proceedings of the farmers' ^lub. 175 



Successful Method for Preserving Fig Trees during Winter, 

 AS Practiced by M. Engel, in the Neighborhood of Paris. 



TRANSLATED BY THE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY OF THE INSTITUTE. 



The method of preserving fig trees from frost, at Argenteuil, has hitherto 

 consisted in trimming- them in such manner as to form low bushes, having 

 many low and flexible branches. These were covered with earth, without 

 being taken up. This method is attended with difficulty in practice, and is 

 only successful in the hands of skillful gardeners. M. Engel, on the con- 

 trary, removes all the lateral branches, leaving no more than a single shoot, 

 which is trained against a support. During the summei-, all new lateral 

 branches are removed. In this way, instead of a bush, a little tree, eight 

 or nine feet in length, is obtained, with a head charged with a vigorous 

 foliage, and which, even in the least favorable years, yields an abundant 

 crop of excellent fruit. When the autumn frosts begin, and the leaves turn 

 yellow and fall, these little trees are taken up. Care must be taken to 

 have the mold which adheres to the roots untouched, and carry it with the 

 trees to the cellar or root-house in which they are to be placed for the 

 winter. This must be deep enough to be unaffected by frost. The place 

 where the trees are to be set is first covered with mold, and they are 

 placed as closely as possible, with their trunks upright. The roots are 

 then covered with earth, and the whole watered. If the cellar be dry, the 

 watering must be repeated from time to time, as may appear- necessary. 

 But, if the cellar be damp, it will be necessary to ventilate it on such days 

 as are warm enough to preclude the risk of frost. When the late frosts of 

 the spring are over, the trees are replanted in the open ground. 



Method of Forcing Grapes Practiced in Holland. 



The gardeners of Holland pay the greatest attention to simplicity and 

 economy. Of this, their method of obtaining grapes by forcing is a 

 remarkable instance. The apparatus employed is a movable hot-bed frame, 

 built of planks and joists, except on the front, which is of glass, and is 

 inclined at an angle of about 40°. 



During the month of November, or early in December, a vine growing 

 in the open ground is selected for the purpose and covered by the frame, 

 which is so placed that the earth in which the roots of the vine lie shall be 

 either near the glass front or near the back of the frame. This will depend 

 on the choice of training afforded by the manner of the growth of the vine, 

 namely, whether it will be more convenient to train it in an inclined or a ver- 

 tical direction. The space not occupied by the roots of the vine is trenched; 

 the trench is filled with horse litter in a state of fermentation; the litter is 

 covered with the earth dug from the trench, and they together form a 

 mound whose surface is parallel to the glass of the front. The vine is pro- 

 tected from injurious gases and vapors by covering the mound with a con- 

 tinuous surface of oiled paper. 



When the heat from the fermenting litter is nearly expended, a further 

 supply is obtained by introducing boxes filled with a mixture of horse litter 

 and leaves. 



