F 



F 



C 



% 



r 

 \- 



P 



I 



i 



i 



I 





\ 



Fi^T-trces nre propagated in England, cither by t!ic 

 luckcrs, vvliich arc lent cue tVoin their roots, and by 

 1-xvcrs m:ido, by laying down of their branches, which 

 in one year will put out roots fuificient to be removed, 

 by planting oi cuttings, which, if properly managed, 



or 



ill take root ; the firll of thefe is a bad method, be- 

 c lufc all tliofe trees which are raifed from fuckers, arc 

 ver\' fubjccl to fend out great quantities of fuckers 

 -rirn fro'n-i their roors; and the branches of tlie fuckers 



/utwill not be very fruitful; tor, when trees 

 luiicd a vicious habit while young, it is feldoiri 



arc not f) conipacb, as thofc of die layers, but are fuller 

 of fap, f<> i^i greater danger of being injured by the 

 frolh thofe plants which are propagated by layers, 

 arc the beft, provided the layers are made from the 

 branches of fruitful trees ; for thofe which are made 

 from the fuckers, or fhoots, produced from old ftools, 

 are very fofr, and full of fap, fo arc in danger of fuf- 

 ferinf^ by the froft, and thefe will flioot greatly into 



wood, b 



have acq 



they are ever brought to be fruitful afterward ; there- 

 fore the fl^ioots which are laid dov/n, fhould be fuch as 

 are woody, compact, and well ripened, not young 

 fhoots, full of fap, whofe vcffels are large and open. 

 The beft time for laying down of the branches is in 

 autumn ; and if the winter fhould prove very fevere, 

 if they are covered with fome old tan, or any other 

 mulch, to keep the froft from penetrating the ground, 

 it will be of great fervice to them ; by the autumn 

 followinf^, thefe will be fuificiently rooted for remov- 



thev fliould be cut off from the old 



ino;, 



when 



plant!?, becaufe at that feafon the branches are not fo 



the fDrins:, fo will not bleed fo 



full of fap as in 



g^ 



much as when cut off in the fpring. If the place is 

 ready to receive them, the layers fhould be tranf- 

 planted in autumn, where they are to remain ; but if 

 it is not, then the layers may remain till the fpring, 

 provided they are feparated from the old plants in 



'^autumn. As thefe plants do not bear tranfplanting 

 well when they are large, it is the better way to plant 



t them at firfl in places where they are to remain ; and 

 after they are planted, the furface of the ground about 



' their roots fhould be covered with mulch to keep out 

 tlie froft ; and if the winter fhould prove very fevere, 

 kwill be proper to cover the branches with Reeds, 

 Pcas-haulm, Straw, or fome other light covering, 



. which will prevent their tender ends being killed by 

 the frofl, which frequently happens where this care 



IS wanting. 



1 , 



' r 



■^ \ 



The other method of propagating thefe trees, is by 



' cutnngs, which fhould be taken from the trees ifi au- 



t\jnin, for the reafpn before given : thefe mufl be cho- 



fen from fuch branches as are compaft, whojfe joints 



are near each other ; and they fhould have a part of 



the former year's wood at their bottom, an^ the top of 



^.each fhould be left entire, notfliortened as is ufually 



^.^praftifed with other cuttings ; then they fhould be 



planted eight or nine inches deep, in a bed of 



.vJoamy earth, in a warm fituation, covering the fur- 

 face of the ground, three, or ^ four inches thick,., with 



* old tanner's baric, to keep out the frofl ; and^in fevere 

 froft their tops ihould be covered with Straw, Peas- 



. hatilm,Fern, or other Iiglit covering, to proteft them 



"from froft, which fliould be removed in theTpring ; 

 but the tan may remain, for that will prevent the 



..^^^"g winds of the fpring, and, the fun in fummer, 



:. from penetratinor the ground, and will be of great 

 uie to lecure the cuttino;s from inniry •, thefe cuttings 

 vmi be rooted fufnciently by the following autumn, 



i when they fhould be tranfplanted,* and treated in the 



; ^me manner as the layers. : - V - - - -^ ^.'-/ ■X^.J^. 

 If fruitful branches of thefe trees are cut off, and 

 planted in pots, or tubs, filled with good earth, and 



. f hefe are plunged into a good hot-bed of tanners bark 

 m theftove, they v/ill put out fruit early in the fpring, 



- ;which will ripen in the middle of May. 

 N V e fhall now return to the other forts of Figs, which 

 grow naturally in warm countries, but are preferved 

 ^n the gardens of thofe who are cimous in coUeding 

 rare exotic plants, for thefe do not bear eatable fruit 

 la tncir native foiU but their leaves being large and 



i . - 



bcaurlful, t!ic plants make 

 ilove. 



-• o 



pleafing variety in die 



7'he lecond fort grows naturally in the Levant, where 

 it becomes a large tree, dividing into many brandies, 

 which arc garnilhcd v;ith leaver ihaped like thofe of 

 the Mulberry, and aftbrds a friendly ihade in t'nufc hot 

 countries. The fruit is produced from tl;e trunk and 

 larger branches of the tree, and not on the lir:allcr 



fl:iGot.s, as in miofl: other trees ; the ihapc is like tlie 

 common Fig, but is little efteemed. This is called tlie 

 Sycan";orc, or Pharaoh's Fig-tree. 

 Tlic th.ird fort grows naturally in India, Vvlierc it isfa- 

 crecl, fo that none dare dellroy thern ; ic is called by 

 fonie the Indian God-tree ^ this rifcs with a woody 

 ftem to a great height, fending out many flcndcf 

 branches, which are 



garnilhcd w'ith fmooch hcart- 



fliaped leaves, ending in a long tail, or point; they 

 are entire, fmocth, and of a light green, having pretty 

 long foot-italks ; they are between fix and feven inches 

 long, and three inches and a half broad toward their 

 bafe, diminifhing gradually to the top, where they run 

 out in'a narrow point, an inch and a half long. The 

 fruit comes cut on the branches, which are fmall, 

 round, and of no value. 



The fourth fort rifes with miany ftalks, which grow 

 to the height of thirty or forty feet, dividing into a 

 great number of branches, v/hich fend out roots from 

 their vinder branches, many of which reach to the 

 ■-. ground ; fo that in fuch places where the trees grow 

 . naturally, their roots and branches are fo interwoven 

 with each other, as to render the places impaffable. In 

 India, the Banyans trail the branches of thefe trees 

 into regular archades, ^ and fet up their pagods under 

 them, thefe being the places of their devotion. Ih 

 America, where thefe trees are equally plenty, they 

 form fuch thickets, as neither man nor beaft can pais 

 through. The leaves of this fort are of a thick fub- 

 flance, fmooth, and oval ; they are fix inches long, 

 and four inches broad, with obtufe ends. ■ The fruit 

 is the fize of a marble, and round, but of no ufe. ■ 

 The fifth fort grows naturally in both Indies ^ this 

 rifes with a woody flalk to the height of thirty fQ,tt^ 

 fending out many branches, which are garnifhed with 

 oblong leaves Handing upon pretty long foot-ftalks ; 

 they are about fix or eight inches long, and two inches 

 and a half broad, ending in an obtufe point, of a dark 

 green, and fmooth on their upper fide, but of a light 

 reen, and veined on their under fide. The fruit is 

 liiall, and of no value. The branches of thefe trees 

 :fend out roots from their lower fide, which fome- 



. -^ i _ . 



.I-' ** 



.,, times ireach the ground. ?.■ 



The u;xth fort erows naturally in the _ Weft-Indies, 



v^ where it rifes to the height of thirty or forty feet, 



fending ont many flender^ branches, which put out 



,/roots in the fame manner as the former. - The leaves 



-> ' ^ 



.,Jorthis are eight or nine inches long, and two inches 



'.broad, ending in "points,. The fruit is fmall," round, 



: and of a blood colour when ripe, but is not eatable. 



The feventh fort grows naturally in Indiar where it' 

 ,. rifes to the height of twenty-five feet, and divides in- 

 .-.to many branches, which are garnilhcd with oval- * 

 , • pointed leaves, which are fmooth, and of a lucid green. 



The fruit is fmall, and grows in cluflers from the fide 





t . . **- - 





of the branches ; thefe are not eatable. 

 .The eighth fort grows naturally in India ; this is 4 

 ^Jow trailing fhrub, whofe ftalks put out roots at their 

 ^joints, Avhich firike into the ground, fo is propagated 

 ^glentifully where jt naturally grows. ,The leaves are 

 !.; two inches and a half lons^, and near two inches broad, 

 ., ending in points j they are of a lucid green, and are 



- placed without order on the branches j the fruit is 

 :fhiall, and not eatable.* -jh 

 ,The ninth fort rifes^wkh a ftrong, upright, woody 



llalk twenty feet high, fending out fevcral fide 

 branches, which are garnifned with large, oval, ftifi' 

 leaves, about fourteen inches long, and near a foot 

 broad, and are rounded at the ends ; they have feveral 

 tranfverfe vein's, which run from the midrib to the 

 . fides. ;t:The foot-flalks are long, and frequently 



- turned next to the branches j the upper fide of the 



. leaves 





. t 



I 'i. 



'-f. I 



*• 



' 'S' 



*-!• 



_l' - 



.- • 'l-^ — 



'rtl- 



^k'*' ■' -f* 



X 



