The Culture of the Fig. 245 



in May, and the second in summer. The variety is the Black 

 Fig of the Azores, an exceedingly rich and luscious fruit. 

 This his 'been, until recently, the only variety cultivated 

 around Boston, 



Two years ago, Ave received several of the choicest varie- 

 ties from England, such as the Brown Turkey, Black Ischia, 

 White Marseilles, Brunswick, White Ischia, &c. These all 

 bore finely in pots last year, and are again covered with 

 young fruit, and, when we have completed our experiments, 

 we shall give our readers the results of our practice. 



The present remarks are merely introductory to an excel- 

 lent paper on the culture of the fig, in the Gardeners' Journal, 

 being the substance of an essay read before an association of 

 gardeners at Chelsea, near London ; and we commend it to 

 the attention of all lovers of this fine fruit : — ■ 



"Mr. Slow read an Essay on the Culture of the Fig. He 

 first gave a brief history of the fig ; and then directed atten- 

 tion to the soil suitable for its growth, as the first point for 

 consideration. That which he recommended was the turves 

 from an old pasture, without any manure. The superiority 

 of turves, in chemical and physical properties, to any other 

 description of soil, was, as he observed, now a well-established 

 fact. Figs grown in this alone are not over-luxuriant, a cir- 

 cumstance which must always be guarded against. The 

 mode of propagation recommended was by layers, it being 

 the quickest mode of getting bearing plants, as shoots of one 

 or two years' growth, if laid down, will make abundance of 

 roots the first summer, and admit of being taken off in the 

 autumn, and placed where they are finally to remain. The 

 sorts of figs recommended as the best suited for hothouse pur- 

 poses, were the Brown Ischia, Nerii, Marseilles, White Genoa, 

 and Lee's Perpetual. The essayist then gave his general 

 treatment of the fig in hothouses as follows : — The time rec- 

 ommended for pruning was December ; after pruning, every 

 branch throughout the house to be tied out regularly. Very 

 little pruning is required in winter, if proper attention is paid 

 to pinching and stopping the shoots in summer. About the 

 first week in February, he would fork up the surface of the 

 border to the depth of three or four inches. He would com- 

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