214 TREATISE ON FRUIT TREES. 



& by cuttings. Two-year old branches, & not those of the previous year (they're too soft 

 & are likely to get warm & rot), when treated as described in the section on cuttings, take 

 root easily. For layering, branches of one, two, or three years, or even older, are selected. 

 They're laid down in the ground, or even better, set in a basket, box, or pot filled with 

 soil. One or several cuts are made in the buried part. Within a year these branches put 

 down quite sturdy roots, so they can be separated & transplanted the following spring. 

 Cuttings & layering are done about the end of March before the fig tree's sap begins to 

 run. 



Good types of fig trees also are propagated by flute grafting on ordinary kinds of 

 stocks. 



II. The fig tree succeeds in all kinds of soil as long as it's not cold & damp, which 

 would make the fruit ripen late & be flavorless. Paved paths, the worst kinds of soil, even 

 among rocks, are suitable for it if they're warm, in a southern or eastern exposure, & 

 sheltered from the north & west by high ground or even better by high walls. Even so, fig 

 trees can be planted in all exposures. Those facing west or even north won't yield autumn 

 figs. But the summer fruit that ripens late will fill the gap between the first & second 

 crops of figs from trees that are planted facing south. 



In our climate the tree has to be protected from the harsh winter that sometimes 

 kills all its branches & deprives us of its fruit for two years. New branches that emerge 

 from the rootstock only yield fruit in the third year. Even if only the current year's shoots 

 die, it ruins all our hope for the initial season. These misfortunes are prevented by 

 covering the fig trees. 1°. If the trees are planted against a wall, assuming that it is in 

 good condition & able to block 



