370 THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
Figs—continued. 
Grosse Verte. Fruit of the largest size; skin greenish-yellow, 
with firm red flesh, and first-class favour. Well adapted for pot 
culture. 
Malta. Fruit medium, pear-shaped ; skin dark ; delicious flavour. 
A free bearer, suitable for indoor or outdoor culture. 
Pingo de Mel. Fruit large; skin pale green; flesh yellowish, 
very juicy, of good flavour. A variety of the highest merit for 
early forcing in pots, and an enormous cropper, with a strong, 
vigorous habit. Should prove a valuable market variety. 
Reculver. Fruit small; skin and flesh purplish, of sweet and 
good flavour. A great bearer, whether grown outside or forced. 
St. John’s. Fruit large; skin pale green; flesh white, firm, 
juicy, and of excellent flavour. A valuable new early variety, 
producing splendid crops in pots. This is frequently stated to be 
the same as Pingo de Mel, but is distinct from that variety, the 
fruit of St. John’s being more pear-shaped. 
Trifer. Fruit medium ; skin yellow; flesh white, with a most 
delicious flavour. A great bearer, early, and suitable for 
forcing. 
Violette Sepor. Fruit large; skin reddish-brown; flesh 
dark, of first-class flavour. An abundant bearer and good 
grower, forcing well in pots or planted out. 
Yellow Ischia. Similar to the other forms of Ischia, except 
that the skin is a bright yellow. 
Pests. Fig trees in the open air are seldom troubled 
with pests. Under glass, Mealy Bug, Red Spider, and Scale 
are the principal foes, and all make most headway while 
the fruit is ripening and syringing is in abeyance. Mealy 
Bug and Scale may be entirely ousted by thoroughly 
washing every portion of the trees once or twice while 
dormant with a reliable insecticide, and keeping a careful 
look-out for any of the eaomy when the plants are growing, 
and destroying them before they have had time to multiply. 
Red Spider is almost certain to attack the foliage when 
the fruit is ripening, owing to the comparative dryness 
of the atmosphere at that period; but immediately the 
crop is all gathered plenty of atmospheric moisture may be 
again maintained, and the foliage well syringed on both 
sides seyeral times daily, which will soon have the effect 
of eradicating this pest. 
Of diseases due to Fungi, the Fig is comparatively free. 
The most tronblesome is a species of Canker, Libertella 
ulcerata, for which Mr. Massee stands sponsor. In the 
‘*Gardener’s Chronicle”? for July 28rd, 1898, it is fully 
described and illustrated. The bark of the affected trees 
crack, and a large area soon becomes involved. The disease, 
Mr. Massee suggests, usually gains access through a wound. 
A knife that has been used to cut out a diseased portion, if 
afterwards employed upon a healthy tree without fresh 
treating to a fungicide, will quickly set up the disease. 
FIGURE -OF-EIGHT MOTH (Diloba cxruleo- 
cephala). Although oftener found upon Hawthorn or 
upon Blackthorn than upon orchard trees, yet now and 
again the caterpillars of this distinctive Moth inflict injary 
upon Apple trees and Plum trees. The perfect insect is 
upon the wing in September, and is common in the United 
Kingdom, though not frequently seen, being nocturnal. 
The fore-wings are fuscous, with browner spaces and 
orbicular whitish spots, one pair of which is confluent, 
forming a figure ‘‘8,’’ and giving rise to the above popular 
name. The hind-wings are fuscous-whitish, with a dark 
blotch at the anal angle. The eggs are deposited singly 
or in groups, but do not hatch ont until April of the 
following year. The caterpillars, like the perfect insect, 
are distinctive, being of a bluish-grey or bluish-green 
colour, and having a blue head, while along the back is an 
interrupted yellow line, and on the sides are lines of a 
similar colour. There are black tubercular spots, from which 
proceed stiffish hairs. The caterpillars are full-fed towards 
the end of May, by which time they are of large size. 
ae pupa-state is passed in a cocoon in or near the food- 
plant. 
By way of remedies nothing is better than Paris Green in 
the proportion often recommended, so long as it is not 
applied at a time likely to injure the future crop. The 
perfect insect will come to light freely, and if an acetylene 
lamp be set up anywhere near trees known to have been 
infested with the caterpillars in spring, numbers of the 
Moths may be caught and killed. 
FIGWORT. See Phygelius capensis. 
FILAMENT. The stalk of a stamen, supporting the 
anther. 
FILBERT GALL. See Vine Galls. 
PILLZA. A synonym of Erythrophleum (which 
see). 
FINGER - AND - TOE, CLUBBING, or 
ANBURY. ‘These are popular names for a disease 
affecting a large number of plants, but very destructive in 
the case of Cabbages, Turnips, Radishes, and certain 
Crucifere. The disease results from the attack of a fungus 
parasite known as Plasmodiophora brassice. The chief 
symptoms are a distortion of the roots, which finally 
decompose. The excrescences formed at the roots vary 
considerably in size, but once the plants have been attacked, 
decay is certain. At one time the disease was thought to be 
due to the irritation set up by a species of Beetle. Modern 
research, however, is against the Beetle theory, though it 
must be confessed that whereyer Clubbing exists the 
Cabbage Gall Weevil (so-called) is frequently present in 
large numbers. 
Alike by the Board of Agriculture and the Kew 
authorities the cause of ‘‘Clubbing”’ in Cabbage and other 
plants has been investigated, and the result of such 
investigations have been made known. On preventive 
rather than remedial measures must the gardener and 
farmer rely. The fungus is readily transferred, and carts 
and horses used for the conveyance of the produce 
from infested fields are frequently the agency for the 
distribution of the pest. At one time it was not safe for 
several years to cultivate cabbages, &c., on ground which 
had previously carried a diseased crop. To-day, however, 
by a process of sterilisation such ground may be rendered 
fit for their reception. 
In the ‘‘ Kew Bulletin” the practical treatment of these 
Slime Fungi resolves itself into the following: (1) In 
addition to cultivated plants, several common Weeds 
belonging to the Crucifere are attacked by the Plasmodio- 
plore. Hence the necessity for preventing such weeds in 
elds and hedge-banks. (2) That the germs of disease are 
present in soil that has produced a diseased crop, and retain 
their vitality for at least two years. (3) That the develop- 
ment of Plasmodiophora is favoured by the presence of 
acids, and checked by the presence of alkalies, agreeing in 
this respect with the fungi rather than with bacteria. (4) 
For the purpose of sterilising infected soil experiments 
prove that either a dressing of lime or a manure containing 
potash salts is effective, the latter being more valuable, as it 
not only destroys the germs in the soil, but also arrests the 
disease in seedling plants, and at the same time supplies one 
of the ingredients necessary for the healthy growth of 
Turnips. 
FIRE. See Fueland Furnaces. 
FIRE PINE. See Silene virginica. 
FIRST OF MAY. See Saxifraga granulata. 
FISCHERA (of Sprengel). A synonym of Siebera 
(which see). 
FISCHERA (of Swartz). 
phyllum (which see). 
FISCHERIA. F. hispida should be classed under 
Gonolobus. 
FISH MANURE. A very good manure is made from 
Fish, and is sold as Fish Guano. The moisture is 
extracted, and the bone, &c., is then ground up into both 
coarse and fine guano. For top-dressing growing crops, 
plants in pots, &c., it is excellent. In places where Fish 
that is not fit for use, or is rejected by the fishermen, is dug 
or ploughed into the land in a raw state, it acts as a good 
fertiliser. 
FISH POISON TREE. See Piscidia. 
FISSILIA. A synonym of Olax (which see). 
FISTULINA HEPATICA (Beef-Steak Fungus). 
See Oak Fungi (Vol. II.). 
FITTONIA. F. argyroneura is now regarded as a 
good species, and not as a variety of F. Verschaffeltit. 
The plants are dwarf, but not trailing. 
FITZROYA. Syns. Cupresstellata, Diselma. Catkins 
globose, fin. to 4in. diameter. Leaves small, ternately 
whorled or decussately opposite, loosely or adpressedly 
imbricated. 
FIVE FINGERS. See Syngonium auritum. 
FLABELLATE. The same as Flabelliform; re- 
sembling an open fan. 
A synonym of Leio- 
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