THE FIG-HOUSE. 3 37 



•moderate temperature. Air is admitted freely till the 

 flowers begin to expand, when great caution becomes neces- 

 sary. When the fruit is setting, the temperature is kept 

 as steadily as possible at 50° ; after it is set, abundance of 

 water is applied to the roots and foliage of the trees. When 

 the fruit is coloring, water is almost entirely withheld, and 

 air freely admitted. During the whole process of forcing 

 cherries, any excessive heat from the sun's rays must be 

 carefully guarded against by shading or by admitting of 

 air. The kind of cherry usually preferred for forcing is 

 the common May-duke. A cherry-house ought to form a 

 part of every large garden establishment ; for nothing 

 more signally distinguishes the tables of the opulent, in 

 March and April, than ripe cherries appearing along with 

 strawberries in the dessert at that season of the year. 



The Fig-House scarcely differs in form and manage- 

 ment from the Cherry-house, the trees being trained to a 

 back trellis, with the addition, however, of dwarf standard 

 trees in front. The second crop is often the most produc- 

 tive. In 1810, we are told, the royal tables were supplied 

 with more than 200 baskets of figs, 50 of which were from 

 the first crop, and 150 from the second. It is seldom, 

 however, that a separate house is erected for this fruit. 

 The fig succeeds very well as a dwarf standard between the 

 front flues of a vinery, provided the roof be not too closely 

 covered with the foliage of the vines. Of late, small 

 standard figs have very commonly been grown in large 

 pots, fourteen or fifteen inches in diameter, and placed in 

 any of the forcing-houses. In this way considerable crops 

 of fruit have been raised. The Figue blanche and the 

 Marseilles are the sorts considered best adapted for forcing. 

 15* 



