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«re often planted in Places expofed, 

 where few other Fruits would efcape 

 being Rolen. In England we have 

 had but few Sorts of this Fruit, 

 compared with the van: Varieties 

 with which the Southern Parts cf 

 France and Italy abound, till of late ; 

 and it is to be hoped, that in a 

 few Years we (hail be fupphed with 

 molt of their curious Sorts ; efpeci- 

 ally fince we fee yearly, that great 

 Numbers of People come to reltfh 

 them. But one great Difcourage- 

 ment to the Propagation of thefe 

 Trees was the Unikilfulnels of the 

 Englijh Gardeners in their Culture 

 and Management. 1 fhali therefore 

 begin with an Account of the Plant- 

 ing, Increafing, and Pruning, of 

 thefe Trees ; which I mall treat as 

 ■clear as poffibly I can, and only 

 mention the Methods ufed, with 

 which I have had great Succefs. 



The common Method of propa- 

 gating thefe Trees is from Suckeis, 

 which come up from the Roots of 

 old Trees. But this is what I would 

 never advife; for thefe Plants, 

 when grown large, are much more 

 fubject to produce Suckers again, 

 than thofe railed by Layers, which 

 are by far the bell rooted and molt 

 promifing Plants : therefore I would 

 always make choice of the latter 

 Method, efpecialiy fince they are 

 very eafy to be propagated that Way : 

 for if any of the young Branches are 

 laid down in the Earth in the Au- 

 tumn, they will be well rooted by 

 that time Twelvemonth, which is 

 the proper time to remove them. 



Fig-trees generally thrive in all 

 Soils, and in every Situation; but 

 they produce a greater Quantity of 

 Fruit upon a ftrong loamy Soil, than 

 on dry Ground ; for if the Seafon 

 proves dry in May and 'June, thofe 

 Trees which grow upon very warm 

 dry Ground, are very fubjeit to call 



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their Fruit : therefore, whenever 

 this happens, fuch Trees mould be 

 well watered and mulched, which 

 will prevent the Fruit from dropping 

 off: and the Fruit upon thefe Trees 

 are better flavoured than any of 

 thofe which grow upon cold moift 

 Land. I have always oblerved thole 

 Fig-trees to bear the greateft Quan- 

 tity of well-flavoured Fruit, which 

 were growing upon chalky Land, 

 where there has been a Foot or more 

 of a gentle loamy Soil on the Top. 

 They alio love a free open Air ; for 

 altho' they will moot and thrive 

 very well in clofe Places, yet they 

 feldom produce any Fruit in fuch 

 Situations : and all thofe which are 

 planted in fmai! Gardens in London, 

 will be well furmfhed with Leaves; 

 but I have never feen any Fruit up- 

 on them. 



Thefe Trees are always planted 

 as Standard?, in all warm Countries; 

 but in England they are generally 

 planted againll Walls, there being 

 but few Standard Fig-trees, at pre- 

 fent, in the Engl Jb Gardens : how- 

 ever, fince the Fruit is found to ripen 

 weil upon the Standards, and the 

 Crop pf Figs is often greater upon 

 them, than upon thofe Trees againft 

 Walls, it may in time become the 

 general Practice to plant them either 

 in Standards orEfpal.ers: the latter, 

 1 think, will fucceed belt in Etigland, 

 if they were managed as in Germany ; 

 where they untie the Fig-trees from 

 the Efpalier, and lay them down, 

 covering them from the Fi oft with 

 Straw or Litter, which prevents their 

 Shoots being injured by the Froft ; 

 and this Covering is taken away gra- 

 dually in the Spring, and not wholly 

 removed until all the Danger of 

 Froft is over : by which Manage- 

 ment, they generally have a very 

 great Crop of Figs ; whereas in Eng- 

 land, where the Trees grow againft 



