FIDDLE-WOOD 



355 



FIG 



F. pandura'ta (fiddle-shaped). Leaves fiddle-shaped, 

 i ft. long or more. 1902. 



ParcffUi (ParcelFs). Leaves variegated with white. 

 Polynesia. 1874. 



parieia'lis (parietal). Malaya. 



,, pertu'sa (pierced-leaved). 8. S. Amer. 1780. 



pilo'sa (hairy). India and Australia. 



,, populifo'lia (poplar-leaved). Arabia. 



popu'lnea (poplar-leaved). 12. S. Amer. 1812. 



portea'na (Portean). Mexico. 1862. 



,, pri'nceps (chief). Brazil. 



purpura' scens (purph'sh). Java. 



Pyrifo'rmis (pear-formed). India and China. 



quercifo'lia (oak-leaved). India and Malaya. 



,, racemo'sa (racemed). 4. E. Ind. 1759- 



radi'cans (rooting). Country unknown. 



variega'ta (variegated). Leaves with broad white 

 margin. 1897. 



Reinwa'rdtii (Reinwardt's). Burma and Malaya. 



religio'sa (religious). 25. E. Ind. 1731. " Pepul." 



re'pens (creeping-stemmed). See F. STIPULATA. 



rhizoca'rpa (rooting- fruited). Malaya. 1875. 



Ri'bes (Ribes). India and Malaya. 



Rce'zlii (Rcezl's). Leaves with wine-red veins be- 

 neath. S. Amer. 1876. 



rostra' to, (beaked). 6. Orange. Himalaya. 1833. 



Roxbu'rghii (Roxburgh's). 20. Himalaya and Burma. 



rubigino'sa (rusty). Leaves smaller than F. elasiica ; 

 buds green. Australia. 



variega'ta (variegated). Leaves variegated with 

 white or yellow. 1908. 



rubrine'rvis '(red-nerved). 10. Brazil. 1824. 



sagitta'ta (arrovf-bead-leaved). J. E. Ind. 1810. 

 Creeper. 



salicifo'lia (willow-leaved). Arabia. 



sea' bra (rough). See F. HISPID A. 



,, sca'ndens (climbing). Himalaya and Burma. 



seta'cea (bristly). Leaves 3-lobed. India. 1825. 



Siebdldii (Siebold's). See F. ERECTA SIEBOLDII. 



subtripline'rvia (somewhat- three-nerved). Leaves 

 large, with ivory-white nerves. Brazil. 1900. 



Suringa'rii (Suringar's). Leaves red-nerved. Am- 

 bpyna. 1866. 



syringcefo'lia (Syringa-leaved). Venezuela. 



Sycamo'rus (Mulberry Fig). 30. N. Africa. " Syca- 

 more Fig." " Fig-tree " of Scripture. 



Thunbe'rgii (Thunberg's). S. Africa. 



iincto'ria (dyeing). 14. May. Society Isles. 1793. 



triangula'ris (triangular). W. Trop. Africa. 



Trime'ni (Trimen's). India and Ceylon. 



Tsjake'la (Tsjakela). 15. India. 1763. 



urophy'lla (tail-leaved). 2. June. India. 1829. 



i-eno'sa (veiny-leaved). 10. E. Ind. 1763. 



ve'sca (sweet). See F. GLOMERATA. 



villo'sa (shaggy). Malaya. 



virga'ta (twiggy). See F. PALMATA. 



viscifo'lia (clammy-leaved). See F. DIVERSIFOLIA. 



Voge'lii (Vogel's). Liberia. 



FIDDLE-WOOD. Cithare' 'xylum. 



FIELDIA. (Named after Baron Field, once chief 

 judge of New South Wales. Nat. ord. Gesnerworts 

 [Gesneracea?]. Linn. i^-Didynamia, i-Gymnospermia. 

 Allied to Cyrtandra.) 



Greenhouse climber; cuttings of points of shoots 

 getting a little firm, or, better still, firm side-shoots, 

 about two inches in length, in sandy soil, under a bell- 

 glass, kept shaded, and after a fortnight placed in a 

 mild bottom-heat ; peat and loam, with a little sand, and 

 pieces of charcoal. Winter temp., 40 to 48. 

 F. austra'lis (southern), i. White. July. 1826. 



FIG. Fi'cus Ca'rica. 



Varieties. For forcing, we recommend the Brown 

 Turkey, or Lee's Perpetual, Negro Largo, White Ischia, 

 and White Marseilles. The Nerii is also well spoken of. 

 To plant out-doors, the Brunswick, Brown Turkey, Brown 

 Ischia, Black Ischia, and White Marseilles. 



Propagation. The fig roots so firmly by cuttings, that 

 few resort to any other mode. They propagate, however, 

 as freely by layers. Some persons, also, have raised 

 them from seed, but it does not appear that they are 

 valuable, though new kinds have been originated by 

 such means. Cuttings of ripe wood, about three or four 

 inches long, planted in pots in January or February, 



and plunged in any ordinary bottom-heat, will make 

 very nice plants during the same summer. Those for 

 forcing in pots or boxes must be potted off when rooted, 

 and again plunged in bottom warmth, and the highest 

 course of culture pursued, shifting them when necessary. 

 Those who plant on the open walls should do so in the 

 middle of March ; and if the plants are from pots, the 

 roots must be uncoiled and spread nicely out. Many 

 persons who have established trees merely take suckers 

 away from them ; such only need fastening in the soil, 

 and, it may be, a shading when they begin to grow. 



Soil. The fig will thrive in almost any ordinary 

 garden-soil, but it is said to prefer a chalky loam. When 

 planted against walls out of doors, care must be taken 

 not to make the soil rich, for invincible grossness would 

 be the consequence. A plain " maiden " soil is quite 

 good enough for general purposes. 



Culture in Growing Period. Out-door culture consists 

 in an early disbudding of all superfluous shoots ; this is 

 performed when the young shoots are about three inches 

 long, reserving all those which are short-jointed and 

 compact-looking. Care must be taken to reserve shoots 

 for blank places. This disbudding is generally performed 

 twice or thrice during the season ; for waste and watery- 

 looking spray will continue to spring up until August, 

 especially in moist summers, and when the plants are 

 gross. Such disbudding should be carried out until 

 almost every leaf of the future year's bearing-wood 

 obtains a free exposure to sunshine, say by the middle 

 of August. About the end of this month it is accounted 

 good practice to pinch the ends of all growing shoots, 

 or rather to squeeze them with the thumb and finger. 

 Nothing more is needed as summer culture, except a 

 timely training of all reserved shoots, in order to obtain 

 all the sunlight possible. 



Culture in Rest Period. This merely consists in pro- 

 tection from frost, and in pruning. Towards the be- 

 ginning of December, some protection ought to be given, 

 as mats, straw, fern fronds, or spruce boughs. Before 

 closing them, or, indeed, at the end of October, every 

 fig which has become as large as a horse-bean should 

 be pulled away, for such rob the trees, and are sure to 

 perish. The trees must be uncovered again in the end 

 of February, if matted, otherwise such materials as fern 

 or straw may remain on a little longer ; the spruce, until 

 pruning time. The latter operation should not be per- 

 formed until the young buds are beginning to swell, 

 when wood of a proper character may be distinguished 

 readily from that which is useless. All the latter must 

 be cut away, unless required for blank spaces ; but if 

 summer disbudding has been properly performed, there 

 will be little for the pruncr to do. After this, they 

 must be duly trained. 



Forcing. -Some build houses for the fig, but most 

 prefer growing them in tubs or large pots. The general 

 principles of forcing them so closely resemble those of 

 the vine, that it will be needless to go into details. As to 

 general temperature, although they will bear much heat, 

 yet most cultivators agree that one intermediate between 

 the peach-house and the forcing vinery is the most con- 

 genial. It requires, however, a little more excitement 

 to bring the fig into leaf than the peach. Under good 

 house culture it will produce two satisfactory crops in 

 one year. A first crop may be obtained as early as May, 

 and af tei a couple of months or so, the second will com- 

 mence ripening ; the latter being those on the wood of 

 the current season. The first crop, or the embryo fruit 

 of the previous year, is very apt to fall prematurely, 

 and much care is necessary. Regular waterings the 

 moment they are dry, and an avoidance of atmospheric 

 extremes, are the best preventives. Most good culti- 

 vators make a point of pinching the ends of the young 

 shoots when about six or eight eyes or buds in length ; 

 this soon causes the fruit to form in the axils of the 

 leaves. Frequent syringings should be practised in the 

 growing season ; and when at rest they should never be 

 subjected to a lower temperature than 40. Under all 

 circumstances, the fig delights in a soil somewhat moist : 

 a neglect of watering when necessary, even for a day, 

 may cause them to cast their fruit. 



Fruit. Its use is almost entirely confined to the ripe 

 state, as dessert ; as for keeping, if such is attempted, it 

 must be on the retarding system, by partial shade, and 

 a lowering of temperature just before ripening. 



Insects. The Red Spider and the Brown Scale alone 



