216 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



tinguished they should be removed, in order to 

 give the tree sufficient time to develop a later 

 crop of buds to replace those of which it had 

 been deprived. The fruit-buds usually begin 

 to show themselves at the beginning of August, I 

 from which time the trees should be gone over 

 once a week as long as young fruits make their ' 

 appearance. These remarks should, of course, ! 

 be understood to apply to those first-formed 

 fruits on the lower part of the shoots, and not 

 to such fruit-buds as are likely to remain in 

 the bud state during the winter, resuming 

 their growth with the fresh flow of sap in 

 spring, and maturing their fruit in the course 

 of the summer. 



Pruning and Training. — The Fig-tree, grown 

 as a standard, requires but little pruning; it 

 has often been said the less the better, and this 

 is true, unless the operation be done very judi- 

 ciously. If the roots are in rich soil, and the 

 knife be freely applied to the branches, the 

 consequence will be that from the base of each 

 strong shoot cut back others equally strong, or 

 even stronger, will proceed. If the shoots be 

 cut so closely as not to leave an eve, the 

 accumulated sap will in other parts of the tree 

 stimulate buds to push shoots too vigorous for 

 bearing. 



It has been explained that the Fig-tree bears 

 on the shoots of the current year fruits that 

 attain maturity in favourable climates, with 

 the exception of some of the latest formed, 

 which even in those climates do not ripen till 

 the following season. But with us the prin- 

 cipal crop is derived from near the extremities 

 of the shoots of the previous season's growth, 

 except where artificial means are employed to 

 start lateral shoots near the base of the main 

 shoot. But whether the fruit is matured in 

 the first or second season it originates on the 

 young shoots, and therefore of such it is evident 

 we must endeavour to keep up a regular supply. 

 This should be done if possible without cutting 

 out the oldest branches. A mode of training 

 by which this can be avoided is as follows: — 



From a single upright stem branches are 

 trained at a foot apart, but they are not on 

 both sides in the same horizontal line; one 

 branch is trained from the central stem, say to 

 the left; at 6 inches higher another is trained 

 to the right, the next to the left, and so on, 

 the branches on one side proceeding from oppo- 

 site the middle of the intervals between the 

 branches of those on the other. In autumn 

 every alternate shoot is" cut back to one eye; 

 the others are left at full length to bear fruit in 



the following summer, after which they are each 

 cut back in autumn to one eye. The shoots 

 proceeding from the single eyes, to which the 

 shoots or branches are cut back, are trained at 

 full length. They will form fruit-buds in the 

 first season, and in the second year of their 

 growth will bear fruit. They are then in their 

 turn cut back to one eye. 



In this way all the branches take the same 

 horizontal direction, and can consequently be 

 the more easily maintained of equal vigour. 

 The extent occupied along the wall may be 

 limited to 6 feet, yet the tree may ultimately 

 be made to cover that extent in width from the 

 bottom to the top of even a high wall; and we 

 may remark that the higher the wall, the greater 

 will be the heat and the better will the Figs 

 succeed. It is necessary, however, to observe 

 that by adopting the above mode the quantity 

 of the young wood will be great in proportion 

 to that of the old, and when that is the case, 

 the shoots are not so firm and short-jointed, 

 and consequently not so well adapted for bear- 

 ing. If succulent, over - luxuriant shoots be 

 produced, the roots should be confined, and 

 stimulants should be withheld. 



Walls and Espaliers. — Presuming that the 

 tree is planted against a wall, let it be cut back 

 to within 15 inches of the ground, and trained 

 with a single stem to the height of a foot. 

 Immediately above this let two shoots be 

 trained, one to the right and another to the 

 left, and from these principal branches two 

 other subdivisions should be encouraged. But 

 these must be trained widely apart, in order 

 to admit of successional bearing shoots being 

 trained between them. These principal branches 

 should be at a greater or less distance according 

 to the size of the foliage; it depends, therefore, 

 on the variety as well as the richness of the 

 soil. In general, 15 inches will not be too wide. 

 Along these branches, at distances of about 

 8 inches, shoots for bearing ought to be en- 

 couraged, and as nearly as possible of equal 

 vigour. A similar equality should be main- 

 tained between the respective leading branches. 

 It is a bad plan to allow one or more shoots to 

 grow stronger than the generality throughout 

 the season, and then to cut them back. Instead 

 of doing so they ought to be checked by pinch- 

 ing, as soon as they exhibit symptoms of over- 

 luxuriance. Look at the amount of foliage in 

 connection with the respective branches, com- 

 pare that on the different shoots springing from 

 the same branch, then apply means to equalize 

 them. By attending to these directions an 



