BOOK XVII. XXXV. 153-155 



tree, strctches forwaid filliiig up the lcngth in front 



of it, so long as the knots are opcn, with a tube that 



allows a passage ; but when they have bccomc solidi- 



fied and prevent passage, the pith is thrown back 



and bursts out at its lowest part close to the previous 



knot with a serics of alternate lateral forks, as has 



been stated in the case of thc rccd and of the ffiant „,,. ,^„ 



lennel; witli tliese the swelnng irom the bottom xiii. ii'2. 



knot can be observed on the right and that at thc 



next one on the left, and so on alternately. In the 



casc of a vinc, when this swelhng makes a knob at 



thc knot it is called a ' gem ', but bcfore it makes a 



knob, in the hoUow part it is called an ' eye ' and 



at thc actual top a ' gcrm '. This is the way in 



which the main shoots, side-slioots, grapcs, lcaves 



and tendrils are formed ; aiid it is a remarkable fact 



that those growing on thc right-hand side arc the 



stronger. 



Conscciuently when these sHps are plantcd it is propagaiion 

 nccessary to cut thc knots in them across the middle, "ffio^- 

 without letting the pith run out. And in the case 

 of a fig nine-inch sUps are planted in holes made in 

 the ground with pegs, in such a way as to have the 

 parts that were nearcst to the tree sunk into the 

 earth and two cyes projecting above tlic surface 

 (the term ' eyes ' in slips of trces propcrly denotes 

 the points from which thcy send out shoots). It is 

 because of this that cvcn when beddcd out the slips 

 occasionally producc in ihe same year the fruit they 

 vvere going to bear on the tree if they havc been 

 planted at the propcr timc when pregnant, and give 

 birth in thcir othcr position to the progeny they 

 had begun to conceivc. Fig-trees struck in this way 

 are easily transplanted two ycars later, as this tree 



107 



