262 PRUNING. 



they must be grown in stools or bushes, with a dozen or 

 more stems rising from the socket. These are easily laid 

 down and covered, and easily brought nj) to their places 

 again, in the way that raspberry canes are managed. To 

 produce this form, the young tree is j)lanted in the bottom 

 of a trench about a third deeper than in ordinary cases, and 

 a basin is left around it. At the end of the first season's 

 growth, it is cut back to a few inches of the base ; there a 

 number of shoots are produced. As these grow up the 

 earth is drawn in around them, to favor the production 

 of other shoots at their base ; and in this way it is 

 managed until the requisite number of branches is ob- 

 tained. 



Protection. — Trained in this way, a trench is opened for 

 each branch, or three or four may be put in one trench, 

 if convenient ; they are fastened down with hooked j^egs 

 as in layering, and covered with a foot of earth, which 

 should be drawn up in the mound form, to throw off the 

 water. 



Ripening the fruit. — In fig growing countries, and to 

 some extent here, there is a practice of applying a drop of 

 olive oil to the eye of the fruit, to hasten its maturity. 

 This is usually done by means of a straw. 



Training in Graijeries.- — ^The back wall of a lean-to cold 

 vinery is an excellent place for the fig. It may be 

 trained on a trellis in the fan or horizontal manner, but 

 severe pruning must not be practised to produce regu- 

 larity. 



Section 11. — Pruning the Goossbeert. 



The gooseberry produces fruit buds and spurs on wood 

 two years old and upwards. Fig. 12T represents the two- 

 yoar-old wood, ^, with fruit buds (7, (7, and B^ the one- 



