Bourjassotte, Black (syn. Barnissotte, Black). – Medium, broader than long, flattened at apex, with no neck and an uneven cheek; ribs distinct, even; eye small, sunk, closed; skin waxy, black with violet blush; bloom clear blue, wanting at apex; meat pink, pulp blood-red. A most excellent fig for table. It requires rich, moist soil.
Bourjassotte, White (syn. Barnissotte, White). – A fig related to the former, but larger; eye large, sunk; skin waxy, green; pulp bright red. A very fine fig. Tree very large.
Brown Turkey. – Large, turbinate, pyriform, with hardly distinct neck; stalk short; apex flattened; ribs few, slightly elevated; eye medium, slightly open, scales large; skin smooth, greenish to violet-brown in sun, with darker ribs; pulp dark, rosy red, quality good, and tree a good bearer. Brunswick is frequently confounded with this fig.
Brunswick. – Very large, pyriform, with swollen cheeks, one of which is larger than the other; apex very obtuse; neck and stalk very short; ribs distinct, but not much elevated; eye medium, open; skin pale amber with violet tint; pulp amber. An early, large fig, but with no flavor. Very common; requires rich, moist soil.
Celeste, Blue (syn. Violette). – Small, ovate, turbinate; ribs few, but distinct, especially near apex; eye raised, rough; color dark, violet amber, without reddish blush; bloom confined to the neck; skin thin; pulp deep rose; meat amber; sweet, but lacking in flavor.
Dottato. – Medium ovate, pyriform; neck well set; stalk very short or none; ribs low; skin smooth; eye medium; skin thin, yellowish green; meat white; pulp yellowish amber, sometimes with violet flush. One of the best figs for drying; tree a strong grower, requiring moist, rich soil. Lately introduced into California.
Drap d’Or. – Large, pyriform, with very low neck and stalk; ribs elevated; apex obtuse and concave; color light, violet, reddish amber, not dark; pulp rosy red. A fig of very fine quality, especially useful for confections and crystallizing; not identical with Brunswick.
Du Roi. – Above medium; round, pyriform; stalk very short; eye large or variable, with scales standing out; skin smooth, pale bluish green; pulp amber, with rosy streaks and exceedingly minute seeds. Related to Marseillaise and Athenes, and one of the very best figs in California for drying.
Early Violet. – Small to very small, round, turbinate; neck distinct but short; stalk medium to long; ribs distinct, elevated, skin rough; violet-brown, with thin, pearl-colored bloom; pulp red. This variety bears almost continuously and is preferable to the Ischias and Celeste.
Genoa, White. – Above medium, pyriform; neck small; stalk short; ribs indistinct; skin downy; eye very small; skin pale olive-green; pulp pale rose. One of the better figs, quite distinct from Marseillaise.
Gentile. – Very large; ovate pyriform; neck short but distinct; stalk very short; skin uneven, with ridges; eye very large, open, with projecting scales; color greenish yellow spotted with white; pulp amber, streaked with rose; seeds few but very large. Only the first crop of this variety ripens. It is of the San Pedro tribe. One of the best early figs.
Grosse Grise Bifère. – Medium, ovate pyriform; neck very short, stalk short; ribs distinct; eye small; skin downy, dark violet amber, pale olive in shade; the bloom is separated by a distinct line from the apex; pulp deep red. A tender, good fig.
Ischia, black. – Small; neck short; stalk medium; skin smooth; color dark, violet black, greenish around the apex; neck dark; eye medium, open; bloom thin, dark blue; pulp red. Of fair quality but small size.
Ischia, White. – Size below medium, round, with small neck; stalk very short; eye open; skin smooth, bluish green with brown flush; pulp rosy red. Common in California, but hardly worthy of cultivation in that State.
Magdalen. – Below medium; round; ribs distinct, rough, disappearing around the eye; stalk longer than the fig; eye open, large; skin greenish yellow; pulp amber white. A very delicious fig, superior to the Ischias and Celeste; not synonymous with Angelique.
Marseillaise, Long. – Large, longer than wide; skin thick with brownish shade; pulp dull red. Requires moist soils. A fair fig which dries well; not related to either Black or White Marseillaise.
Marseillaise, White. – Medium ovate, pyriform; neck short; stalk medium; ribs numerous and distinct; apex flattened; eye large, open; skin downy, pale yellowish green, mottled with white; pulp amber, with a few large seeds. One of the best figs for drying. Requires sandy, rich soil.
Mission, Black. – Medium to large, turbinate; neck long; stalk short; ribs distinct; eye prominent, open; skin rough, deep mahogany violet, with a red flush; pulp not fine, red, but not bright or brownish amber; sweet but not high-flavored; common in the Southern States, California, and Mexico. The oldest fig in this country.
Monaco Bianco (syn. White Monaco). – Large, rounded, turbinate, flattened; neck small but very distinct; ribs numerous; eye very open; skin dark, bluish green with thin bloom; pulp dark-red rose; a most excellent fig for table; one of the best in California.
Pastilière. – Large, 3 inches by 1½; elongated, pyriform with long neck; stalk short; eye closed, surrounded by an elevated iris; skin rough, hairy, with blue bloom; pulp red. Fine for preserves.
Ronde Noire. – Large, round, but irregular; neck distinct, short; eye small; skin smooth, waxy, dark violet brown; pulp amber. Greatly to be recommended as a table fig. It is not related to Black Ischia or Osborn Prolific.
San Pedro, Black. – Very large, elongated ovate, with no stalk, but with well set neck; skin smooth, violet black with green neck; pulp red, coppery, tinted violet. For table use. The largest fig known. It is not related to the following variety:
San Pedro, White (syn. Brebas). – Very large, round, flattened at apex; stalk and neck short; eye open; skin thick, tender, of a bright yellow color or greenish in the shade, without bloom; pulp amber. A remarkable and handsome fig. Only the first crop matures without caprification. Suited only for table use. Requires moist, rich soil.
Verdal, Round. – Below medium, round pyriform, without stalk or neck; skin smooth, waxy, bluish green; eye closed; pulp dark, blood red. A small fig, but valuable for canning and preserves; better than the Ischias or Celeste. It does well in the Santa Clara Valley, but is inferior in the interior of the State.
CAPRIFICATION
This process must be practiced wherever the Smyrna figs are grown, for without it they will not mature either seeds or figs. The flowers of the Smyrna figs are all pistillate and require pollination, which in the case of these varieties can be effected on a large scale only through caprification. The process consists in the suspension of wild caprifigs, which possess staminate and gall flowers, in the Smyrna fig trees, when the pistils in the blossoms of the latter are in a receptive condition. A minute wasp, the Blastophaga, breeds in the caprifig in large numbers, and on leaving it crawls into the Smyrna fig, covered with the pollen of the caprifig. This pollen, transferred by contact from the body of the wasp to the receptive stigmas of the flowers in the Smyrna figs, effects the fertilization of the ovules of those flowers and causes them to form seeds and mature the fruit of which they are a part. These seeds impart a nutty aroma and flavor to the fig when dried, and give it a marked superiority to our common figs. Caprification is not yet practiced in the United States, the wasp not existing here, though both it and some of the Smyrna figs have been brought to this country several times. The first importation of Smyrna fig trees was made by Gulian P. Rixford, about 1880, when three varieties of Smyrna figs and a single caprifig tree were introduced.
CLIMATE SUITABLE FOR FIG CULTURE
A native of a semitropical climate, the fig requires a similar climate to attain perfection. Many horticultural varieties, however, have originated in temperate regions, and these can be grown with profit in a climate much colder than that of the habitat of the wild fig. Figs, in fact, may be grown in all regions where peaches and apricots succeed without protection, and if given winter protection they can be profitably grown in such regions near