26 



CL'LTLKE or TJIE IIG. 



garden have been totally covered with it. 

 I leave the salt hay on all summer. By 

 autumn, it is pretty well rotted, and 1 then 

 dig it in, and it promotes the growth of the 

 tree next year. 



If you think this simple mode of prevent- 

 ing mildew, which 1 have found so success- 

 ful, will interest your readers, I shall be 

 glad to have it made public in the Horticul- 

 turist. New-Jersev. 



Notes ou tlie "Black Fig" of the Azores: Culture of the Fig uuder Glass. 

 15Y JOII.X FISK ALLKX, SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 



[Having heard of a very proline and excel- 

 lent new Fig, grown by J. F. Allen, Esq., 

 of Salem, Mass., we requested that gentle- 

 man, one of the many zealous gardening 

 amateurs in that city, to favor us with some- 

 thing of the history of this variety, to which 

 he has very kindly added some interesting 

 notes on the culture of the Fig, for the ben- 

 efit of our readers. 



Mr. Allen had the goodness to send us 

 some plants and ripe specimens of the 

 " Black Fig," which we found of medium 

 size and excellent flavor. Annexed is a 

 drawing of one of the fruits, from the lati- 

 tude of the Azores : we should be inclined 

 to give this sort a trial in the open air in 

 this latitude. — Ed.] 



The Fig I cultivate, was imported from 

 St. Michael, Azores, in 1836, under the 

 name of "Black Fig;" how it came into 

 the Island, or from whence, is not known. 

 It has been grown there at least, for as long 

 a time as is within the memory of one of 

 the oldest residents of the Island. AVhen 

 received by me, the original tree was in a 

 tub, and remained in it for two or three 

 years, ripening ten to twenty fruit each sea- 

 son. It was then planted on the back wall 

 of a green-house, and trained horizontally; 

 it grew rapidly, and has yearly ripened 

 from two to five hundred fruit. The first 

 crop, which is the least, comes on in March 



Fig. 12. The Black Fig of the Azores. 



and April; the second and third, the chief 

 crop, and best in quality, from 20th May to 

 1st July; ripening every two or three days 

 ten to twenty. This house is used for forc- 

 ing grapes, which forcing is commenced 1st 

 of December, and the rafters are covered 

 with vines, which ripen the grape from 

 April to June ; the tree, after winter prun- 

 ing, covers the wall 10 feet in height, and 

 10 feet in width. At the present time, 

 June, 10 feet high, and 18 feet wide, and 

 has not less than 400 fruit, in all stages, 

 on it. 



Cultivation of the Fig under glass. — 

 The fig is very easily grown ; it requires a 

 good, rich, strong soil in a moist location. It 



