THE FIG. 89 



In the South of England, including the Isle of Wight, 

 the Fig is grown as a standard in the open air, but in 

 other parts on walls, also in pots or planted out under 

 glass. 



Mode of Bearing. The Fig is somewhat distinct in its 

 fructification. It has no visible flowers, and, many per- 

 sons have consequently imagined that none were borne 

 by the Fig. As a matter of fact, it does bear flowers, 

 but they are not externally visible on the branches. They 

 are really concealed within the fleshy bodies which we 

 call the fruit. 



Says the " Treasury of Botany ": " The fruit is gene- 

 rally shortly turbinate, but some varieties are of an 

 elongated pyriform shape; the skin soft, with shallow 

 longitudinal furrows ; the colour yellowish-white, greenish- 

 brown, purplish-brown, violet, or dark purple. It consists 

 of a hollow fleshy receptacle, with an orifice in the top, 

 which is surrounded and nearly closed by a number of 

 imbricated scales, as many as 200, according to Duhamel. 

 The flowers, unlike those of most fruit trees, make no 

 outwaid appearance, but are concealed within the fig 

 on its internal surface; they are male and female, the 

 former situated near the orifice, the latter in that part 

 of the concavity next the stalk. On cutting open a 

 Fig, when it has attained little more than one-third its 

 size, the flowers will be seen in full development, and., 

 provided the stamens are perfect, fertilisation takes place 

 at that stage of growth. But it often happens that the 

 stamens are imperfect, and no seeds are formed; never- 

 theless the fruit swells and ripens." 



The Fig forms three distinct crops of fruit annually. 

 The first one appears on the previous year's growth; 

 the second and third ones in the axils of the leaves of 

 the current year's growth. It is only tlTe first crop that 

 attains maturity in the open air in this country ; the others, 

 although they may look promising, never ripen, but even- 

 tually fall off. The gardener, therefore, need not bother 



