166 THE FIG: ITS HISTORY, CULTURE, AND CURING. 
orchard culture riding two-horse sulky plows are generally used. 
Such plows have one or two shares or shovels, and are so adjustable 
that the shovels may be thrown close to the trunks of the trees. This 
can only be done while the trees are young, or where they are raised 
to medium standard high. In the smaller orchards smaller cultiva- 
tors are used, the driver walking behind. Except in a few places so 
situated that horses can not be used to advantage, all the work done 
in our orchards and nurseries is done with plows and cultivators for 
two and four horses. 
In the cultivation of the ground we should remember that the better 
the soil is cultivated the better will be the fruit. The first plowing 
should be done in the fall, immediately after the first rains, or in early 
spring. If the plowing is delayed to January, weeds, which by this 
time will have started everywhere, can be plowed under to advantage. 
Early plowing will facilitate the absorption of the rains. The plowing 
begins between the trees, the soil being thrown to the center. It is 
important that the bark of the trees should never be the least injured 
by running against it with the singletree. In order to avoid this 
injury the regular iron couplings may be superseded by couplings 
made of leather, which will slide smoothly over the bark without 
bruising it. When the trees become too large even to admit this, the 
center of the land is plowed with a sulky plow while the outside of 
the land nearer the trees is finished with a single plow. One single 
plowing is generally enough each year. Still one.or more plowings 
afterwards may benefit the soil. There is no danger in cutting the 
roots of the trees, the cutting-of surface roots being beneficial rather 
than otherwise, as it causes the roots of the tree to strike downward. 
Many orchardists follow the first plowing with a harrow. This is 
required only in places where the soil breaks up in clods. Where the 
soils turns up soft and mellow it is necessary only to follow the plow- 
ing with cultivation. The cultivator should be run both lengthwise 
and crosswise through the orchard after every heavy spring rain or 
after every irrigation, if such is practiced. The soil should never be 
allowed to bake or form atop erust. If the soil in the orchard is 
cultivated by a sulky cultivator three times or more during the sum- 
mer it will not be necessary to plow against the trees at any time, as 
the soil naturally tends to level itself. But if cultivation is neglected, 
it is necessary to plow against the trees every other year or every 
other plowing. It isof the utmost importance that the soil under the 
trees should be loose and mellow. If hard and lumpy, the figs will be 
bruised when they fall ripe from the trees. If the soil is loose the 
figs are not injured by the fall. It may be necessary to plow furrows in 
the orchard for irrigation. Such furrows should always be as far 
from the trees as possible, their distance to be regulated according to 
the age and size of the trees. It may be necessary to use some hand 
work in the orchard when the trees come in bearing. ‘This work is 
generally confined to \oosening the soil immediately around the trunks 
