564 



F I C 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



FIC 



quantity of fruit in England, than those which are planted 

 against south and south-east aspects ; which may happen, 

 from the latter putting out their fruit so much earlier in the 

 spring than the former ; and if cold frosty nights follow their 

 coming out, the most forward figs are generally so much in- 

 jured as to drop off the trees soon after. In Italy, and other 

 warm countries, this first crop of rigs is little regarded, being 

 few in number; for it is the second crop of figs produced 

 from the shoots of the same year, and which rarely ripen in 

 England, that form their principal crop; nor are there above 

 three or four sorts which ever ripen their second crop, how- 

 ever favourable the weather may prove : therefore it is the 

 first crop that must be attended to in England ; so that when 

 these trees are growing against walls with the most favourable 

 aspects, it will be a good method to loosen them from the wall 

 in autumn ; and, after having divested the branches of all the 

 latter fruit, to lay the branches down from the wall, fasten- 

 ing them together in small bundles, so that they may be tied 

 to stakes, to keep them from lying upon the ground, the 

 damp arising from which might cause them to grow mouldy 

 in frosty weather; and they will also be secured from being 

 broken by the wind. When they are thus managed in 

 autumn, if the winter should prove very severe, the branches 

 may be easily covered with peas-haulm, straw, or any other 

 light covering, which will guard the tender fruit-bearing 

 branches from the injuries of frost; and, when the weather 

 is mild, the covering must be removed, otherwise the figs will 

 come out too early ; for the intention of this management is 

 to keep them as backward as possible : then, in the spring, 

 when the figs are beginning to push out, the trees may be 

 fastened up to the wall again. The above plan has been 

 very successful ; and great crops have also been produced 

 in some gardens, after very sharp winters, when they have in 

 general failed in other places, by covering up the trees with 

 reeds made into pannels, and fixed up against the walls. In 

 pruning Fig-trees, the branches must never be shortened, 

 because the fruit is all produced at the upper part of the 

 shoots of the former year ; if these be cut off", there can be 

 no fruit expected ; besides, the branches are very apt to die 

 after the knife ; so that when the branches are too close 

 together, the best way is to cut out all the naked ones quite 

 to the bottom, leaving those which are best furnished with 

 lateral branches at a proper distance from each other, which 

 should not be nearer than a foot; and when they are well 

 furnished with lateral branches, if they be laid four or five 

 inches farther asunder, it will be better. The best season 

 for pruning Fig-trees is in autumn, because at that time the 

 branches are not so full of sap, and will not bleed so much 

 as when they are pruned in the spring: at this season the 

 branches should be divested of all the autumnal figs, for the 

 sooner they are removed, when the leaves begin to fall off, 

 the better will the young shoots resist the cold of the winter. 

 There are some seasons so cold and moist, that the young 

 shoots of the Fig-trees will not harden, but are soft and full 

 of juice; when this happens, there is little hope of a crop of 

 figs in the succeeding year, for the first autumn frost will 

 kill the upper part of these shoots for a considerable length 

 downwards : whenever this happens, it is the best way to cut 

 off all the decayed part of the shoots, which will prevent the 

 infection from destroying all the lower part of the branches ; 

 for by this method a moderate crop of figs has sprung from 

 the lower part of the shoots, where, if the shoots had re- 

 ceived no injury, there would have been no fruit produced; 

 because it is chiefly from the four or five uppermost joints 

 that the shoots come out, and for this reason as many of the 

 short lateral branches should be preserved as possible, those 



being the most productive of fruit ; for where the long 

 straight shoots are fastened up, there will be no fruit but 

 at their extremities, so that all the lower part of the trees 

 will be naked, if there be not a particular regard had to 

 supply young shoots in every part of the trees. Those tree* 

 which are laid down from the espaliers, should not b fasten- 

 ed up again till the end of March, for the reasons before 

 given, and those against walls may remain some time longer; 

 and when the large shoots of these are nailed up, if the 

 small lateral branches be thrust behind them to keep them 

 close to the wall, it will secure the young figs from being 

 injured by the morning frosts ; and when this danger is over, 

 they may be brought forward to their natural position again. 

 During the summer season, these trees will require no other 

 pruning, but to stop the shoots in the spring, where lateral 

 branches are wanting ; and as the branches are often blown 

 down by wind, whenever that happens they should be imme- 

 diately fastened up again, otherwise they will be in danger 

 of breaking ; for the leaves of these trees being very large 

 and stiff, the wind has great power over them, so that when 

 not well secured they are frequently torn down. Those 

 trees which are planted against espaliers, may be protected 

 from the injury of frost in the spring-, by placing reeds on 

 each side the espalier, which may be taken down every day, 

 and put up again at night; but this need not be practised 

 in warm weather, but only during cold winds and frosty 

 mornings; and although considerable trouble and expense 

 attend this management, yet the plentiful crop of figs, which 

 it seldom fails to obtain, will amply compensate for both : 

 the best way of making this covering, is to fasten the reeds 

 with rope-yarn, in such a manner, that they may be lolled 

 up like a mat, that the whole may be expeditiously put up or 

 taken down ; and if these reeds be carefully rolled up, and 

 placed under a dry shed, after the season for using them is 

 over, they will last for several years. Several persons have 

 lately planted Fig-trees in standards, which have succeeded 

 very well. This practice was revived by the observation 

 that some old standard Fig-trees, which had been growing 

 many years, had generally produced much more fruit than 

 any of those trees which were growing against warm walls : 

 indeed, standard Fig-trees are in much greater danger of 

 having their branches killed by severe frost, but in mild 

 winters they generally fare better than those against walls ; 

 so that where these standard-trees can be covered in very 

 hard winters, abundance of fruit is sure to be produced. 

 They may be covered by fastening as many of the branches 

 together as can be conveniently brought into a bundle, and 

 winding some hay-bands, straw, peas-haulm, or any such 

 light covering as can be readily procured, which should be 

 removed gradually in the spring, so as not to expose the 

 shoots all at once to the open air; and if something of the 

 same kind be laid round the stems, and upon the surface of 

 the ground near the roots, it will still more effectually secure 

 them from the danger of frost; but when this method is 

 adopted, great care should be taken that no mice or rat 

 harbour in this covering, for these vermin will eat oft' the 

 bark from their shoots, and kill them. It has often been 

 observed, that the trees placed against walls have suffered 

 most by these mischievous animals, by having their largest 

 branches deprived of all the bark near the ground, which 

 absolutely killed the trees ; and this has generally been re- 

 marked to happen in the winter season. The common blue 

 and white Figs, which are the sorts that have been the most ' 

 generally cultivated in England, are not so proper to plant 

 for standards as some other sorts more recently introduced; 

 for they are more tender, and are often killed to the root, 



