248 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



In the fourth volume of the Horticultural Trans- 

 actions, there is a very interesting account, by Mr. 

 Sabine, of some standard fig-trees in the garden of 

 a cottage at Compton, near Worthing, in Sussex. 

 The garden in which they stand slopes gently to the 

 south, is protected on the north by a thick grove of 

 apple and plum trees, and the climate is very mild. 

 " The number of the fig-trees," says Mr. Sabine, 

 "is fourteen; they occupy the principal part of the 

 garden, which is very small, and are in perfect health ; 

 their average height is about ten feet; and, if any of 

 the larger ones were detached, they would cover a 

 space of twelve feet in diameter. Their stems are not 

 large: the plants are bushes rather than trees, for the 

 branches spread in all directions from the root. These 

 are propped up by stakes, but many of them are 

 suffered to hang near the ground." Mr. Kennard, 

 to whom they belonged, informed Mr. Sabine, that 

 though the quality varied, there always was a crop; 

 that the figs begin to ripen in the end of August, or 

 beginning of September, and continued during Oc- 

 tober; that the crop was generally from the spring 

 figs, though occasionally a few of the autumn ones 

 ripened; that he manured the ground every autumn; 

 and that he pruned as little as possible. 



In the neighbourhood of Worthing, and indeed 

 along nearly all the south-east coast of Sussex, fig- 

 trees are very common in the gardens. At Tarring 

 (about two miles from Worthing) there is a remark- 

 able plantation of figs, called by the inhabitants of 

 that village, " The Fig-garden." The trees, which 

 are about eighty in number, grow luxuriently at in- 

 tervals of about twelve feet, on the sides of the 

 paths. They are about fifteen feet high; and the 

 stems are from six to eleven inches in diameter. 

 We saw them on the first of September, 1829, bear- 

 ing a most abundant crop. The people to whom the 



