32 BULLETIN 132, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Some varieties, like the Mission, seem to thrive on almost any kind of 

 soil from light sand to heavy adobe. It is pretty well settled, how- 

 ever, that the best Smyrna figs are grown on quite heavy soil rather 

 than light sand. The water requirements of the fig are less than 

 those of most other fruit trees. Still, it demands above all well- 

 drained land and some irrigation. It does not succeed, for instance, 

 on land where the Bartlett pear thrives. Next to a well-drained, 

 compact loam, a rich sandy loam is best, and a good dressing of stable 

 manure will always repay the cost of application in the increased size 

 of the fruit. A good percentage of lime in the soil is important. 

 Some growers contend that lime reduces nematode infestation to a 

 considerable degree. 



CULTIVATION AND IRRIGATION. 



The fig tree responds to good care and culture as readily as any 

 other fruit tree. The orchard should be cultivated after every irri- 

 gation, and toward the end of the season it is well to have the ground 

 under the trees mellow in order to avoid a hard surface upon which 

 the ripe figs fall. Many orchards in California, especially on deep 

 bottom land, produce good crops entirely without irrigation, while on 

 shallower soil a good supply of water is necessary. A prominent 

 grower at Fresno says that he raises large crops by a heavy irrigation 

 in May or the beginning of June and another when caprifying at the 

 end of June. 



PRUNING. 



The fig requires less pruning than any other fruit tree. After setting 

 and cutting back to about 2 feet from the ground the aim should be to 

 produce an open, symmetrical top, so as to admit plenty of sunshine 

 and at the same time shade the trunk to prevent sunburn; still the 

 branches are to be kept up out of the way of the cultivators. Many 

 planters use tree protectors to shade the trunk until the tree top 

 offers the necessary shade. In the beginning the top should be 

 started with three or four branches, which are to be the framework 

 of the future tree. The after treatment will require little more than 

 the removal of chafing branches and the suckers which start from the 

 ground at the base of the trunk. The main idea to be kept in mind 

 is that the ripening crop requires plenty of air and sunshine. 



GRAFTING. 



Occasionally it will be found convenient or advisable to change 

 inferior varieties to Smyrnas by grafting. Any of the ordinary 

 methods employed on other fruit trees can be used. The only point 

 of importance is always to use for scions 2-year-old wood. It may 

 be from one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch in diameter. If 1-year- 

 old wood is used, not more than one-fourth to one-third of the grafts 



