852 



Figs. — Anecdote of a Horse. 



Vol. XII. 



sounding names, during the last ten years, 

 when such superior varieties can be produced 

 on our own soil. Mr. Longworth and myself 

 are perfectly agreed, that every European 

 staminate variety has proved comparatively 

 worthless for American culture, and with 

 regard to any pretended novelties from Eu- 

 rope, the simple inquiry whether it is stami- 

 nate or pistillate, will settle the point as to 

 its value or worthlessness. On our own soil, 

 however, we may produce staminate varie- 

 ties more congenial to our climate, some of 

 which will produce fair crops; and such has 

 been the case with several of our new seed- 

 ling varieties. Under this head I would call 

 especial attention to the new seedling varie- 

 ties of the Monteveido Pine; they are of 

 stronger growth than any other class, the 

 blossoms in many cases as large as a dollar, 

 and they form the most splendid family of 

 strawberries as regards size, form, flavor, 

 and colour of the fruit, that has ever been 

 seen. It is a singular fact that no seedling 

 varieties of this magnificent species have 

 yet been produced in Europe, and in fact, 

 the original variety is there comparatively 

 unknown, it being found in but three or four 

 collections in all Europe. We may also re- 

 fer to the large and beautiful seedling va- 

 rieties which have been obtained from the 

 Prince Albert and the Crimson Cone, which 

 are unequalled by any but the preceding. 



During the last autumn and winter, we 

 have been gratified at receiving orders from 

 Europe for our new and superior American 

 varieties, and we predict that in a few years 

 every variety now cultivated in England, 

 will be cast aside there as utterly worthless. 

 Yours, very respectfully, 



W. R. Prince. 



Flushing, May 2-ind, 1848. 



Figs. 



With regard to these, I beg to offer a few 

 remarks on what I have observed and put 

 successfully into practice. The year 1818 

 was remarkable for abundance of figs, on ac- 

 count of its long duration of heat and drought. 

 Happening to call during that year at the 

 Duke of Richmond's Gardens, Goodwood, 

 near Chichester, in August, I was much 

 pleased, and at that time quite astonished, 

 to see a row of very large standard fig trees 

 loaded with the greatest abundance of fruit, 

 both ripe and unripe, in the highest possible 

 perfection. The soil there is shallow, on a 

 bed of chalk. I likewise observed during 

 the same year, abundance of figs in many of 

 the cottagers' gardens in Sussex, produced 

 on standards that were growing in the same 

 kind of shallow soil, and where the bottom 



was nothing but chalk. Figs appeared to be 

 no luxury in that quarter. In Kent I have 

 observed good figs and very fruitful trees on 

 on a similar bottom. At the late Lord Aud- 

 ley's Gardens, Belvedere, Erith, I have ob- 

 served the most abundant crops of fruit, 

 raised for several years in succession in the 

 highest state of perfection, where the soil is 

 shallow and dry, and where the subsoil is 

 nothing but a rock or bed of pebbly gravel, 

 called there pea-gravel ; after a heavy rain, 

 scarcely a particle of earth was there to be 

 seen on the surface. I have long observed 

 that shallow dry soils are the best for pro- 

 ducing good crops of figs, and where the 

 trees have been planted without much care, 

 and allowed to grow without much pruning 

 or nailing, which does not at all suit the fig. 

 Such places as stable-yards, farm buildings, 

 in any dry corner, amongst stones, chalk, 

 brick-bats, or lime-rubbish, where they are 

 well trodden or paved about the trees, are 

 the places to see fine crops of good figs. 

 Trees in such situations have a number of 

 joints in the length of one inch of young 

 wood. Over-luxuriant trees never bear abun- 

 dant crops. The wood of a fig tree that is 

 long jointed, pithy, and soft, does not produce 

 figs in perfection. The growth of the fig 

 requires to be checked, if fruit is wanted. 

 In preparing for growing figs, instead of 

 trenching the ground, I should recommend 

 merely forming a flooring under them with 

 concrete, brickbats, stone, chalk, gravel, 

 lime-rubbish, or with whatever is most con- 

 venient to be had, if the bottom is not natu- 

 rally chalky, rocky, or gravelly. Those that 

 are troubled with over-luxuriant fig trees 

 might practice the following method, which 

 I have myself done with good success : Cut 

 a trench, three or four feet wide, in front of 

 the trees, — if against the wall, or all round 

 them, if they are standards, — below all roots, 

 which should be cut clean off as the trench 

 is dug, then fill up with any of the above 

 materials that can be procured, pouring a 

 quantity of grout amongst it as the filling 

 up proceeds, or the roots will soon get 

 through it; otherwise, build a wall, as re- 

 commended by Mr. Errington. Figs require 

 to be planted high, and the depth of soil 

 about them should not be more than one foot. 

 If the season is very dry when they are ripen- 

 ing their fruit, the trees will be much bene- 

 fited by giving them a good soaking of wa- 

 ter, as that is the time when they will be 

 benefited by water. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



Anecdote of a Horse. 



A GOOD horse story was told a short time 

 ago, by a gentleman who was an eye-wit- 



