Chap. XXII.] 



Fia CULTURE XEAll TAIUS. 



cause a much greater loss of sap, and the wounds made in the 

 tree heal up with great difficulty. 



In the spring of the seventh year the lateral branches of each 

 stem are treated like those of the preceding year. The other 

 operations are similar to those already described. The principal 

 branches are allowed to grow longer every year, taking care to 

 allow the fruit-bearing shoots, which are replaced from year to 

 year, like those of the Peach-tree, to re nain at regular intervals. 

 When the branches have grown to the length of from six to nine 

 feet, their growth should be checked, otherwise the sap will 

 desert the fruit-bearing 

 branches at the sides, and so V 



cause them to wither away. 

 When sufficiently long the 

 principal are treated in the 

 same way as directed for the 

 side-branches. 



The earthing-up to which 

 the branches of the Fig-tree 

 are subjected every year causes 

 them to grow in a horizonal 

 direction a foot or eighteen 

 inches from the ground. This 

 is an element of success, for 

 on the one hand the fruit 

 nearest to the ground receives 

 the greater part of the heat 



and ripens readily, on the other Branch o/ l-ig-h^ea/ter the gatherinso/ the crop. 



hand the sap is more evenly ^ ^l"V'!\^''"'^^/i^^-^7 /tT""f ^'"'''f 



1 '' crap ; D IS pinched back to help tlu rtpentng of 



distributed amongst the difter- some o/tlu Figs of the current year; and the 



. T 1 1 rm fruit luis been gathered from the naked shoot, 



ent side-branches. ihe whichiscutat b. 

 Argenteuil Fig-trees begin to 



bear when they are six years old, and are in full perfection at 

 ten years. They live a long time, but it is necessary to renew the 

 long and old stems, which wear out every twelve or fifteen years. 

 For this purpose the requisite number of shoots are allowed to 

 grow on the parent stem to replace those which are cut away in 

 the August following. The soil round the trees should be dug up 

 every year in the spring after having unearthed the branches and 



