Fig Varieties: A Monograph - uri=ucce.ucdavis

February, 1955] Condit: Fig Varieties
365
reported that Castle Kennedy was worthless as a cropper.....it is a runaway, unfruitful
variety, not worth house room.” Brotherston noted that in England only one crop,
presumably the first, is produced in a year. This seems to confirm the report of Burger
and De Wet, that in South Africa the second crop requires caprification, a fact that places
the variety in the San Pedro group.
A letter dated June 20, 1954, from Sir John Dalrymple, Earl of Stair, states that two
trees of the Castle Kennedy fig are still being grown mainly for sentimental reasons at
Lochinch Castle, Stranraer, Wigtownshire, Scotland. R. W. Rye, the head gardener,
agrees with “K.” above that this fig “is not worth house room as it is very shy in setting
fruit.”
Castle Kennedy was not included in the Chiswick collection that was introduced into
California, nor is the name found among those tested by the Experiment Station. P.I.
No. 69,017, obtained from a French nursery in 1928 as “Kennedy,” has proved to be
identical with Brunswick in tree and fruit. Starnes and Monroe reported in 1907 that in
Georgia, Castle Kennedy, obtained from the same French nursery as the above
number, resembled Dalmatian (Brunswick), and might prove to be identical with it.
Judging from the various accounts of this variety, the Castle Kennedy is very similar to
Brunswick, but belongs to the San Pedro rather than to the Common group of figs.
Hogg described the fruit as very large, obovate; skin thin, tender, greenish yellow on
the neck, pale brown on the body; pulp pale red, soft, not highly flavored.
Chiajese. Described by Semmola (1845), Gasparrini (1845), and Duchartre (1857).
This variety, treated by Gasparrini as Ficus polymorpha, is regarded by Italian growers
as one requiring caprification.
The first crop is very small; brebas large, turbinate, dark-colored, mediocre in quality.
Second-crop figs medium, spherical, tawny-green in color; pulp red, of mild flavor.
Used fresh.
Dauphine (syns. Dauphine Violette, Grosse Violette, Ronde Violette Hâtive, Rouge
de Argenteuil, Mussega Negra, Ficus carica punctulata Risso, Pagaudière, Adam).
Described by Risso (1826), Barron (1868c, 1891), Lhérault (1872), Du Breuil (1876),
Simon-Louis (1895), Eisen (1888, 1901), Forrer (1894), Schneider (1902), Juignet (1909),
Mazières (1920), Bois (1928), Soc. Nat. d’Hort. de France (1928), A. Rivière (1928),
Delplace (1933), Simonet et al. (1945), Delbard (1947), Evreinoff (1947), and by Simonet
and Chopinet (1947). Illustrated in black and white by Du Breuil, Bois, Simonet, and
Condit (1941 a, fig. 2, H). Illustrated in color by Delbard, and by Simonet and Chopinet.
Dauphine is grown near Paris for its abundant breba crop; it is also cultivated
extensively in southern France on account of its large, attractive fruits, which carry well
to distant markets. According to Simonet et al., it is known at Sollies-Pont as Boule
d’Or, Bouton d’Or, and Grosse de Juillet; but the last name is also given as a synonym of
Sultane. These authors also refer it to Mussega Negra (Ficus carica punctulata Risso).
There are small plantings of Dauphine near Tokyo, Japan, where the brebas ripen in
July.
In 1883, Dauphine was introduced into California from England by John Rock