THE FIG. 187 



If, after being stopped, they break into more than 

 three growths, rub off all except the leader and one on 

 each side of the stem. Should any of them break with 

 less than three, cut a nick above the one that is desired 

 to break, and more than likely it will come away. 

 When the leader has grown about 15 inches, stop it and 

 the two laterals again, to cause another pair of lateral 

 growths to break horizontally, and with another leader, 

 thus laying the foundation for their being trained hori- 

 zontally to the wires of the fig-house. They can be 

 kept growing thus in a temperature not quite so high as 

 for vines till the middle or end of August, after which 

 they will require more air and a drier atmosphere, in as 

 light a place as possible, to thoroughly ripen their 

 growths. It is astonishing the immense bushes that can 

 be formed the first season even from single eyes, if 

 shifted on and pinched ; but the object in the case of 

 the plants now under consideration, as has already been 

 stated, is not so much size the first year, as a well-com- 

 pacted growth, and a proper foundation for permanent 

 horizontally-trained trees in the fig-house border. It is 

 questionable if it would be any loss of time, in bringing 

 trees into a fruitful condition, to keep the plants two 

 instead of one year in comparatively small pots, to get 

 them into what may be termed a semi-stunted growth. 



As soon as they have ripened their wood and shed 

 their leaves, they can be stored away in any place where 

 they wiU neither be exposed to severe frost nor to a 

 temperature high enough to excite them into growth be- 

 fore spring, keeping them just moist at the root, but 

 nothing more. About midwinter they should be pruned, 

 if they require any pruning at all, after the way which 

 I have recommended them to be stopped when growing. 



