At present figs are mostly used for household purposes, comparatively few being prepared for market. They are eaten fresh from the tree or are served on the table with sugar and cream. They can also be stewed and made into puddings and pies, and when canned or preserved they make an acceptable table delicacy throughout the year. On first tasting fresh figs many people are disappointed and think they will not care for them, but on further acquaintance nearly everyone learns to like them. If picked at all green the fig exudes a milky, acrid juice that has a rank, disagreeable flavor. When fully ripe this disappears, and in learning to eat figs one should choose only the ripest specimens. The beginner will find eating them at the table with plenty of sugar and cream a pleasant introduction. It is needless to commend this method to those who are acquainted with it. For canning, figs should be picked when still firm enough to hold their shape. To secure the best results they require the use of more sugar than do some other fruits. If undersweetened they seem tasteless and lacking in quality. The amount of sugar used and the method of procedure vary greatly in different households. A pound of sugar to 3 or 4 pounds of fruit would probably suit most tastes, though some prefer the regular “pound for pound” preserve. Ginger root or orange peel is sometimes added to give variety of flavoring, and figs are often made into sweet pickles by adding spices and vinegar. Figs are sometimes peeled before canning, and this is considered to increase their delicacy of flavor. More frequently, however, they are cooked unpeeled and with the stems on, just as they come from the tree. They hold their shape better and look more attractive when treated in this way, and the difference in flavor, if any, is very slight. Figs are occasionally dried for household use, but as they ripen at the South during the season of frequent summer showers, this is so troublesome that it is not often attempted. A nice product could doubtless be made by use of fruit evaporators, but these are seldom used far South. In speaking of home uses for the fig, its value as food for pigs and chickens should not be forgotten. Both are very fond of them, and on many places the waste figs form an important item of their midsummer diet. In fact, no cheaper food can be grown for them. MARKETING FRESH FIGS.