20O FRUIT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



plants get established, and what in pot-culture may be 

 termed full grown, neither this nor much pruning is 

 required beyond cutting out old wood to make room 

 for new as occasion may require. 



Soil for figs in pots. The soil for plants in pots 

 should be richer than has been recommended for bor- 

 ders. Two-thirds of rather a strong loam, with a third 

 of horse-droppings and a little bone-meal, answers well 

 in all pottings after the trees have arrived at a fruit- 

 bearing condition. I have sometimes plunged the pots 

 in borders of soil for summer and autumn fruiting, 

 and let them root through into the border, but do not 

 recommend the practice. I approve of plunging the 

 pots, but not of letting the roots leave the pots, and it 

 should always be prevented. It induces the active 

 roots to leave the pots where they are regularly fed, 

 and causes gross shoots to be formed at the expense of 

 the fruit and the general growth of the other parts of 

 the trees. This applies more particularly to young 

 growing trees. In the case of older and free -bear- 

 ing trees there is less objection to the practice. 



FORCING AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT. 



There is perhaps no other fruit-bearing plant that 

 submits with greater freedom and success than the fig 

 to early forcing, and it certainly yields under favour- 

 able treatment a very good return in the shape of two 

 crops of fruit annually. In some cases it has been 

 made to produce a third crop by commencing to force 

 early, and prolonging the process late in the season ; 

 but although this is possible, it is by no means de- 

 sirable for, besides the debilitating influence on the 

 plants, the third crop is never fine in quality. 



