OCR Text |
Show COMMON FIG TREE, Tt is a native of the south of Europe, and produces iis fruit in June and July. From history, says Dr. Woodvilic, both sacred and profane, the fig tree appears to have been known in the most early times. It has been long cultivated in England, and, if screened:from the north-east winds, commonly ripens its fruit here. The fig, which has always been found a wholesome food, was by the ancients ripened or brought to perfection by caprification; a practice which in somecountriesis still continued. It had been observed that the fruit of this tree frequently withered and dropped off before it arrived at a state of maturity, and upon examination it was discovered that those figs succeeded best which had been perforated by certain winged insects, which therefore were supposed to beinstrumental in ripening the fruit. This gave rise to caprification, which formerly consisted in tying near the young figs the fruit of the wild fig tree, in which the flies above mentioned breed in abundance; andthese it sects, upon acquiring sufficient strength, issue from the wildfruit, and 1e youngfigs produce theeffect intended. That by penetrating the this insect, which by the ancients was called Psenes or Culex, and by Linnzus Cynips psenes, J J i i 2sproduced this desirable effect, is generally admitted but how it is to be explained has been the subject of somed some asserting, that as pears and other COMMONF FICUS C pA LE; Essent. Gen. CHAR. Polygamia. Common F nta wers either in the sam 1 iaped, fleshy, cencealing Male flower—Calyx lower— Calyx five- parted: Corolla none Srec. Cuar. L 1 that they carry the flower to the female florets, and therefore i remarked that our figs cannot be raised from thefrui To prevent ripe figs from rut destroyed by the hez DESCRIPTION. A MODERATE Sizedtree. aves large, succulent, smooth, irregularly divided into five lobes, standing on Io yotstalks. The flowers are concealed at first from view, ipening or bursting of the fruit, which is a recepta not a pericarp; and } } . . wiar the flowers here are of , two kinds, as represented in the specie character. refi n, it is usual to dry them 3 which ie either by the heat ofthe sun, or by meansof an oven: wayis preferred, especially when the fruit has been caprifi as the larva of the cynips is are imported from the southern parts of Hurope in small chests, and are compressed into a circular form, of a yellowish colour, and filled with a viscid sweet pulp, in which are us small yellow lenticular seed The surfac » figs is commonly covered with a saccharine matter which exudes fromthefruit, and hence they haye been named Carica pingues, orfat Figs. |