February 10, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



generally a small portion of root attached. These being 

 planted or potted at once soon form plants. 



Sub-division. — This can only be effected with old plants 

 which have been allowed to produce many stems from the base, 

 instead of having been confined to one. It is simply a split- 

 ting-np of the entire plant into several. 



Layering, — This is accomplished by bending the branches 

 of the tree down to the ground, covering them in places with a 

 little fine soil, and making them fast with pegs, leaving the points 

 of the shoots a few inches above the surface. The emission of 

 roots is encouraged by making a slight cut about halfway 

 through, or in some other way bruising the shoot, thus arrest- 

 ing the regular flow of sap. If care be taken to keep the sur- 

 rounding soil sufficiently moist, roots will be freely emitted, 

 and fine plants formed by the end of the season, the operation 

 of layering being performed early in spring before vegetation 

 commences. 



Seed. — Seedling Figs are plants more of accident than design. 

 I know of no instance of the raising of a good seedling Fig, 

 although such undoubtedly must have been the case at some 

 time, to have given us such a great variety as we now possess. 

 I have several seedling Figs under my care, about which a tale 

 will yet have to be told. Fig seed is not in our seedsmen's 

 catalogues, so that it would seem to be either scarce or of no 

 value. Plenty of good Fig seed which germinates freely is to 

 be found in the dried Figs of commerce. A remarkable instance 

 of this was brought to my notice by Major Clarke, who had sown 

 some seeds in one of those chip Fig boxes, when, lo ! instead 

 of the plants intended, a magnificent crop of young Figs ap- 

 peared. I do not know of any instance of the ripening of 

 Fig seed in this country. Seedling Figs take a great many 

 years to arrive at a fruiting state, so that on that account, 

 excepting the remote chance of an improved variety, it is a 

 mode of propagation not to be recommended. 



Cuttings — Eyes. — The propagation of the Fig by means of 

 cuttings and eyes, which are practically the same, is at once 

 the best, the simplest, and the most practical. A greater in- 

 crease may be effected by this mode than by any other, as 

 nearly every portion of the plant may be turned to account ; 

 even some portions of the roots will produce plants. 



As regards the selection and preparation of cuttings, the ac- 

 companying woodcuts show a set of prepared cuttings, cut from 

 the shoots of an ordinary plant, the object being to show not 



heel, as it is called, of the older wood. As few cuttings, how- 

 ever, of that sort exactly can be obtained from a plant, the 

 other portions have to be cut up, as shown in jig. 3 (being the 



Fig. 1. Fig. 2. 



simply the best style of cutting which may be selected, but 

 rather how a shoot, such as that represented by jig. 1, should 

 or might be manipulated by the propagator. 



The simplest form of cutting is that represented by fig. 2, 

 being a short shoot of last season's growth taken off with * 



Fig. 5. 



Fig. 6. 



Fig. 8. Fig. 4. 



point of a shoot), or into pieces containing two eyes like fig. 4. 

 or into single eyes like fig. 5. 

 The whole of these represent 

 the cuttings after the formation 

 of roots has taken place, while 

 fig. G represents a cutting or 

 eye as prepared. Stubby, short- 

 jointed, well-ripened wood forms 

 the best cuttings, and strikes 

 root most readily. One-year- 

 old wood is the best, though that 

 of two or three years' growth 

 will also answer, though no eyes 

 may be visible. Long, spindling, 

 badly-ripened shoots, such as 

 are produced where the wood is 

 crowded, form the worst of all 

 cuttings, and strike with diffi- 

 culty. 



The best season for propaga- 

 tion by cuttings is the months 

 of January and February, the 

 cuttings being taken off while 

 the plants are at rest ; if taken after the sap is in motion the 

 milky juice which is produced so abundantly prevents the 

 rooting of the cutting. The same difficulty is experienced with 

 the yonng growing shoots in summer. Towards autumn, 

 when the wood is ripening, it strikes more freely, and just 

 previous to the fall of the leaf cuttings root most readily with 

 much less heat than is required in spring. 



The cuttings being prepared they must, if made in spring, 

 have the assistance of a strong moist bottom heat, and a close 

 warm atmosphere. A bottom heat of 70° at least is required. 

 I have achieved the greatest success by placing the cuttings in 

 some loose cocoa-nut-fibre refuse with sand, under a bell-glass 

 or close frame on the top of a hot-water tank. Thus placed 

 they begin to grow and produce roots, as shown in the figures. 

 in the space of ten days, and every cutting succeeds, the 

 roots, as will be observed, being emitted from any part of 

 the stem. Cuttings will strike under cooler treatment than 

 this, but only a moiety will succeed. Cuttings taken in au- 

 tumn require, as just stated, less heat, and a few cuttings may, 

 indeed, strike root in the open border. After the cuttings are 

 rooted, like those represented in the figures, they should be 

 rjotted-off in small pots in some nice light soil, and grown on 

 in a temperature of 60° or 70°, with the assistance of a little 

 bottom heat. 



Grafting, Inarching, and Budding may be performed after 

 r he ordinary methods adopted for other fruit trees. They are 

 modes, however, which require very seldom to be resorted to. 

 unless one has a fancy to speedily produce a large plant of a 



