DIE BACK.
A dying of the young shoots in the fall and early winter is sometimes noticed. This occurs before they can have been injured by severe cold and its cause is not known. It usually occurs in feeble trees, those injured by previous winter killing or perhaps those suffering from root knot. A similar trouble is noted by A. F. Barron, of Chiswick, England, (The Garden, June 20, 1891, p. 577). He finds it occurring in trees grown in pots, and says it is there seldom noticed in trees growing out of doors.
ROOT ROT.
The fungus Ozonium auricomum Lk., which causes a root rot of cotton and of many other plants and trees, has been reported upon the fig,[[4]] but the extent of damage caused by it is not known. Several other species of fungi are known to occur on the fig, but none of them can be classed as disease-producing organisms.
VARIETIES.
Much confusion exists in the naming of fig varieties. They were first introduced by the early French and Spanish settlers, and there have been more or less frequent importations since. Trees from these various sources have been known under many local names, and it is probable that there are now many more names recorded than we have varieties in cultivation. On the other hand, distinct varieties are often met with that can not be named from published descriptions. In Louisiana and Mississippi it is safe to say that nine-tenths of all the figs grown are of the Celeste variety. This is sometimes written Celestial, but among growers it is uniformly known as Celeste. The tree is hardy and very fruitful. The fruit is small, but it is one of the best in quality. When ripe it is a light yellowish brown, tinged with violet. The flesh is light red, delicate in texture, and very sweet and rich. A number of other varieties occur, but they are known under local names, such as “black fig” or “Spanish fig.” More attention has been paid to nomenclature and to the planting of different varieties in other parts of the South, but the Celeste is the favorite in nearly all localities.
Some interesting papers on figs were read at the meeting of the American Pomological Society, held in Florida in 1889, and in the published proceedings of the meeting the following 18 varieties are catalogued among the fruits recommended by the society.
List of figs recommended by American Pomological Society.
Alicante; Angelique—synonym, Jaune Hative; Brunswick; Blue Genoa; Black Ischia; Brown Smyrna; Celeste; Green Ischia—synonyms, White Ischia, Green Italian; Lemon; Violet, Long; Violet, Round; Nerii; Pregussata; White Adriatic; White Marseillaise; White Genoa; Superfine de la Sausaye; Turkey—synonym, Brown Turkey.
On comparing this list with 11 others furnished by nurserymen and writers on the fig, and taken at random from Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida sources, we find 14 of these names occurring more or less frequently. Four are not mentioned at all, while 13 additional names appear, making a total of 31 varieties in the 12 lists. Celeste and Brown Turkey lead, being mentioned 11 times each; Adriatic, Lemon, and Brunswick come next, each occurring 8 times. White Marseillaise is mentioned 7 times; White Genoa and Green Ischia, 6 times; Black Ischia, 5 times; and San Pedro, which is not in the American Pomological Society’s list, occurs 4 times. We may perhaps conclude that these 10 varieties are the most generally grown in the South, but some of them are to be considered as nurserymen’s recent introductions from California, rather than as varieties in general use. They are characterized in the Pomological Society’s list as follows: