226 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [MARCH 



old wood, to have due room to train the proper shoots, so that the 

 tree may be equally furnished with a succession of young bearers at 

 moderate distances; for these young shoots bear the figs the ensuing 

 season; fig-trees always producing their fruit on the one year old 

 wcrod only. 



Leave the branches and shoots in general about five to six or seven 

 inches asunder, all at full length ; being careful to prefer the best 

 middling strong shoots to retain for general bearers, cutting out the 

 improper, superabundant, and useless old wood, quite close; pruning 

 out any very rampant young wood, excessive long-jointed shoots, or 

 very slender infirm growths, leaving the most promising and firm to 

 supply the general expansion. 



Take care always to train in every year some young shoots, at or 

 near the bottom, that there may by a succession coming up regularly 

 one after another, to supply the places of casual, long, old, naked 

 branches, which will occur every season in some part or other of the 

 tree; for such long-extended naked old branches or others, not fur- 

 nished properly with young wood, should now be cut out, that there 

 may be sufficient room to train the bearing shoots regularly and at 

 proper distances. 



In cutting out useless large branches, either too long extended or 

 unfurnished with bearing wood, &c., let them be cut off close to the 

 places from whence they proceed, to some convenient lower young 

 shoots or branches, leaving no stumps. 



The young branches of Jig -trees must not be shortened or topped, but 

 leave each at full length; for if they were, it would not only cut 

 away the part where fruit would have appeared, but also occasion 

 them to run much to wood, and thereby never produce half a crop ; 

 so only cut off casual dead ends. 



The tree being pruned, let the general branches and bearers be 

 directly trained in and nailed to the wall or fence, or made fast to the 

 espalier in regular order, extending them horizontally, at equal dis- 

 tances, six or seven inches from each other. 



PLANTING AND PROPAGATING FIG-TREES. 



Plant fig-trees where wanted, this being rather the best month in 

 the year for removing them ; they will now take root in a very short 

 time. 



In planting figs, you may either procure trained young trees that 

 are arrived to a bearing state, and plant them at fifteen or twenty 

 feet distance, or as they are propagated in general, either by the 

 suckers which arise from the roots of the old trees, or by layers, or 

 cuttings, young plants of these may be planted at once where they 

 are to remain, that they may establish their roots more effectually 

 without being disturbed by removal : therefore in default of trained 

 trees, some good plants or suckers of moderate growth, and such as 

 are firm and well ripened, may be procured and planted at once where 

 they are to remain ; and others may be planted in the nursery, for 

 training a few years. 



To raise them by layers, select young branches of one or two years' 



