I waited some what patiently, but no dripped honey to seal the eye.  Still delicious, sweet and slightly creamy.  Smith is a very good fig.  This one is in its third leaf.

I'm pretty sure this is main crop, all the breba froze off after late freeze.  She is making another batch still.

Good weather for figs.

     
 

Looks great, Don! I'm looking forward to finally trying Smith later this summer! Thanks for posting the pics. Have a great season!

Very cool.  How big is that container?  

I can't wait for my smith to produce.
Thanks for sharing

Doug

I'm looking for info on Smith. Is there more than 1 fig that is called Smith. I've seen them as white and dark figs. The leaf pattern above is nothing like what I've seen before. Most Smith leaves I've seen are more long fingered Brunswick types.

I got my Smith from Just Fruits and exotics and it has the Brunswick type leaf.

Smith does not have Brunswick leaves. But what I do know is JFE has an overstock of Magnolia fig trees so you tree is probably Magnolia. I recommend calling them and talk to Brandy. She can help you if the tree was mislabeled.

I have 5 Smith trees and they are all have the same leaf pattern.

My Smith has leaves and fruit like Don's.

If you had to pick between Adriatic JH And Smith which would you pick? I'm running out of room and have been considering it for a while..

I have one Smith with this leaf

newnandawg Registered:08/04/12 Posts: 2,536

Posted 08/01/14 Reply with quote  #29  Pete, here are the leaf pics you asked for.

Waynea, I know your talking about leaves, but the flavor is distinctive in my opinion, Smith stands out from the rest so far in the varieties I have tried.

Brandon, With that said, currently I would choose Smith over JH Adriatic. I'm glad I don't have to, I would find something else to nix, JHA is a wonderful fig.

Also JH Adriatic ripens a few weeks later. Smith more so than JHA leaks delicious honey from the eye.

And where as I like the wrinkled mottled Smith fig fruit with its everyone a snowflake kinda thing, JHAs tend to have more eye appeal to most people.

Thanks for the great analysis!! Guess I'll be sneaking "more sticks" into the house.

I'm following this thread with interest because I just ordered a Smith from Just Fruits & Exotics in Florida and I would like to be sure that it is actually a true Smith.
Since I'm unable to load a photo here's the link of the picture on their website, could someone please confirm that this photo is of a true Smith.  For my inexperienced eyes the photo in post #29 looks like the tree on JF&E website below.   Thanks

http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/JFE/product/smith-fig/

Rayvino-

A couple of things first, I am no expert, and two, I really like JFE.  The plants I have received from them (not figs) were healthy and painstakingly packaged well.  

But, from memory (take that as you like) the leaves do not look like what I have as Smith.  Their fruit pic of Smith does not look like any Smith I have seen.  Their fruit appears un-ripe for sure. 

Maybe someone who has more experience will chime in, I don't have any figs in my collection currently that look like JFE's  Smith pic, it may be a knock out fig for all I know.

Real Smith video. some people have posted some browinsh looking smith on Facebook. God knows what that is.

Video by Ben

Update - I just called Just Fruits & Exotics and spoke to Brandy about the Smith tree.  I pretty much wanted to know where they get their cuttings from and if it was the same tree they were selling in 2014, when my friend Rafael bought his and he loves his tree.
 
Brandy said for the Smith, JF&E has their own in ground mother tree and that's where she takes her cuttings from and it's the same tree they have taken cuttings from for at least 5 years. 

I asked her about the shape of the leaves on her website being different than other Smith trees, she said that trying to id a fig tree by the leaves is very difficult since many things can affect the shape of the tree's leaves.

I'm pretty satisfied with her response, she was very helpful and knowledgeable.  I'll get my tree from them next month.

I'd like to believe in your confidence, but.... in this case there seems to be two different Smiths on the market. This is the leaf shape from the JF&E ad. How did the Black Madeira episode turn out from a couple of years back(Nov. 2014), did  JF&E sale of Black Madeira turn out to be the real deal? I know that they are a good source for plants, but even the best make mistakes and you can tell they are the best by realizing and admitting to their mistakes. I hate to see a wrong variety being resold/gifted over and over again and perpetuating the problem. If this is the real deal then I will rename mine to an UNK and get one from JF&E.

This is the advertised Smith from JF&E

waynea - I hear what you are saying, and you bring up a good point and Brandy mentioned about their past issue with Black Madeira.

I have no idea where her original mother tree came from, or what a real Smith is, or is not,  but she gave me confidence that I would get a tree from the same mother tree that my friend Rafael has. 

Rafael's tree is just a few miles from where my tree will be, just about the same climate, so if it's a great fig for him, then I don't care what we call it, I can always change the label or put an * next to the name.

Thanks for your insight, I'll update this post when I get some figs from the tree.

Sounds good Rayvino, they have quality plants and are not trying to deceive anyone, hopefully they are the same and growing conditions have something to do with different shape of the leaves. There is/was a well known grower in Louisiana who had an excellent reputation with quality true to name plants, but something happened and varieties or tags got mixed up and now some varieties have 2 names or 2 varieties of the same name, I believe Smith could have been one of them??? Hopefully not.

https://www.ourfigs.com/forum/variety-test/3828-smith

https://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/smithan-incredibly-wonderful-fig-7065950?pid=1284178803

I am willing to concede there appears to be a difference between the Becnel Smith and the JFE Smith.  However, it may be overblown.  Cajun's Dan's blog is inaccessible but if only we could go back, it stated quite unequivocally and authoritatively that a Smith fig grown in colder zones would have a darker skin coloration so it may be they are the same.  I do recall my JFE Smith and Texas-BA-1 having very similar leaf patterns.  In any event, I agree with Ray that whatever people want to call my JFE Smith, it is without doubt my best overall fig, the taste is superlative, it does not split, drips honey, and ripened an abundant crop over an entire month starting August 19 this year, and it grows extremely vigorously and nicely shaped.  There is really nothing more I could ask for, and so it is my No.1.  I do not see any resemblance between my Smith and Magnolia, sorry Dennis.  As for any suggestion that my Smith is a mistake, all I can say is I ordered two separate Smith trees in separate seasons from JFE and they are both the same.  It would be rather odd for them to commit the same mistake twice.  Nurseries are not perfect.  The Black Madeira situation was unfortunate, but I think JFE has consistently shown that they are at a completely different level than some of the lesser quality nurseries that deservedly have poor reputations, like Ty Ty and Willis Orchards.

I get a real kick out of snarky, arrogant newbies posting sophomoric, conclusory, vague allegations that are of no particular interest.  Like if I said hosting a Facebook fig page that misspells the names of many figs and specializes in photoshopped pictures does not make one a fig expert, that wouldn't be very convincing now, would it? Just a lot of conclusory, "formulated arguments."

It's always interesting to read posts by some duplicitous self proclaimed non governing Dr Figs. Apparently years of tending and cultivating a garden don't count or make one an experienced gardener unless he or she has been a longstanding member of a particular forum. Oh well we'll wait. I would say hosting a Facebook page with non fabricated names ( e.g.: uncle jacks purple Fig ,spelling ok? ), showing kindness and respect to fellow members of any race or nationality is better than being a two faced haughty hypocrite who posts immature patronising and sarcastic comments. We have no interest in such low class individuals and I can guarantee that they are consistently being monitored and blocked.