FIFTY-FOUR FORTY OR FIGHT, the slogan of the Northern Democrats in 1844; meaning the insistance upon the line of lat. 54° 40' N. as the southern limit of English posses sion, even at the price of a war. The Ashbur ton Treaty of 1842 had created great dissatis faction as a surrender of American rights (and in England as a surrender of British rights), and the hot-heads wished to abrogate it. But the Southern leaders did not wish to make war for the increase of the free territory, and in stead diverted the war sentiment against Mex ico, forcing on the Mexican war of 1847. See BOUNDARIES OF THE UNITED STATES; OREGON QUESTION.
FIG, the fruit of the Ficus carica, a native of Asia, Africa, and the south of Europe, which has been cultivated from antiquity in the coun tries surrounding the Mediterranean, where figs form a principal article of food in many places. it belongs to the family Moracees. The male and female flowers are mixed indiscriminately on the inside of a fleshy receptacle, which is concave in form, with its edges drawn together into a narrow opening. What are called the seeds in the ripe fig are really the fruits, each containing a single seed. The fig-tree is dis tinguished from almost all others by the extra ordinary property of producing two crops of . fruit in the same year on distinct shoots, in climates congenial to its growth. The shoots formed by the first or spring sap put forth figs at ever, July as soon as the sap begins to flow in again uly and August. These figs which i form the second crop of the year ripen in their native climate during the course of the autumn. The shoots formed by the second flow of sap, commonly called midsummer shoots, put forth figs in like manner at every eye, but elsewhere not until the first flow of sap in the following spring. These last-mentioned figs, which form the first crop of each year, ripen in warmer climates during the months of June and July, but not in the United Statei before September or October. The fig-tree, in its wild state, is a low, distorted shrub, bearing fruit destitute of any agreeable flavor. Dried figs are easier of digestion and more nourishing than the fresh fruit, and form a considerable article of com merce. The best come from Turkey, Italy, Spain and Provence; those of the Archi pelago are inferior in quality. Dried figs, with barley bread, are now the ordinary food of the lower classes in Greece and the Archipelago. While the edible fig of commerce can be raised over the whole United States south of Philadelphia, fig culture was never considered a practical venture until a few years American figs even in such a climate as lifornia were shrunken and sour for the most part, and the dried Smyrna fig was still imported to the United States to the value of about $700,000 a year. As the price of other kinds of
native fruit decreased, because of overproduc tion, many Californian orchardists and horticul turists turned their attention to the fig, which is among the costliest of dried fruits, being valued at from $200 to $400 a ton in the New York market. Cuttings of the Smyrna fig were imported to this country as early as 1880, but the fruit proved shrunken and tasteless. It was found necessary to start from seedlings and for this process caprification (q.v.) was necessary. In 1891 a consignment of Blasto phaga grossorum was brought to this country. It was received by James Shinn of Niles, Cal., who had planted a caprifig tree in his orchard as a hospice for the insects. He failed of suc cess through the lateness of the season at which he made the experiment, which, however, was repeated by George C. Reeding of Fresno, Cal., who met with complete success, and now Smyrna figs are produced in California as large and highly sugared as those which can be imported.
A modern discovery of great importance to the fig industry is that insect-bearing capri figs may be packed in boxes with alternate layers of figs and sand and so preserved through severe winters. Besides the caprifig and the Smyrna fig numerous other species are grown. Most of these attain an edible perfec tion without the aid of pollen of the caprifig and without developing seeds. Of these Mis sion figs bear two crops annually in California and most of the Southern States. The San Pedro figs, grown in the same regions, bear only one crop. The fig is propagated by bud ding, grafting or by cuttings. Cuttings serve the purpose best and are usually made from the ripened wood of the previous season's growth. The tree is long-lived and requires about 40 feet each way to avoid crowding. In America the most extensive orchards are in California where the low rainfall permits the fruit to reach its full development. In this State are produced all the dried figs grown in America. The output is increasing steadily and now exceeds 10,000,000 pounds annually. The canned-fig industry is assuming important pro portions in the Gulf States within recent years. Consult Bailey, 'Cyclopedia of (New York 1914) • Van Velzer, 'Fig Culture) (Houston, Tex., 1409); "(The Fig" (California Board of Horticulture, Sacramento 1890); "The Fig" (Bulletin 9 of the United States De partment of Agriculture, Division of Pomology, Washington 1901).
a beetle of the genus Alto rhino, harmful to figs. See JUNE BtErrta.