SECTION XXIV 



Figs 



i. CULTIVATION 



The Fig (Ficus Carica), although a native of the Mediterranean region 

 and south-western Asia, is fairly hardy in most parts of England and 

 Ireland, and quite hardy in the mildest parts. As a market or commercial 

 crop it does not figure largely. It is, however, grown in almost every large 

 garden of repute, either on walls with a southern aspect or in pots in 

 greenhouses. It has large deeply lobed leaves, and is remarkable for its 

 thick milky juice and the pear-shaped " fruits " which are borne on the 

 young branches. 



The fruits are interesting from a structural point of view. If turned 

 inside out they would resemble the Strawberry "fruit" somewhat in 

 character. What is eaten as the fruit is really the fleshy receptacle on 

 the inner surface of which the flowers are borne. In one form of the 

 Fig, known as " Ficus ", female flowers only are borne ; in another form, 

 called " Caprificus ", male flowers are borne near the opening, and what are 

 known as " gall " flowers lower down. The gall flowers do not produce 

 seeds, but are used by a small wasp (Blastophaga grossorum) in which to 

 deposit its eggs. The larvae from these occupy the ovary and form a gall. 

 In crawling in and out of the flowers these little wasps carry the pollen 

 from the male to the female flowers, and thus ensure fertilization. The 

 illustration (fig. 377), from Kerner and Oliver's Natural History of Plants, 

 shows the fruits, with male and female flowers, and the insects which 

 visit them. The visits of the insects from one kind of flower to the other 

 result in the process known as " caprification ". It is thought that this is 

 essential to secure the best fruits. In the British Islands, however, ex- 

 cellent Figs are produced without the caprification process. 



Open-air Culture. Fig trees flourish in warm, sheltered, and sunny 

 spots in any good garden soil that has been deeply dug or trenched and 

 well manured. The best time to plant is about March or April, in mild 

 weather and when the soil is friable and easily worked. Autumn planting 

 is not to be recommended, as the plants are likely to suffer in the event 

 of severe frosts overtaking them. The soil should be made firm about the 

 roots, and to prevent grossness of growth a slight dressing of basic slag 



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