432 



THE ORCHARD. 



[JUNE 



Fig- 47. THE FIG-TREE. The accompanying figure re- 



presents a shoot of the last summer's growth; on 

 which a, a, a, a, a, are fruit-buds ; 6, b, wood- 

 buds; c, c, c, c, c,c, scars where the leaf-stalks had 

 detached themselves at the fall of the leaf. It 

 thus appears that the fruit-buds of the fig-tree 

 are formed on the young shoots, in the axils of 

 the leaves. Sometimes it happens that leaves 

 are not accompanied with fruit-buds ; but they 

 are frequently formed in the axil of every leaf, 

 from the base of the shoot to its apex. In a 

 congenial climate, fruit-buds thus progressively 

 formed, result in a succession of ripe fruit. But 

 in our climate, although young figs are produced 

 in great abundance, they rarely acquire maturity 

 in the same season in which they originate, un- 

 less assisted by artificial heat. Shoots may be 

 seen plentifully furnished with green figs, some 

 of the latter attaining a considerable size before 

 autumn, but seldom ripening even at that period ; 

 and then the temperature begins to decline below 

 that which is necessary for carrying on the active 

 vegetation of the plant ; the leaves drop ; the 

 fruits still hold on ; but they wither even if pro- 

 tected from frost. Such being the case, those 

 fruit buds which may be expected to yield ma- 

 ture fruit in the open air, are not to be looked 

 for on the lower part of the shoots where the 

 fruit-buds have become developed. It is towards 

 the extremity of the shoots, where fruit-buds are 

 yet in embryo, compact and sessile, like those 

 represented by a, a, a, a, a, that we have to look 

 for a crop. Such buds retain their vitality till 

 the following spring, if they are not killed by 

 frost, or cut off by a badly directed pruning- 

 knife. The mode of bearing will thus be readily 

 understood, and the necessity of protecting the 

 extremities of the shoots of figs from frost. 



" Whenever," says Mr. Knight, " a branch of 

 this tree appears to be extending with too much 

 luxuriance, its point, at the tenth or twelfth leaf, 

 is pressed between the finger and thumb, with- 

 out letting the nails come in contact with the 

 bark, till the soft succulent substance is felt to 

 yield to the pressure. Such branch, in conse- 

 quence, ceases subsequently to elongate; and 

 the sap is repulsed, to be expended where it is 

 more wanted. A fruit ripens at the base of each 

 leaf, and during the period in which the fruit is 

 ripening, one or more of the lateral buds shoots, 

 Shoot of a fig-tree. an( j j s subsequently subjected to the same treat- 



