FIGS PROTECTING. , & 7 



Spruce branches fastened in front of the trees, commencing at the bottom of the wall, and 

 proceeding upwards so as to form a sort of thatch, answer well, as their leaves drop off 

 towards the spring when the trees need less protection. Generally the better plan is to 

 liberate the branches, and tie them in convenient bundles for covering them thickly 

 with fern or straw encased with matting This should be done shortly after the leaves 

 fall, taking care to uncover the trees before growth commences in the spring ; this 

 should be done gradually, the mats to remain on the trees for a few days after the 

 fern or straw has been removed. Care must be taken to protect the main stem, other- 

 wise it is useless covering the branches. After the branches are adjusted to the wall, 

 mats may be suspended in front of the trees on frosty nights. A projecting glass coping 

 is excellent for trees against walls, both for protection in spring and for accelerating the 

 ripening of the crop in summer. 



Trees under glass in unheated houses should be covered with dry fern or straw 

 when leafless, similar to wall trees, and be kept so until March or early April, then 

 uncovered. Trees in pots ought to be protected from frost during the winter, also 

 be kept dry at the roots. In heated structures fig trees should be kept cool and dry 

 whilst at rest, employing fire heat only to prevent the temperature falling below 

 freezing point. 



FIGS UNDER GLASS. 



Though the fig may grow in any aspect and situation, it only bears fruit freely 

 and of the highest quality under the full and direct influence of the sun ; therefore, 

 the fig-house, unheated or heated, must be very light, and also have provision for 

 free ventilation. The tree succeeds trained to a glass-covered wall, provided the light is 

 unobstructed. It is better to have the lights nearly perpendicular, or only so far from 

 the wall as to admit a person inside for attending to the trees, than to have a roof 

 reaching from the wall double the distance. In the latter case it is a good plan to 

 train the trees with one or more stems up the wall, and then train the branches down 

 the roof. If they are disposed thinly on a trellis 15 inches from the glass, they 

 often become wonderfully fruitful : the sun acts full on the points of the shoots, 

 whilst the downward training checks the tendency to over-luxuriance. That method 

 is strongly recommended in lean-to houses with long sloping roofs. Three-quarter 

 span-roofed structures, such as that represented in the illustration (E, page 189), facing 



south, answer admirably for figs. 



BB2 



