54 THE FIG. ITS HISTORY, CULTURE, AND CURING. 
order to quickly get many fruit-bearing branches, but also to cause 
the trunks to bend readily to the ground. If two are set they are 
planted 1 foot apart and in the general line of the row. The depth is 
regulated according to the size of the trees. All the old wood should 
be buried below the surface and only the season’s wood exposed 
above. The trees are not set perpendicularly, but must be slanting 
or oblique with the surface, in order to facilitate the future bending 
of the trees. If the ground is level the two trees should form an obtuse 
angle with each other and a sharp angle with the surface; in other 
words, bend in opposite directions. If the surface is inclined, then 
both the trees should be slanting upward, in order that both may be 
equally well buried. After planting each tree is cut hack to two eyes. - 
If the planting has been done in November the young trees must be 
covered over with 1 or 2 feet of soil. At the end of February or the 
beginning of March this soil is removed and the ground worked 
over. Around each tree is made a basin about 8 to 12 inches deep 
and 2 or 3 feet in diameter, to hold the ain water or the artificial 
watering during the season. Thus planted, the trees are left to them- 
selves for the season. In the following November, after all the leaves 
have fallen, the soil is dug away from the tree to a depth of 10 inches, 
especially immediately below the principal branches. These are then 
carefully bent down into the trenches and covered with about 14 inches 
of soil, the surface of which must be made convex, in order to shed 
the water. It is also important that no leaves, immature figs, grass, 
straw, or any other matter which possibly could decay should be left 
in the soil near the branches, as it would cause the latter to rot. If the 
branches do not readily remain in the ground they may be kept there 
with a bent peg similar to the pegs used in rooting layers. In Febru- 
ary, as soon as the frosts are over, the soil is taken away. The strong- 
est branches are pruned back to two or three eyes, while the weakly 
ones are removed entirely. It must be the endeavor to give to each 
fig bunch from 14 to 16 branches, but this may be done gradually if 
good branches are not had the first or second season. The second 
season is devoted to forming these branches, the strong ones being 
encouraged, while the weak ones are cut away. 
The third season after the branches have been disinterred in Feb- 
ruary or March, the same pruning back to two or three eyes of last 
season’s wood is practiced. In fact, all the operations of the preced- 
ing season are repeated, the cultivator so selecting his branches that 
the tree, or rather bush, will spread evenly in all directions, so that the 
branches will not interfere with one another. 
PINCHING THE TERMINAL BUDS, 
In the fourth season the fig trees or bushes begin to bear. The 
branches should not be disinterred until all the frost is over. But 
as late disinterring will cause corresponding late maturity, many 
OE ee ee ee Pe ee ae 
