1 C J35.] 



F A R M E E S ' R E G I S T E R . 



297 



There is a phenomenon frequently occurring in 

 our fine autumnal days, which creates a moment 

 of* pleasure and surprise to the traveller. In less 

 than two hours after the plough has turned up the 

 furrows of a field, it will be completely covered, 

 as if a sheet of gauze or lawn had been cast over; 

 this is known to be the work of countless millions of 

 a small species of spider, which are never seen till 

 the plough turns them up to the. light. We can- 

 not believe that the Almighty Creator of the uni- 

 verse can have formed these little artizans, solely 

 that the mind of man may receive a moment's 

 ;,'e from viewing their floating gossamer. 



The information I seek comes, as a question, 

 into a small compass: To what extent, animal life 

 exists in the earth, and how far vegetation depends 

 upon it? 



From the Southern Agriculturist. 

 the fig, (Flcus Carica.) 



A native of Caria, in Asia, whence its name; 

 known in the warm climates of Europe and Asia; 

 in ils wild state bearing iruit; perfect in the devei- 

 opement of the parts of fructification, but without 

 flavor; those in which the stamens are most con- 

 spicuous are apt to fail before maturity, and are 

 used to impregnate and accelerate the ripening of 

 cultivated figs. The practice is said to prevail 

 under the name of caprification, and has given 

 rise to the controversies among travellers in the 

 Levant. The only inaccuracy fairly chargeable 

 upon those who assert the existence of the custom, 

 is perhaps, an affected exactness in the details de- 

 scribed: and some extravagance in the results at- 

 tributed to it. The practice occupied more atten- 

 tion than its importance would seem to have war- 

 ranted, and has now become a mere matter of cu- 

 riosity. 



Other modes of forcing the fruit to maturity are 

 said to have consisted in punching the. fruit at the 

 flower end, or inserting in that end a drop of oil. 



This use of oil has been made familiar to us by 

 experiments at home; in our 4th volume, page 

 224, the use of olive oil or hog's lard in Florida, is 

 described as ripening green and hard figs in seven 

 or eight days, several weeks in anticipation of the 

 regular period of maturity. At page 3SS, several 

 members of our Horticultural Societj^ concur in 

 stating that applied to the flower ends of fruit from 

 1 to 1^ inches in diameter, ripens them fourteen i 

 days earlier; that oiling the whole fig was injurious; 

 and that the use of oil to those less than one inch J 

 in diameter, caused Ihem to fall off, without coming 

 to maturity. At page 473, a drop of oil was ap° 

 plied to the centre of the flower end of the fruit, in 

 less than 24 hours the fruit begah to swell and ma- 

 tured a fortnight earlier than those without oil. At 

 page 534, there is reason to helieve that, the limit 

 to a beneficial use of oil, is in anticipating by se- 

 ven or eight days the usual time of ripening. The 

 fruit touched at an earlier growth either fell off* or 

 was insipid, olive oil or sunflower oil were found ef- 

 fective, tallow and iard ineffective; the trial v 

 tended to both black andlemon figs. Atpage5&2, its 

 mode of operation is discussed, which seems to be 

 by arresting the growth of the part touched, and 

 giving to other portions of the fruit extraordinary 

 stimulus. 



We delight in this fruit, and remind our friends 



Vol. Ill— 38 



of the results recorded as an introduction to what 

 we now propose. 



Although one or two doubtful cases have heen 

 mentioned to us of the growth of seedling trees 

 here, we think ourselves sale in saving, that no 

 other mode of propagation is known to us, but by 

 cuttings, layers, or suckers. 



Many varieties are cultivated here, and of each 

 variety, there are great differences observable, in 

 the quality of Iruit From individual trees. W T e pro- 

 pose that every person possessed of a peculiarly 

 fine tree, should take note of its production, and en- 

 able us to record a description of the tree and its 

 locality, with a view to the extension of its cul- 

 ture. 



The storm of 1822 blew down a tree so large, 

 thai it could not be replaced without cutting off' its 

 branches; these were trimmed very short, and the 

 icted, put forth a vigorous growth of wood. 

 The next year the fruit was so much larger and 

 richer in flavor, as to induce this resolution, of 

 three trees, to cut one close each year, and thus 

 secure a constant supply of fruit from young wood 

 upon large stems; the suggestion is thrown out 

 with the hope of provoking trials to be communi- 

 d to us hereafter. The three following sorts 

 are not. known to us, and if they exist here, we 

 should be glad to hear of them. 



Large white. Genoa, fruit large, pale yellow 

 without, red within. 



Brown Turkey, large, reddish brown. 

 Clack Genoa fig, fruit purple, almost black, 

 lar e at the flower end, becoming slender at 

 the stalk, downy and colored like a rich plum. 



In the garden of Mrs. Wagner, St. Philip*s- 

 sfreet, there, existed last year, a very fine tree, sus- 

 pected to be a brown turkey fig, we hope to hear 

 that it escaped the frost, and recommend it to our 

 readers. 



Our people are not sensible of the value of this 

 luxury, or of our peculiar advantages in its culti- 

 vation. The following passage will enable them 

 to compare the ease, with which we produce this 

 salutary and abundant fruit, with the pains taking 

 of French gardeners. 



"The inhabitants of Argenteuil,near Paris, de- 

 rive their chief support from the culture of fig trees; 

 near that town are immense fields covered with 

 thes_e trees, on the sides of hills facing the south, 

 and in other places sheltered from the north, and 

 the, north-west winds. 



"In the autumn, the earth about the roots of 

 these trees is stirred and dug; as soon as the frosts 

 commence, the gardeners bend down the branch- 

 es, and bury them under six inches of mould, 

 which is sufficient to preserve them from being 

 li'ozen. 



"The branches must be entirely stript of their 

 leaves before this is done; the gardener then ta- 

 king hold of the top of each branch, bends it down 

 gradually, and with much care, to prevent its 

 breaking, placing- his knee or hand under such 

 parts as resists the most; the branches that will not 

 bend low enough to be buried, are cut off close to 

 the ground. 



A fig tree will remain buried in this manner 

 seventy-five or eighty days without harm; when 

 the season is mild, the gardeners uncover them, es- 

 pecially in times of warm rains, but on the first 

 symptoms of frost, they are again buried. Severe 

 frosts sometimes reach them, but the branches 



