74 THE GARDENER. [Feb. 



clean stem and two horizontal side shoots. From these side shoots he 

 recommends that "two other subdivisions should be encouraged. But 

 these must be trained widely apart, in order to admit of successional 

 bearing shoots being trained between them. ... In general, 15 

 inches will not be too wide. Along these branches, at distances of 

 about 8 inches, shoots for bearing ought to be encouraged, and it is 

 most desirable that all of them should be as nearly as possible of equal 

 vigour. A similar equality ought to be maintained between the re- 

 spective leading shoots. . . . The bearing shoots — those produced 

 along the leading branches — should be trained at full length. In 

 autumn every alternate one should be cut back to one eye ; at the same 

 time, those not cut back must be trained at full length. In the follow- 

 ing summer the latter should bear and ripen fruit, and then be cut 

 back in autumn to one eye, and shoots from the basis of those cut back 

 the previous autumn should be trained for succession.^' The above 

 recommendations, it w^ill be observed, are much the same as our own, 

 with the exception that the foundations of Mr Thompson's trees are 

 on the fan principle, whereas those recommended by us are on the 

 horizontal; and, again, he recommends training the fruiting shoot at full 

 length, while we have found pinching in autumn to be of much use in 

 inducing fruitfulness. We might quote many more authorities to show 

 how much men are divided in mere matters of detail, and yet each and 

 all of them are pressing towards the goal of excellence, and each may 

 be pursuing the method best adapted to the circumstances in which 

 he is placed. No writer can be expected to lay down a rule which 

 will be the best suited to the circumstances of every one who may 

 read his essays. What Mr Harrison recommends in his admirable 

 treatise as the method he found to suit best at Wortley, is not what 

 Mr Thompson found to be most suited at Chiswick; and so cultivators 

 are divided and authors are divided, and yet each in his own peculiar 

 circumstances may be correct. 



As we have already hinted, the protection of the Fig during severe 

 weather is absolutely necessary, if we wish success to attend our 

 labours. No doubt we may read of cases where Fig-trees have stood 

 very severe frosts without any injury to the trees being the result, but 

 such cases are few and far between, and the cultivator who wishes to 

 succeed must have recourse to the general practice, and protect his 

 trees. We are not of the number, however, who would fix a date upon 

 which this operation must be performed, and fix another upon which 

 such protection should be removed. Our advice is, adapt yourselves to 

 circumstances — protect in the day of danger, and remove when the 

 danger is over. This, however, we would recommend — have your pro- 

 tecting material, whatever it may be, in readiness for use before the 



