THE FIG UNDER GLASS. 



227 



Goodwood, and other places in Sussex, also at 

 Tarring, near Worthing, where a small orchard 

 formerly produced 100 dozen of Figs per day- 

 through Septemher and October. Within the last 

 twenty-five years, many of these fine trees have 

 heen seriously injured hy severe frosts. They stiU, 

 however, yield as much as 300 dozen per week in 

 good average seasons. Sir. Humphrey, the present 

 courteous proprietor, states that the oldest tree, 

 which stands in the centre of the orchard, three- 

 quarters of an acre in extent, is supposed to have 

 heen planted hy Thomas a-Becket, and is known 

 locally as the Madagascar Fig. Most likely it was 

 introduced with, or is a descendant from, Cardinal 

 Pole's trees, which were planted at Ai-undel and 

 Lambeth in 1525, and is the original White 

 Marseilles. The other trees, principally Brown 

 Turkey, a few generations old, look comparatively 

 young by the side of it. 



In the Midland and Northern counties, also in 

 Scotland, the Fig requires training against a south 

 or west wall, where, although carefully protected 

 with fern or straw, it is frequently killed to the 

 ground in severe winters. It, however, soon throws 

 up vigorous shoots from the roots, but, owing to 

 their pithy nature, its successful culture when 

 removed from the chalk formation, and the sea 

 influence on the south coast, is extremely precarious. 

 This circumstance has long since led to the culture 

 of this wholesome, delicious, and profitable fruit 

 under glass. 



" The fruit of the Fig consists of a hollow, fleshy 

 receptacle, with an orifice in the top, which is sur- 

 rounded and nearly closed by a number of imbricated 

 scales. The flowers, unlike those of most fruit-trees, 

 make no outward appearance, but are concealed 

 within the Fig on its internal surface. They are 

 male and female, the former situated near the 

 orifice, the latter in that part of the concavity near 

 the stalk. On cutting open a Fig when it has 

 attained little more than one-third its size, the 

 flowers will be seen in full development, and, pro- 

 vided the stamens are perfect, fertilisation takes 

 place at that stage of gi-owth. But it often happens 

 that the stamens ai-e imperfect, and no seeds are 

 formed; nevertheless, the fruit swells and ripens."* 



Houses for Figs.— The Fig, like all other 

 fruit-bearing trees, succeeds best where it can have 

 an abundance of light ; it also enjoys a brisk heat, 

 and plenty of air and moisture when growing. 

 These conditions secured, it is by no means 

 fastidious, but readily accommodates itself to almost 

 any kind of structure and mode of training. 



* Moore's "Treasury of Botany." 



Where forcing-houses already exist, a good lean-to, 

 similar to a Vinery or Peach-house, will answer 

 well for early forcing, mid-season, or late culture, 

 while span-roof pits, supplied with bottom heat, 

 are equally well adapted for pot culture. For 

 general purposes an efficiently heated span-roof, 

 running from north to south, cannot be sur- 

 passed, but owing to the large amount of glass 

 exposed to the vicissitudes of our varying climate, it 

 is not so economical in point of fuel as the pit 

 or lean-to. To secure a constant supply of ripe Figs 

 throughout the season, say from the first week in 

 April until December, if new houses have to be 

 built, the span-roof pit for early pot trees, the 

 lean-to for the earliest planted -out trees, and 

 the span-roof house for summer and autumn will 

 not only be found adequate, but profitable, as the 

 Fig, unlike all other fruit-trees, continues bearinj; 

 for a considerable time after the first flush of fruit is 

 gathered. 



The site for a Fig-house should be light and open, 

 sheltered from the north and thoroughly diained, it 

 should also be near the boiler, or where there is 

 a command of plenty of heat. Unlike the Peacli 

 and the Vine, there is no necessity for external 

 borders, and the internal provision need not be very 

 extravagant, as the Fig, being a gross feeder and 

 a rampant grower, requires a circumscribed space 

 for its roots, and even then autumnal root-pruning 

 often becomes necessary. 



As trees are so quickly and cheaply* propagated, a 

 narrow border along the back of a lean-to house, if 

 furnished with extra strong trees in tubs or pots, 

 will give a quantity of fine fruit during the time the 

 permanent trees are working upwards from the 

 front border. 



The trellis for the training of the Vi'j; in no way 

 differs from that provided for the Vine and the 

 Peach. It should not be less than twenty inches 

 fi-om the glass, with all its rods or bars lunning 

 longitudinally under the roof. If the wires arc 

 placed nine inches from each other they ofl'cr 

 facilities for training a main shoot horizontally along 

 every third, leaving two for filling in with inter- 

 mediate growths, from which the fruit will bo 

 obtained. 



Fire-heat should be as liberally provided as in 

 early Vineries, as it is^a well-ascertained fact that 

 the Fig can be started, and successfully carried 

 through all its stages of growth, at a higher tem- 

 perature than any other fruit which comes under the 

 forcing gardener's management. Therefore,. Hood's 

 tables, given at page 95, Vol. I., should be con- 

 sulted before the hot-water pipes are put in. All 

 the front lights will open most conveniently out- 

 wards, and wet-weather ventilators, as shown at 



