292 FOEEST TREES. 



References— Dici. of Econ. Prod. of Indv, Pharm. 



Ind. 



The edible fig. . Cultivated in Indian gardens 

 and said to have been introdviced during the Muham- 

 madan conquests of Central and Southern India. 

 Indigenous to Persia, Arabia, Turkey, and countries 

 forming the southern part of the Mediterranean basin. 

 It is a tree of great antiquity, being frequently men- 

 tioned in the ancient literature of Palestine, Greece, 

 and Rome. There are several varieties in local 

 cultivation, and the nutritive properties of the 

 fruit are generally acknowledged by the people. 



Cultivation. — In this country, the fig tree is most 

 productive when grown within walled enclosures 

 and in the backyards of dwellings where there is 

 practically no wind. But to this should be added 

 proper irrigation, good drainage, and a rather 

 copious supply of mixed manures. The root growth 

 should also be limited to a given area,, otherwise 

 the tree is apt to run to leaf and wood almost 

 exclusively. 



Seedlings are often diflBcult to raise, although the 

 species is readily propagated by the various methods 

 of division, such as grafting, inarching, layering, and 

 the insertion of cuttings. Plant at 10 feet apart. 



Several undetermined species of Ficus will have 

 to be included in a future edition of this work. Of 

 these, the vernacular names KaJatti, and Seluvara, 

 are suggestive of rather common trees, which are 

 fotmd at intervals throughout the deciduous and 

 mixed zones. The first named is a large umbrell-p,- 

 shaped tree usually found among, rocks.. Leavj^s 

 oblong, rather small and densely covered on the 

 under side by a tawny tomentum. Fruit small, 

 round and sessile. The Flora of British India 

 enumerates 112 species of this grand genus. 



