This written in late 1998:
Figs have been a perplexing crop. Up until 1986, Central Texas figs produced well almost every year. A very hard early freeze in the Fall of 86 caught the figs plants unadapted and killed the tops of very nearly all the figs in the the area. This is the time that I started planting figs. Most years since 86 have had freezes that were sever enough to kill the tender one year old growth that figs had put on since the previous killing freeze. And so it went. Some years there were a few figs, most years, hardly any. But 98 may be the year. Many of my figs have not been severly damaged by freezing in two years. I am now struggling to keep enough water on them. With a little more luck, in July and August, we may see the first significant fig crop in twelve years. In 1997, fig production lasted from July 17 through September 20. The highest volume production was during the month of August. Update: as of 8/29/98, our fig harvest is about over. Bidaily pickings are yielding well under 1 gallon. Total harvest has been about 100 gallons, or about twice any previous year.

This written in late 1999:
We had a fair fig crop, that is to say more than ever before. Figs, like pears and some other fruits, were around three weeks early; most of the production was during the month of July. 1999 gave us just under 200 gallons of figs, while in 1998 we had just under 100 gallons. Still no significant number of LSU Gold or LSU Purple.

This, in Spring 2003:
I see that I have not written about figs in quite a while! They have been a rather disappointing crop, we've been doing 100-200 gallons a year. I have a fairly well protected patch behind my house containing about 75 bushes which was planted about 1988. They are planted 10'x10' and my walk ways have disappeared; they have grown fairly well. However, the soil there is poor, thin top soil over red clay. I heavily mulch them and that helps. I find it difficult to impossible to keep the leaves on the bushes late in the season. This, due apparently to disease and failure to irrigate well and frequently. The figs planted in the open on better soil get frozen more often. They also suffer from neglect, failure to control surrounding bermuda grass and many times failure to irrigate when it is needed late in the season. In this latter category are my LSU Purple and LSU Gold plants. We pick a few purple figs every once in a while, but I don't think I have ever seen a gold one. I think I planted the LSU varieties when they were newly released, perhaps 1990 or so.

A neighbor's tale:
I had a neighbor in Dale that kept some chickens; in the chicken yard were three very large fig bushes. The chickens kept the figs fertilized and weeded and and charged only the dropped fruit and a few fruit on the bushes. The figs thrived. The bushes were about 15 feet in diameter and about as tall. The fruit was picked both from ladders and by climbing in the bushes. The chicken house offered some protection from the weather. When in full production, the three bushes would provide 10 to 15 gallons of fruit every day. The '86 freeze must have been a 50 year or 100 year event; it took my neighbor's figs as well as my own.
Varieties:
CELESTE is a common variety. Makes small brown fruit. About 3/4".
ALMA is a larger, 1" or more, lighter colored fruit.
Two new varieties from LSU:
LSU PURPLE makes elongated dark purple fruit.
LSU GOLD: I haven't seen fruit of this one.