedly
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8 AGR. HANDBOOK 196, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
FIGURE .—Fruits f he Magnolia Brunswick) ariety. Note pen ye.
European variety sometimes known
as White Marseilles n California.
Lemon was nce eading variety
in he outh, ut t s o onger
propagated o ny xtent ecause
of its mediocre quality and tendency to sour.
Thompson San iero, ali-
fornia Brown Turkey, lack an
Pedro, ig lack).—Fruit ery
large with dark purplish-black skin
fading o eddish-purple t he
neck; arge, pen ye; ulp pink
and undesirably coarse prior to full
maturity; sours badly in wet areas;
limbs tend to turn downward;
yields moderate nd uality nly
fair. hompson as nce uite
common s ooryard ariety n Texas ut s o onger idely
propagated.
Mission Franciscana).—Fruit
medium-sized, pear-shaped, with or
without a neck; eye usually closed;
skin lack; ulp mber o ight
pink; lavor ood; usceptible o
cold; production low. ission s a leading ariety n California oth
as fresh fruit and as a dried prod-
uct, but t s of little mportance in
the South oday.
S O I L S Fig rees re dapted o n x-
tremely wide ange of soils. atis- factory crops are produced on soils
ranging from coarse sand o heavy
clay, nd n cid oils s well s
those aving n lkaline eaction;
but ig rees re much more ro-
ductive n eep, ertile oams nd
on well-drained lluvial oils han
on infertile sands and poorly
drained, hallow oils. ig rees
are oderately olerant f aline conditions ut ay e eriously
damaged y elatively mall
amounts f lack lkali. hey
thrive n igh ime r alcareous
soils nd re ne f he ew ruits
that o ot how evere ime
chlorosis when grown on he black-
land prairie soils of Texas.
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH
FIGURE 10.—Fruits of he San Piero California Brown Turkey) variety. alifornia
nurseries ometimes hip rees f his ariety o outhern rowers or he rue
Brown Turkey.
Fig trees normally have extensive
shallow-root systems, ut hey re
able o evelop eep oots where
the oil ermits. n exas, n
Lake harles lay, oots f he
Magnolia ariety ere ound o
have 0-foot oot pread, ith
roots penetrating as deep as feet.
An extensive system of feeder oots
was found close o he surface. In
California, ig oots ave een
found at a depth of 2 0 feet. hese
deep oots re very mportant, s-
pecially uring rought. er-
meable, ell-drained lay ubsoils
are preferred, s hey etain mois-
ture nd ermit eep ooting.
Deep ands lso permit eep oot-
ing, ut nematode amage n such
sands s generally serious.
TEMPERATURE ELATIONS The ig as haracteristics f
both ropical nd emperate one
plants; owever, ow emperatures
are enerally ore imiting han
high ones.
GROWING SEASON
TEMPERATURES
High summer emperatures favor
vegetative growth. ptimum tem-
peratures or ruiting nd ruit
quality re ot o ell efined.
Satisfactory ruiting f ome varieties ccurs ven n he ool
Figs mature apidly n he Gulf
Coast area during hot, humid days
and arm ights. nder hese
same onditions, he agnolia
variety produces n xcellent an-
ning ruit. aximum empera-
tures n his rea ommonly ange
from 5° o 00° F. nd lightly
above.
Consistent ay emperatures
much bove 00° . ause re-
mature ipening nd oughness.
Excessively hot, ry periods esult in a heavy fruit-drop of the Celeste
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10 AGR. HANDBOOK 19 6, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
DORMANT SEASON
TEMPERATURES
In he South, ig rees enerally
lose heir eaves n he ate fall and
early winter nd ecome ormant for everal onths. hen ully
dormant, hey will withstand on-
siderable cold. he ability o sur-
vive ow emperatures epends n
the variety, ree condition, ype of
wood, and degree of dormancy.
From he tandpoint f ctual
wood amage, he Celeste ariety
is omewhat more hardy han re
Brown Turkey, Magnolia, Kadota,
and reen schia. ission nd
Hunt re eportedly omewhat
more usceptible o old han re
other ommon arieties. ature
trees
f Celeste
re
arely
njured
at 0° o 5 ° F. f fully ormant,
and hey have withstood empera-
tures lose o °. rown Turkey,
Magnolia, nd adota roduce
reasonably ood rops n ucker
wood; ut Celeste, reen schia,
Lemon, and Mission do not. ail-
ure o produce n uch wood s decided arietal eakness here
freeze damage s common.
Young rees and sucker wood of
older rees are more usceptible o
freeze amage han re ld rees
and he lower rowing ew wood
of mature rees. he more succu-
lent ood esulting rom evere
pruning s also more susceptible o
cold han hat f npruned rees.
Plants prematurely defoliated by
fig rust or drought are considerably
more usceptible o reeze amage
than thers nd may e amaged
by emperatures no ower han 5 °
to 20° F.
Fig rees re xtremely uscep-
tible o ow emperatures n he
spring and fall.
pring frost
dam-
age o reas round he uds and
to he ambial ells ay ccur
without damage o he wood tself;
however, leaves and fruit are under-
sized n uch imbs nd he imbs
ultimately die.
FIGURE 1.—Limb on eft was amaged
by old. hort, weak ranches har-
acteristically orce ut nd may lti-
mately die. he vigorous shoot on he
right arose from an undamaged limb.
METHODS OF PROTECTION FROM COLD
In ommercial rchards ittle s
done o rotect ig rees gainst
cold. oung rees re ometimes
wrapped with orn talks, ut r-
chard eaters re ot ommonly
used.
In cold climates several methods
of rotection re sed y ome
gardeners nd mall rowers. n England nd he nited tates
some igs are grown in greenhouses.
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH 11 Some are grown in pots or tubs and
stored n ool ellars uring he
winter. he rown urkey nd
Magnolia varieties re particularly
suited o this practice.
In moderately old limates igs
can be trained against he southern
exposure f alls s an-shaped
espaliers. hey can also be grown
in protected places s ow ushes.
Another way o protect ig rees
in old reas s o prune he ut- ward rowing aterals n he all,
cut the top down, and ie the bran-
ches together. he trees should be
wrapped with several layers of
paper nd with olyethylene ilm
and he ases mounded with oose
soil. his rotective overing
should e eft n ntil he ollow-
ing spring.
A more elaborate procedure hat
is uitable nly with well-drained,
light-textured oil s o ead he
bush at o 2 nches and o keep
all ut he ow ranches runed
off. n he late fall or early winter
the limbs should be bent down, any remaining ruit or eaves emoved,
and he ntire plant overed with
soil. he oil hould e emoved
in he spring.
ESTABLISHING HE ORCHARD PROPAGATING
Fig rees re propagated n our
ways: By cuttings, by air layers, by
graftage budding nd rafting),
and by seeds.
Cuttings hould e made n he
late winter rom he previous ea-
son's growth. owever, any wood
up to or 3 years old and not over
% nch n iameter an e sed.
Immature wood s pithy nd len-
der and should not be used. ate-
maturing wood t he erminals of
the revious eason's rowth s sometimes amaged y ow winter
temperatures nd hould ot e
used for cuttings.
Cuttings o 0 nches long are
made ith runing hears. he
basal cut should be made just below
a oint r ode. n well-drained
soil, he cuttings are rooted directly
in he nursery ow or n he garden
FIGURE 2.—Fig cuttings A" nd
are from
vigorous
growth
and
will
well and grow fast. Cuttings "Cfrom weak, spindly growth. They
1049
"B"
root
are
root
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12 AGR. HANDBOOK 19 6, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
that nly he op ud emains
aboveground. he oil hould e
kept moist but not excessively wet.
Cuttings ooted n ell-drained
soil nd iven dequate oisture make remendous rowth. he
Everbearing ariety ften ro-
duces ew igs he ame um-
mer it is ooted.
Home ardeners an oot heir
cuttings n ontainers illed ith
well-drained nd well-aerated oil.
The uttings hould e planted o
as to leave only he op bud above-
ground. he basal end of the cut-
ting hould e lightly bove he
bottom f he ontainer. oles
should be made n he container o
assure roper rainage. he ut-
tings should
be watered
when
hey
are placed in the container and again
when hey have eafed out. fter
that hey may be watered ike any
other potted plant.
Figs an e ropagated uring
the growing season by rooting leafy
cuttings under mist or by air layer-
age. he se of hese procedures, however, s seldom warranted.
To make n ir ayer, ing f
bark % inch wide should be removed
from a arge wig or mall branch.
Moist phagnum oss hould e
placed ver he ounded rea
and covered with polyethylene film,
and he film should be ied at both
ends.
Fig rees can also be propagated
by several methods f raftage, n-
cluding he patch bud, he T-bud,
and he ark raft. owever, his
type of propagation s seldom used.
Fig rees
an
e
propagated
y seed from hose ypes hat produce
PX-1060
FIGURE 13.—Rooted cutting of fig. ote
rooting t he oints r nodes nd he
vigorous shoot.
seed ormally nd rom partheno-
carpic ypes f properly pollinated.
The esulting plants ontain har-
acteristics of both he male and the female arents. ropagation y
seed s f value nly o he plant
breeder.
SPACING AND PLANTING
In ommercial rchards igs re
spaced nywhere rom 0 y 0 to 2 0 by 2 0 feet. The more
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH 13 common pacings ange rom 5 by 0 o 0 by 0 feet.
Where mall creages re rown
in he more rid reas, he 0- y
20-foot
pacings
hould
e
sed
unless irrigation is available. ven
wider pacings re equired n
very ich lluvial soils, f he rees
are ot ept mall y pruning.
For ooryard lantings, igs
should ot e et lose o uch
plants s ulberry, hinaberry,
hackberry, lm, lack ocust, nd
privet ecause hese lants orm
very ense, idespread, hallow
root ystems hich ompete
strongly for moisture and minerals.
For est esults, ushes hould e
planted here hey eceive ull
sunlight most f he ay. here
fig rees or bushes are o be grown
against he ide f uilding, southern
exposure
s best.
Fig rees hould e lanted
during he ormant eason, nd
the ime f lanting epends o
some extent n he everity of he
winter. arly inter lanting s
advantageous in the South, because
root rowth s ade uring he
mild winters; and a well-established
root system can be developed prior
to eafing out. ate winter plant-
ing s est n old reas ecause
this reduces the possibility of freeze
damage.
FIGURE 14.—Large fig tree growing next to the south side of a house.
PX-1051
Protection from
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14 AGR. HANDBOOK 19 6, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
Unlike most rees, igs should be
set r 4 nches deeper han hey
were rown n he ursery. his
protects hem gainst esiccation
and old. ertilizers hould ot be dded ntil r weeks fter
the plants have leafed out.
TRAINING TO TREE AND BUSH FORMS
Trees btained rom ursery
have sually een rained o single eader. f a ree form s o
be eveloped, bout ne-third f
the eader s cut off when he ree
is lanted. uring he rowing
season he asal prouts re ept
pruned off, and three to five
scaffold r main ranches re l-
lowed o evelop t eight
compatible ith ultivating nd
harvesting.
In he South early ll igs re trained to the bush form or develop
into bushes either because hey are
left unpruned or because hey have
been rozen o he round. o
obtain ell-formed ush, he
young plant should be headed back
to bout alf ts eight t he
time f lanting nd llowed o
grow ne eason. prouts row
out rom he ase f he ain leader; nd, uring he inter following lanting, hree o ight
vigorous, upright, widely spaced
PN-1062
FIGURE 15.—Fig rained o ree form. Frequent freeze damage n he South makes it
difficult o maintain his form.
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH 15
PN-1053
FIGURE 6.—Figs rained o he bush form. Bushes have been frozen o he ground
several imes.
sprouts should be selected as leaders. Special are hould e aken ot
to elect prout hat ends o
turn downward or grow parallel o
the round. t s xtremely m-
portant that he eaders be paced
far nough part o llow hem o increase to 3 to 4 inches in diameter
without rowding. f he eaders
are rowded t he ase, ne r
more ay plit ff uring igh
winds.
MANAGING HE ORCHARD Fig rees re nlike ther e-
ciduous fruit trees in that the shoots
continue o longate o ong s
environmental onditions or
growth re avorable. oreover,
fruit continues
o set
n
he axils
of
the ew eaves hroughout he
growing eason. For this eason,
conditions avorable or hoot
elongation hould, f ossible, e
maintained throughout the summer.
CULTIVATING Fig orchards should be cultivated
lightly ecause many eeder oots
are near he surface, and hey may
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16 AGR. HANDBOOK 196, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
PN-1064
FIGURE 17.—Closely spaced leaders often esult in splitting during stress of high winds.
be damaged f deep illage s used.
Light ultivation s ecessary o
break p urface rusts aused y
heavy ains ollowed y ntense
sunlight. eeds hould e on-
trolled o onserve oisture. f low branches are allowed to develop
parallel o he round, ultivation
close o he ase f he ree s difficult.
MULCHING
Mulches f hay, orn cobs, ine
needles, sawdust, and other types of
coarse rganic matter ave een
used with figs; and he results have
been xcellent. eports rom
Georgia nd ther arts f he
South how n ppreciable n-
crease n size of fruit as well as an
increase n ield nd egetative growth where mulches are used.
Mulching enerally esults n
exceptionally ood oil oisture,
temperature, and aeration. nder
a hay mulch, here s a eaching of
available mineral elements from the
slowly ecomposing rganic mate- rial. ulching lso elps ver-
come r revent he ll ffects f
nematodes.
Since nder mulch ome oots
grow on he surface of the soil, he
mulch hould e t east o inches deep and should extend from
the trunk to several feet beyond the
extremities of the branches. ow-
ever, good results are obtained even
where he ulch s laced nly
under he branches.
Mulching s ot sed om-
mercially o any xtent because of its high cost and also because of the fire azard. However, with oor-
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH 17
FIGURE 8.—Commercial planting of Magnolia ig bushes.
long fruiting shoots.
PN-1055
Note stocky eaders and
yard plantings, mulching s highly
recommended.
COVER CROPS
Use of cover crops helps prevent
erosion y ater nd ind nd
helps
mprove
ater
enetration.
They should not be rown n com-
mercial rchards uring eriods
when oil moisture eficiencies re
likely.
A over rop hat s usceptible
to oot not ematodes hould
never be used as a cover crop n a fig orchard.
Consult your ocal ounty gent
for ecommendations s o he
specific cover crop o use.
FERTILIZING
Little esearch has been done on
the use of fertilizers for figs. ow- ever, here s certain basic nforma-
Fig rees haracteristically ro-
duce ood rops nder ather ow
fertility evels. owever, n-
creased vigor and fruiting can often
be chieved y se f ertilizers.
This s articularly rue here
figs re rown n nfertile, andy soils nd where hey re rown n
competition with awn rasses nd
ornamental plants.
Fig rees abitually row
vigorously, and the leaves are large.
Below-normal eaf ize nd ermi-
nal rowth ndicate he eed or
fertilizing.
Fig rees hould e ertilized, n
general, as are other fruit trees such
as peaches nd plums, xcept hat ñg rees arely experience ron and
zinc deficiencies.
Nitrogen is usually the only min-
eral n short supply. or arge ig bushes, o '/2 pounds of nitrogen
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18 AGR. HANDBOOK 19 6, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
winter r arly pring s enerally-
adequate; but more frequent appli-
cations may e equired n eavy
rainfall areas. his amount can be
increased or decreased as ndicated
by he ize f he ush nd he
response btained. n hose reas
where complete fertilizers are need-
ed, a mixed fertilizer applied n an
amount hat will ontain o /2 pounds of nitrogen should be used.
The
atios
f phosphorus
nd
o-
tassium to nitrogen should be about
the same.
Where ommercial creages re
concerned, onsult our State x-
periment tation or ecommenda-
tions.
WATER REQUIREMENTS For ighest ields, igs eed
large, ontinuous upply f water
throughout he ummer. his s
more mportant or Magnolia nd
Brown Turkey varieties, which tend
to ear ontinuously uring he
growing eason, han or Celeste,
which roduces ittle ruit n ate
summer and early fall.
Rainfall s sually ufficient n
the South o produce easonable
crop, ven when ack f water n
late summer and fall esults n dis-
continuance f hoot longation
and fruiting.
The ommercial agnolia r-
chards re ocated n reas where
the average rainfall is high and little
irrigation s used, lthough supple-
mental rrigation would requently
be beneficial.
The frequency and the amount of
irrigation vary according to the soil. Soils hat are shallow or ess eten-
tive of moisture need more frequent
irrigation. oisture s adequate if
shoot elongation continues and eaf
size s normal. n awns, he grass
beneath ushes r rees may wilt
in he heat, while he est f he
lawn does not. his ndicates he
need or ater. ome ig rees
grown n awn grasses need one or more waterings week uring he
summer. ooryard trees are some-
times overwatered,
and
his
esults
in yellowing and dropping of leaves.
From he standpoint of survival,
figs are surprisingly drought esist-
ant. uring severe droughts rees
will hed heir eaves efore wig
injury ccurs nd will o nto drought-induced ormancy. ub-
sequent ains often esult n a ate fall growth, nd his growth is like-
ly to be njured by. cold weather.
PRUNING
The main reasons for pruning are
to roduce echanically trong
bushes, o open he bushes to un-
light and air movement, to facilitate
spraying and harvesting, to lengthen
the harvest eason, nd o ake
cultivation easier.
Care should be aken n pruning
to cut back to a bud or lateral grow-
ing branch o avoid decay. run-
ing differs
somewhat
with
he vari-
ety; however, ll uckers nd ow - growing ateral branches should be removed. he enter hould e
thinned out o permit he entrance
of sunlight and air. his helps o control eaf and ruit iseases nd
makes spraying easier.
From he standpoint of pruning,
figs rown n he South fall loosely
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH 19 into wo categories: 1) Those that will ot olerate eavy nnual
pruning nd 2) hose hat an e
pruned eavily nd till roduce
large crops.
The first roup ncludes Celeste,
Green schia, ission, and unt.
These varieties, with he exception
of Hunt, branch freely and produce
an bundance f aterals. ince
breba rops re nsignificant, igo-
rous, previous season's wood s not
needed. f he ranches re ut
back heavily, the resulting vigorous
sprouts are only ightly productive ;
and yield s severely educed. or
this group, nly eneral mainte-
nance type pruning is needed. his
includes eading he ree ack
occasionally o eep t n ounds, an nnual hinning ut f weak
growth in he center, and emoving
dead wood.
The Hunt variety produces ong,
unbranched rowth, which hould
be headed back o make t branch.
The Celeste variety ends o ro-
duce dense ush, nd he nside
growth should be hinned out.
The econd roup f arieties
includes Magnolia, Brown Turkey,
and Kadota. hese arieties will
produce ood rops ven f illed
to he round. hus, hey an
be pruned severely and still produce well. he main rop s produced
on ew wood, ut n ppreciable
breba crop will also be produced on
the old wood. hus, some vigorous
previous season's wood s desirable.
However, ith he xception f
Kadota, ooryard rees f hese
varieties re best handled similarly
Kadota oes ot ranch reely
and ften ruits xcessively n relation to the available leaf surface.
Heading ack ll igorous rowth
from ne-third o ne-half f ts length esults n ranching nd more favorable eaf-fruit ratio.
Commercially, Magnolia trees are
pruned ore eavily o acilitate
harvesting nd praying han re
dooryard rees. lso, he arvest
season s engthened ecause he
vigorous hoots hat esult rom
heavy runing ontinue o row
longer. onger arvest eriod
is mportant ecause early ll f
the rop s anned r made nto
preserves, nd t annot e roc-
essed conomically n hort
time. n he ther and, eavy pruning educes otal ield on-
siderably, nd smaller portion of
the rop s roduced arly n he
season hen rices re ighest.
In years past. Magnolia rees were
pruned ack nnually o hort
stubs. ow, ost rowers ead
back he previous eason's rowth
about ne-third o ne-half. his
lengthens he eason ppreciably
but oes ot educe otal yield o
drastically s oes ore evere
pruning. he bushes are kept ow
by frequently utting ack o p-
right rowing aterals hat rise from lder ood loser o he
ground. igorous uckers rising
from elow he round evel re
used o eplace ld eaders hat have become damaged.
CAUSES OF UNFRUITFULNESS
Fig rees generally produce arge
crops f ruit very ear. When
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20 AGR. HANDBOOK 19 6, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
they do fail to produce a crop, t s
usually because f selection f un-
suitable arieties, iseases, r n-
favorable weather conditions.
Quite ommonly, rowers n he South istakenly urchase ari-
eties hat equire ross-pollination
(caprification). igs rom uch
trees ttain ppreciable ize ut
fall efore maturity. hese rees
should e emoved nd uitable
variety f he ommon partheno-
carpic) type planted. Fig rust causes the leaves to drop
off; and he fruit withers and fails
to mature, ither ecause f un-
burn r ack f ood roduced y
the leaves.
In eep, andy oils, ematodes
reduce he igor f he rees nd
fruiting is poor.
The ops f he rees re re -
quently rozen ack. ome ari-
eties ail o roduce n he ew
sucker ood. lso, he ood s
sometimes damaged
but not killed.
Fruit nd eaves re ormed, ut
the eaves re mall nd he fruit
fails to mature.
During xtremely ot eriods,
figs f he eleste ariety re - quently hed ortion f heir
crop rior o aturity. his s true ven when plentiful upply
of soil moisture s available.
Lack f oil moisture esults n
premature fruit-drop and a discon-
tinuance f rowth. ecause igs
are orne n he ew wood, otal
yield s educed f shoot rowth s stopped.
F IG ESTS ND ISEASES INSECTS ND MITES
The most serious insect pest of figs
in the South is he dried-fruit beetle
or our ug, arpophilus pp. These mall, lack eetles nter
the ruit avity hrough he ye,
and the micro-organisms they carry
produce ouring nd mut. e- lecting arieties hat ave losed
eyes t aturity r arvesting
before he yes pen ffords he
best rotection gainst hese
insects.
Two ther eetles ometimes
cause damage. he ig beetle Co- tinis exana asey ften auses
severe damage n he western part
of Texas. t s airly arge 0.75
to .3 nches ong), s elvety- green, nd feeds on fresh and dam-
, „ - . « » < * * * * ' ' •
PN-1067
FIGURE 19.—Dried-fruit beetle merging
from he ye of he fruit. his nsect
carries souring organisms.
aged ruits. t lso xcretes greasy ubstance hat uins he
fruit.
The green June beetle or ñg eater
Cotinis ítida L.) s ound throughout he South ut eldom
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH 21 causes damage. t s similar o C.
texana ut s omewhat maller
and differs slightly n ts markings.
These nsects reed nder iles
of rass lippings, anure, nd other rganic rash. emoving
these reeding laces educes he
population ubstantially. lood-
ing he oil or 8 ours ills he
eggs and some arvae of C. exana. The itrus ealy-bug seudo-
coccus itri Risso) s ound n
areas where he winters re mild.
It ucks uice rom he ruit nd
secretes quantities f honeydew on
which the sooty mold fungus grows.
This ungus xcludes ight nd
hampers eaf function.
Mealy-bugs verwinter n eaf
trash t he ase f rees nd n cracks n he ark. hey an e
controlled y leaning p eaf
trash nd runing nd urning
infested parts.
Scale nsects, present ometimes
in he Gulf Coast area, uck uices
from
he
lants
nd
ause
ome
damage. praying ith -per;
cent dormant oil during he winter
controls hem ffectively. ow-
ever, natural predators will usually
control he cale efore erious
damage s one. here ew
small imbs f ooryard rees re
infested, runing nd urning he
infested parts are advisable.
The hree-lined g-tree orer
Neoptychodes rilineatus L.)
sometimes causes considerable dam-
age in Texas and Louisiana. t has
three calloped white tripes hat extend almost the full length of the adult beetle. amage is caused by
limbs, eeds ear he urface or
several months, nd hen urrows
deeply nto he wood.
Borers usually attack only weak
or amaged rees. hey an e controlled by maintaining vigorous
trees nd ushes nd y emoving
damaged branches.
The fig mite Aceria ficus (Cotte)
is mportant as a vector for he ig
mosaic irus. he tatus f his
mite n he outh s omewhat
clouded. n arly eport ndi-
cated he mite to be n Florida, but
the State lant Board as ever
recorded its presence. n the South,
numerous observations indicate that
there s no spread of the disease n
plantings where ccasional mosaic-
infected ushes re present. his indirectly ndicates he ack of he
fig mite n he South.
NEMATODES
The ig s xtremely sensitive o
root ematodes. he ost om-
mon damage
ssociated
with
hese
tiny worms is the root-knot or galls
caused y eloidogyne pp.
Other nematodes attacking fig roots
are ratylenchus offeae Zim-
mermann) oodey, richodorus Christiej llen, nd iphinema spp. hese ematodes esult n
various ypes f amage uch s
root esions, tubby oots, nd
root otting. ecause f he oot
distortion nd otting, he mpor-
tant functions of water and mineral
uptake nd onduction nd he
storage f ynthesized oods re
reduced. his esults n tunting and ecline. he amage ay
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH 23 OTHER ESTS
Bird amage rom mockingbirds
and rackles s ometimes erious,
particularly with solated ig rees.
Where ommercial creages re involved, rganized hunts y ird
control ssociations elp. here
is no atisfactory ontrol or oor-
yard rees.
Gophers nd abbits, hile ot
causing idespread rouble, ay
cause erious amage n n ndi- vidual rchard. ophers an e
controlled by rapping and poison-
ing. ommercial epellents ive
effective abbit ontrol hen
painted on tree runks. ndividual
trees may e protected y rap-
ping he runk with wire screen or
by using a paper ree wrap.
DISEASES
Undoubtedly the most widespread
fig disease n he South s ig ust,
Cerotelium ici Butl.) rth., disease aused y ungus whose
life cycle s not completely known.
The ungus s elieved o ver-
winter n he allen eaves rom
which he redospores re arried
to he young, eveloping eaves n
the spring. hese spores germinate
and ause mall, ellowish-green
spots n he eaves. he pots
enlarge slightly and urn yellowish-
brown, often with a reddish margin.
On he nderside f he pots,
pustules are formed from which the
fine, dustlike uredospores are again
emitted. hese uredospores esult
in dditional nfection f he ew,
tender leaves. ature tissue is not
PX-1058
FIGURE 20.—Fig rust. esions are on the
underside of the eaf, and sprays must
cover this surface if the disease is to be
controlled.
Infected eaves wither nd urn
brown. evere efoliation ften
occurs, preventing proper ruit de-
velopment nd aturation. he
fruit s ndersized nd ough r
falls prior to maturity.
Fig ust has een ontrolled or
many years by a 4-4-50 Bordeaux
spray. he pray s pplied when
the
irst
eaves
ave
xpanded
o
full size but have not yet hardened.
Additional prays re pplied o
the ater eveloping eaves t intervals f o weeks. hen
rainfall s articularly eavy nd
frequent, spraying at closer intervals
is necessary. t s very mportant
to pray he ndersides f he
leaves s well s he ops nd o
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24 GR. HANDBOOK 196, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
time. There is no resistant variety
or rootstock and no known control. Anthracnose, aused y Glom-
erella cingulata (Ston.) Spauld. &
Schrenk, s isease f he ruit and foliage that is sometimes serious.
Often, he nly amage s he formation f unken, iscolored
areas on he fruit. t other imes
many of the fruits become shrunken
and all. he ffected reas f
the ruit re unken nd ray,
often ith ink pore asses n
the center.
Cercospera eaf pot, aused y
Cercospera ci eald. E olf,
sometimes appears n ate summer.
Irregular, reddish-brown spots form,
followed y ellowing f he leaf and
eaf drop.
Several minor iseases ound n the Gulf Coast area are closely
associated with the extremely humid
climatic conditions. Pink blight,
produced by Corticium salmoni- color Berk. 8E r., an e ecog-
nized by the dirty white to salmon-
pink incrustations of fungal mycelia on the twig. Thread blight, caused
by Pellicularia olerga Cke., is
evidenced by dark brown strands or rhizomorphs hat extend long he stem. Matted foliage hanging
from he wigs nd attached nly
by the rhizomorphs is an identifying symptom. Another species of Cor- ticium, C. microsclerotia Weber,
attacks fig trees and causes a
disease known as web blight.
Brownish, dead, and dying areas of
the eaf are covered with extremely
fine strands of rhizomorphs that may give the eaves a silvery sheen.
FIGURE 1.—Leaves t he ase f he
tree ere overed ith ordeaux
spray n une nd ig ust ontrolled.
As hoots longated, he ew eaves
were ot prayed nd ave allen
because of ig ust. eaves at he ips
of he hoots re nfected ut ave
not yet fallen.
So ong s n ppreciable mount of ew oliage s eveloping nd
the eather s onducive o he
spread f his isease, he prays
should be continued.
Fruit ouring s ery erious
problem rought n y acteria
and easts. t s ften ccom-
panied y smut" aused y he
fungus Aspergillus niger v. Tiegh.,
which ischarges masses f lack
spores n he avity f he ruit.
Both souring and "smut" organisms
are arried nto he fruit primarily
by he ried-fruit eetle, nd on-
trolling he nsect ontrols he disease.
Fig rees are very susceptible o
cotton root rot, Phymatotrichum omnivorutn Shear) ug. n some reas f Texas otton oot
rot s he imiting actor. he
roots re estroyed nd he ree or bush withers and dies n a short
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FIG GROWING IN THE SOUTH 25 The wigs and sometimes the fruits
are overed ith umerous mall
brown bodies called sclerotia.
In general, raking up and burning
fallen eaves nd ruit, runing
infected wigs, nd voiding x-
cessively haded nd amp oca-
tions ill argely liminate he
various eaf spots and wig blights.
Where ig ust s ontrolled with
Bordeaux sprays, ther ungal eaf
spots nd lights re sually on- trolled also.
The only known virus disease f
figs s ig mosaic. he eaf symp-
tom s mosaic attern f ight
green reas hat ontrast harply
with he ormal reen f he eaf.
Sometimes the leaves are malformed.
Less pronounced ight reen pots
may or may not appear on the
fruits. ll eaves do not show he
pattern, nd sually production s
not noticeably affected. hile this
disease s widespread n California,
only solated cases have been found
in the South. ecently, shipments
of ig rees nto Florida rom he
Mediterranean area ave een e-
stroyed ecause hey arried he
mosaic virus. lorida State Plant
Board officials fear that some of the
many pecies f rnamental igs grown n that State might ecome
infected. everal rnamental pe-
cies ave een nfected ith he
virus y udding hem with uds
from he nfected dible ype.
This isease s ransmitted
through nfected cuttings and buds
and y he ig mite Acería icus (Cotte).
HANDLING RESH RUIT Ripe figs are extremely perishable
and are difficult o ship and handle
commercially n rdinary hannels of istribution or resh ruits.
The arger arieties ave een
shipped nd etailed n mall, lat,
wooden ontainers hat old nly
one ayer of fruit. he percentage
of oss n etail tores aused y
soft
ots
f various
inds
s
igh.
Small igs, articularly hose f
the Celeste type, have been handled
satisfactorily n int- nd uart-
sized erry ups. he eleste
stands up better than most varieties
because t s firm and ends o dry
out omewhat. or ocal se, t
can e andled with ood esults
when very
ipe.
PROCESSING Because resh igs an e ept
only a short ime without spoiling,
they are usually processed.
In he rid, rrigated ig reas
of the world, a arge portion of the
crop s sun dried nd marketed s
The atter product s sed argely
in he akery rade, hich on-
stitutes n mportant ommercial
outlet.
In he Southeastern States, igs
are tilized argely s ooked pre-
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2 6 AGR. HANDBOOK 19 6 , U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
because f he igh humidity nd
rainfall n his rea. ome igs
are also canned, frozen, and candied.
VARIETIES FOR
PROCESSING
A ood ommercial anning a-
riety hould have moderately arge
fruit with ew eeds. n ddition,
it hould peel asily, emain whole
when ooked, nd ake lear,
light-colored roduct. agnolia
and Kadota meet ll hese equire-
ments nd re he nly arieties
used o ny extent or ommercial
canning nd reserving, lthough
some eleste gs re reserved
with the stems attached and sold as
a specialty product. ll fig varieties
make ood preserves or home se.
STAGE OF MATURITY
For anning r preserving. Mag-
nolia igs re arvested while till
firm; ut hey hould ot e o
green and immature that the quality
of the inished product will e n-
ferior. s t pproaches maturity, the ruit
will
hange
n
olor
rom
a dull, dark green o a paler, ome-
what mottled green. he fruit ap-
pears nripe o he nexperienced
person, ut t ust e icked t this stage f it s o e irm nough
to retain ts hape n he ooking
process.
For ome reserving, igs re usually icked hen ully ipe.
They make very good preserves but do not emain whole.
PICKING
hands rom he rritating ilky
juice. icking uckets f - o
3-gallon apacity re sed. he
fruit s transferred from the buckets
to ooden ield oxes nd rans-
ported o the processing plant. o
prevent rushing, ough andling
should be avoided.
PEELING
In ommercial ractice, he ig
fruit
s peeled
by the use of lye,
and
only the very thin skin of he fruit
is emoved. he ruit s placed n
a vat f oiling ye water 1-per-
cent olution) nd llowed o e-
main bout inute; 0 o 0
seconds n -percent olution s
also satisfactory. here a stronger
solution, uch as percent, s used,
the ime nterval s o hort hat it s hard o obtain uniform esults;
and or his eason he ow on-
centration s preferred.
The aturity f he ruit n-
fluences he ime equired o eel
it y se f ye. enerally, he
riper he ig, he ess ime s e-
quired. t s ood ractice o test ew igs n he olution o
determine he ime eeded or
peeling.
Figs re sually peeled y hand
when aking ome reserves e-
cause f he austic nature f he lye solution.
Figs may lso e peeled y ip-
ping hem n oiling -percent
sodium bicarbonate olution or 5
to 5 econds, epending n he