iSyi.] FIGS. 121 



structure about the size of an ordinary vinery, say 50 feet long by 

 about 18 feet wide. Trees were planted out in it in front and trained 

 up a trellis like Vines ; and trees were also planted, if I remember 

 right, at the back wall, and trained up to the top and down the roof 

 again to meet the others. The shoots were all trained at free-and-easy 

 distances apart without any fixed rule to go by ; the principal thing 

 seemed to be to give them all an equal share of light and air. The 

 points of the young shoots in this case were all bruised at the fourth 

 or fifth leaf instead of being pinched, as is usually done, which was 

 considered a better plan to prevent so much bleeding. Such a 

 crop of Figs I certainly never before heard of or expected to see ; 

 and when in the house I could not imagine whether it mostly pro- 

 ceeded from the soil or from the other superior management. Un- 

 doubtedly both must have played their parts well, but I could not 

 see anything particular in the way of training, or anything else to 

 account for the result ; yet the fruit was so plentiful that literally 

 they appeared to be strung in some places with the first and second 

 crops like ropes of Onions all along the branches. The soil certainly 

 must have been most favourable to the highest culture. It was a 

 rich friable loam ; and the other management must also have been 

 thoroughly adapted to produce the most successful results, and which 

 was said to be very similar to that usually given to Vines. Well, 

 shortly after seeing this example of most successful management, I was 

 placed in charge of, among other things, a house of Figs. It was a 

 lean-to also, similar in length, though not nearly so wide, as the one 

 mentioned. Figs were planted out and trained up the back wall as be- 

 fore ; but the arrangement of the house otherwise was so far different, 

 that a row of plants went along the front in large pots instead of being 

 planted out. The treatment of this house was in every particular as 

 good, as we thought, as could be, being always attended to as far as 

 temperature, watering, destroying red-spider, &c., was concerned: yet, 

 strange to say, no fruit in quantity could be got. The plants showed 

 plenty of fruit at first, and for some time afterwards, but as soon as 

 they came to be about the size of pigeons' eggs they always fell off. 

 This happened for several successive years, though everything was tried 

 that could be thought of to prevent it. However, still yet another plan 

 presented itself for adoption. That was to allow a more vigorous and 

 rampant growth to the branches. The plants, therefore, for a season 

 were all allowed to grow almost wild ; and, strange to say, the first year 

 afterwards fruit in abundance was produced. The soil used, I may say, 

 was of a heavy, sometimes irony-looking loam, being that of the neigh- 

 bourhood ; and the kinds were such as the Brown Turkey, White Mar- 

 seilles, Lee's Perpetual, Early Violette, a first-rate kind, &c. 



