84 TiGTOniAL FRAOTICAL FRUIT GROWING. 



making a selection. The habit of the variety is noted in the following 

 remarks on sorts : — 



British, the wilding of British lanes, dwarf, bears splendidly under good 

 cultivation. 



Logan Berry, reputed to be a cross between a Raspberry and a Blaok- 

 bei-ry, dwarf to medium, a desirable fruit. 



Parsley-leaved, tall or trailing, very free and good ; should have plenty 

 of room. 



Wilson Junior, one of several American varieties which bear magnificent 

 fruit, but are not quite suited by our climate, and are therefore unreliable. 



Wineberry (Japanese) may be classed, for the sake of convenience, with 

 the Blackberries ; a strong grower, yielding fl.ne, juicy fruit. It rambles so 

 freely as to call for plenty of room. 



_ The Raspljerry-Strawberry. — There has been some talk about 

 this fruit. It is Rubus palmatus, and is probably a species from Japan. It 

 forms a low bush, and fruits pretty freely ; but I should not advise my 

 readers to trouble about it, as it has little flavour and is of no value for 

 preserving. 



CDapter XIII.— Fias. 



The Fig is hardly an everyday fruit. We do not see it in the majority of 

 gardens ; we see it only in the few. This is doubtless rather due to its 

 want of perfect hardiness than to lack of appreciation, The man who 

 s.nmples a Grizzly Bonrjassotte Fig just as it is gathered, luscious and 

 mellow, from the tree, usually turns up his eyes in a sublime ecstasy, and 

 wants more— a great deal more. 



When there is accommodation for growing Figs under glass these 

 delicacies are at command; moreover, it is quite easy to get two crops of 

 them in a year. But if there is no glass, and outdoor culture or none at all 

 presents itself as an alternative, it is necessary to choos^e a sheltered spot, 

 and be satisfied with one crop. A healthy Fig is sometimes seen in the 

 angle of a greenhouse wall, or some other warm and sheltered spot, even in 

 the North of England ; but the plant is not really hardy, and there is no 

 certainty of keeping it through a hard winter unless it is protected. The 

 best thing is to remove the growths from the wall early in winter, pack 

 them together in a bundle, and fasten a mat round them. 



When once it has made itself at home in a corner that it likes, a Fig 

 tree needs very little attention. It will grow and fruit industriously. The 

 knife will have to be called into requisition sometimes, but mainly to keep 

 it from growing out of bounds. Nevertheless, it is just as well to know the 

 fruiting habit of the plant, in case indoor culture has to be resorted to. 

 Even in the case of outdoor trees there is a point which sometimes creates 

 inquiry. This is with respect to the second crop of fruit, which is often 

 seen on the trees in autumn. Most people watch the fruit through the 

 winter with tender solicitude, in the full belief that it will swell and ripen 

 in the spring. It is very rarely that it does so. It almost always falls off 

 when the sap begins to flow freely. 



In ordinary circumstances the Fig bears its fruit on the ripened wood of 

 the previous year, the fruit that forms on the new wood falling off as stated. 



