106 



FIG CULTURE 



soil is thin and barren, trees become dwarfed and 

 stunted ; but when fertility extends to considerable 

 distances plants make hardy growth. 



When fig raisers select thin soil for orchards, 

 deeper feeding ground should be gradually devel- 

 oped. There is a limit to the size of every tree, but 

 normal habits should be cultivated. If they grow 

 two feet of new wood each year, the farmer should 

 be content, for they are not suffering for nutrition. 

 "When conditions are favorable trees will grow about 

 five feet the first year, and six the second. By that 

 time their roots will have utilized much of the 

 ground within ten feet of the trunks. The third 

 year growth should exceed that of previous seasons, 

 and should continue to increase so long as sufficient 

 fertility is available. But it is difficult to find or- 

 chards that have developed progressively after the 

 first three years ; while branches continue to multi- 

 ply, the rule in the coastal country is for diminished 

 length of new wood. The careless manner soils are 

 handled, and the evident neglect to maintain proper 

 texture and physical condition, is responsible for 

 the decline of trees that give every promise of vigor 

 while young. It should be the first concern of the 

 grower to develop a depth of soil that will aid trees 

 in searching for food. An orchard near Galveston, 

 famous six years ago, and advertised all over the 

 country, three years later yielded but twelve pounds 

 of fruit per tree, wood growth being less than four 

 inches the entire season. This orchard produced 



