THE SMYRNA FIG AT HOME AND ABROAD 55 



from the ground. To prevent the stems from becoming sun-burned, the tree should 

 be protected by wrapping paper or burlap around the trunk, or, better still, use a 

 tree protector, of which there are several makes in the market. After the branches 

 forming the head have started and they have been thinned out to the required num- 

 ber, no further priming except to remove suckers starting from the base of the tree 

 close to the ground, will be necessary. 



The importance of starting a tree so it will have a single stem to begin with, thus 

 forming a base, so to say, for the main branches which will eventually form the head 

 of the tree, should not be lost sight of. It would be a great mistake to permit the tree 

 to start its branches close to the ground, for such trees are difficult to handle, and 

 as they grow older, the workman is always puzzled how to prune them. Furthermore, 

 the branches of such trees will break off close to the ground quite often, and where 

 this happens, the symmetry of the tree is destroyed. 



What is finally the object in training a tree? Surely there can only be one definite 

 aim in view, and that is, when the tree comes into bearing, to secure as large a fruit- 

 producing surface as possible to insure the very largest crops obtainable. The 

 branches diverging from the main body of the tree must be sturdy and strong, for 

 they are the ones which must eventually support the numerous laterals forming the 

 head of the tree. Care should be observed the first season in not allowing them to 

 grow too close together on the stem, otherwise they will be cramped and cannot de- 

 velop as they should. The second year after planting the laterals should be shortened 

 in from one-third to one-half of their growth, the amount of pruning depending, of 

 course, on the growth made during the previous season. From each one of the 

 branches shortened in, from two to three shoots should be allowed to develop, evenly 

 distributed and close to the point, where the main branches were cut off. The head 

 now is practically formed, and in the third season not much pruning is necessary, 

 except to cut out all interfering branches. In subsequent years, provided the tree 

 grows thriftily and is covered during the growing season with a sufficient amount of 

 foliage to afford partial shade no pruning is required. Should this condition not be 

 maintained, then a shortening of all the laterals and a method of thinning out should 

 be followed to promote new growth. It has been a fixed rule that fig trees should 

 never have their lateral branches shortened in, like the peach, pear and many other 

 deciduous trees; experience, however, in the orchard on the Fancher Creek Nurseries, 

 has impressed me with the folly of this rule as applied to Smyrna Fig trees. An 

 open top into which the sun can penetrate is not a desirable condition to have. Cli- 

 matic conditions may make it necessary to deviate from this in other sections, 

 but in the hot, dry valleys of the semi-arid regions, the best success and largest crops 

 will be obtained when the trees are maintained in the condition already described. 



The Fig Wasp (Blastophaga grossorum), seeks the shade when flying in the trees, 

 and the largest number of fertilized figs will be found where the sun does not pene- 

 trate too freely. It is not necessary to follow the shortening-in method each season, 

 but only in cases where the tree is not making much new wood, and in consequence 

 of which the young figs are not shaded sufficiently for the insects to properly per- 

 form their functions. 



Attention is here also called to the treatment of the Wild or Capri Fig tree. This 

 being the natural home of the Fig Wasp, it is important that the tree be developed 

 along lines calculated to meet the wants and requirements of the insect. In view of 

 this, the tree should be pruned sparingly, and then only with a view to producing a 

 dense head, even to the exclusion of direct sunlight. In other words, cut back only 

 strong, straggling branches which may at times make their appearance and prevent 

 the development of the dense growth which the insect demands for its best develop- 

 ment and propagation. 



