354 Cultivation of the Fig under Glass. 



adapted itself to the new circumstances under which it was 

 placed. 



It now became obvious that some control must be exercised 

 over the roots; accordingly, in September, 1850, a trench 

 was opened, and every root cut clean off within a circle of 2 

 feet 6 inches from the centre of the main stem ; a wall of 

 bricks was then built round the roots, the interstices of which 

 were filled with concrete. In November the tree was cau- 

 tiously pruned, retaining a good supply of the young wood, 

 and removing a barren old branch occasionally. In train- 

 ing, the points of the young shoots were reversed ; and this 

 completed, a bed of oak-leaves, about a yard in height, was 

 introduced, placing them upon the surface of the ground, at 

 about 5 feet distance from the tree, for the purpose of plunging 

 dwarf figs in pots. The moist and genial exhalations from 

 this, when turned, which was frequently done, were found 

 most congenial to the swelling and bursting of the buds. 

 On the 1st of February, 1851, the fire was lighted, and a 

 humid atmosphere maintained at a night temperature of 55° 

 in very mild weather, and 50° when the external tempera- 

 ture was low. The small compass to which roots were con- 

 fined was kept well supplied with tepid water, and the figs 

 soon showed themselves abundantly on the ends of the pre- 

 vious year's shoots. Dming the day the temperature was al- 

 lowed to rise from 10 to 20 degrees higher than at night, and 

 in dull weather more fire was used during the period of light 

 than in that of darkness. Copious sy ringings were given in 

 this state ; but when the fruit became of the size of walnuts 

 (as they are used for pickling) it was discontinued, being 

 found injurious to its skin from and after that age, turning 

 them black and causing them to rot. As soon as the young 

 growths had extended to three or four joints they were stop- 

 ped, and soon showed embryo fruits at the axils of every 

 leaf: these have formed the principal crop, but by the time 

 the first crop was over, the shoots which were first stopped 

 began to ripen the second crop, and thus we have had a con- 

 stant supply of fine fruit up to the time of gathering the first 

 out-of-door ones ; and the tree now presents an abundance of 



