At the slightest hint of loss of decorum I will delete this thread, no personal attacks or derogatory comments will be allowed.  My thread, my judgement on what is inappropriate.


The 'Improved" Brown Turkey

Still the question remains - who, how, and what was done to the Brown Turkey to make it an "Improved Brown Turkey"?  If these basic questions cannot be answered it is a Boutique/Cutesy/Sales label, or an unknown (translated to locally unnamed) as it is probably called something else somewhere else by someone else.

It could be a variation but for it to be legitimate cultivar, the process would have to be documented and proven by repetition, with each attempt documented.  Sometimes we as a group are our own worst enemy when it comes to identifying/naming figs that we "find" or see for the first time.  The poor Celeste has probably more AKA's than all the other figs.  Who knows what it was called originally.

It (BT) does not need any improvement here in my growing area, it is a good fig here.

Excuse me while I hunker down for all the incoming.

You know, I have been wondering that exact same thing myself... I've never understood how there could be so many variations of brown turkey.
I think I saw a video about the improved brown turkey, from a fig fanatic in Seattle who grows many varieties. I'll go back and watch it again, to see if he mentions why or how it's improved... At the time I didn't pay any attention to it because I wasn't interested in BT, now I have several.

I don't know anything on the topic, but a quick Google search turns up this snipet attributed to Condit without citation:

"The Thompson, or Thompson Improved Brown Turkey, is identical with San Piero. The same is true of Granata, grown by B. R. Amend, Portland, Oregon."

It's a big fat juicy fig!  Figs get better as the tree ages.

Hi,
Ever heard of a guy called "Darwin" ?
Life does evolve to adapt to new challenging conditions.
I here could see the selection done by amateur gardeners on "Longue d'aout". You definitely can no longer call them all "longue d'aout".
At some point that probably did happen to BT - or could have been a marketing trick to sell that new strain to people that already had heard of BT.
Now, the truth of the story is lost ... Just live with it !
With all the science that surrounds us ... Frustrating ... But we'll never know . Just take advantage of the situation and acquire that new strain if it suits your needs.

I bought a lda, and 8 years later a second one that I refer to as healthy lda ... Productivity of the second is just 10 times better than the original one ... That is what I call a selection !
I bought the second one as an unknown, but lda figs are just so easy to tell !

Hi
Ever heard of a guy called "PT Barnum" ?, LOL

Someone had to add the "Improved" to it.

I vote for sales embellishment.

if i'm not allowed to lose decorum, make personal attacks or derogatory comments, i don't wanna play.
nyaaah !

Just googled him up ( PT Barnum )... He is not a family member ... LOL ...
I might have more humor than him though, especially now that winter is behind me .

Burbank and Vineland is considered to most likely be an "Improved" brown turkey. Supposed to be an amazing one though.