178 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



liable to be injured by frost and may thus need cutting back occasionally. Standards 

 may be planted 12 feet asunder in rows 15 feet apart. Against buildings or high, walls, 

 the trees may be placed 9 to 12 feet apart; against walls 10 to 12 feet in height 

 they may be 12 to 15 feet asunder, lifting and root pruning as may be needed to keep 

 them sturdy and fruitful. 



Planting. This may be performed in autumn when the leaves turn yellow, but with 

 trees established in pots planting is best done in April, the trees having been kept 

 cool, yet safe from frost, during the winter. Turn them out of the pots, remove the 

 crocks, disentangle the roots, remove all suckers, cut out every bud on the part to be 

 covered with soil, shorten the strong roots, spread the smaller out evenly, work the soil 

 amongst them, not covering the uppermost roots more than 2 or 3 inches deep, and 

 make the soil firm under and over them. If it is dry give a good watering. Afford 

 a light mulching before hot weather sets in; if planted in the autumn, spread some dry 

 littery material on the surface, from the stem outwards to 1 foot beyond the spread of 

 the roots. Stake and tie standands, and secure trained trees loosely to the wall or trellis. 



Form. To shape a tree that will bear freely requires judgment, and a knowledge 

 of the natural habit of the fig. Left to itself, it pushes a number of suckers from the 

 root, and becomes unshapely and unfruitful ; therefore, confine the tree to a single stem. 

 The form of the head must accord with the mode of culture. There are two modes of 

 growing the fig 1 , low bushes or open standards ; 2, fan shape. 



Standards are simply bushes with long stems. Half-standards should have 3 -feet 

 stems, and, except for special positions, these are ample for the tree, especially where 

 annual lifting is practised. In any case train with an evenly balanced open head, for 

 crowding is fatal to fruitfulness. 



Fan- shaped trees are the most suitable for walls and trellises. The tree must have 

 a clear stem above ground, from which the branches may radiate, and these must be 

 thinly trained so that the leaves are exposed to the direct rays of the sun. 



The cutting being struck, potted off, and shifted into a 5-inch pot when large enough, 

 its growth the first season should be confined to the formation of a sturdy single stem, 

 pinching out the growing point three leaves above the required point of shortening in 

 winter. The stopping will give the plant greater strength and induce two or three 

 growths from the upper joints to appropriate the sap and prevent the pruning buds 

 starting ; but if these push, pinch the growths, and all side shoots, at the first leaf, rub- 

 bing off any growths springing from the base. Give the tree all the light possible to 



