FIGS DISEASES AND ENEMIES. 199 



excellent quality by a gentle warmth, and a free circulation of air, particularly at night. 

 Trees, however, required to furnish a full first crop ought to be allowed to go to rest, 

 thinning out any useless spray and growths no longer required. Trees started early in 

 spring should go to rest in October. All fig trees need a resting period of not less than 

 two months' duration. 



DISEASES OP THE FIG. 



No fruit is so healthy as the fig, yet canker may afflict the tree, and spot infect the 

 fruits. 



Canker. This malady is restricted to trees grown in close, moist structures where the 

 sun's warmth is too much confined with a view to dispense with fire -heat, the moisture 

 excessive, and the growths too closely pinched. The disease is rarely seen in trees out- 

 doors, in cool houses, or in early and judiciously ventilated structures. Like canker in 

 apple and pear trees, the fig canker affects some varieties more than others, a few twigs 

 only in some cases dying off, whilst in others the trees almost collapse. Sometimes the 

 wounds do not encircle the branch, the scar healing over. The disease is induced through 

 weakness of the epidermal tissue, with a morbid condition of the sap, and a fungus takes 

 possession of the wounds. Trees afflicted with the disease outgrow it when the roots 

 have the run of a bed of leaves, from which they may obtain nitrate of potash, and old 

 mortar rubbish, from which they extract nitrate of lime. Potash salts for weakly 

 and soda salts for gross trees are suitable applications for the roots. All cankered parts 

 should be cut off and burned, unless the branches infested are large, when the canker 

 may be cut out and the wound dressed wth shell-lac dissolved in alcohol. 



Spot. This affects the half-ripened fruits, appearing to the naked eye as a raised 

 pale salmon-coloured spot, at, or near, the eye of the fig, encircled by a depressed, dis- 

 coloured band. The disease is caused by a fungus, GlaBosporium lasticolor (see " Peach 

 Diseases "), and is most prevalent inland, where the trees are grown in heavy soil, in low, 

 damp localities, and in ill-ventilated structures, where moisture condenses on the fruit. 

 There is no remedy, but the disease may be prevented spreading by plucking infected 

 fruits and burning them promptly. Keeping the fruit dry after it changes for ripening 

 is the best preventive. 



ENEMIES. 



The fig grown outdoors is one of the cleanest of fruit trees, but under glass red 

 spider and brown scale are almost unavoidable. Thrips and mealy-bug are at times 

 troublesome, but the first is easily subdued by syringing, and the last destroyed with 



