76 On the Culture of Fig Trees, in the open air. 



hand, where the extremities of the branches had been trained 

 in at full length, fruit capable of ripening, in this climate, 

 would be produced on them, in the summer, just so far back 

 from each extremity, as the point where the spring shoot of 

 the last year ended, and the midsummer shoot commenced. 

 Now, suppose that, instead of pruning and training the tree, 

 in the manner just described, the gardener had, at the winter 

 pruning, cut away every other branch, close to the stem, and 

 trained in the remainder, with their foreright shoots uncut ; 

 if he had then bent back and nailed these shoots, all at their 

 full length, close to the wall, along the intervals formed by 

 cutting away the alternate branches ; it is evident, that he 

 would have preserved all the midsummer shoots of the pre- 

 ceding year, for which, in the existing state of the tree, he 

 could have found room, so as to be able to nail them close to 

 the wall, and by so doing, it is equally clear, that he would 

 have secured a growth of figs, capable of ripening, at the 

 extremity of each foreright shoot, as well as at the extremity 

 of each branch. It is quite necessary that these shoots 

 should be nailed back close to the wall, because (except in 

 some very favoured situations) there exist, in this climate, no 

 certain means either of procuring figs capable of ripening, or 

 of bringing them, when procured, to full maturity and flavour, 

 but, by keeping the wood, on which alone such figs can be 

 produced (i. e . the midsummer shoots) quite close to the 

 wall, not only during the first winter, but through the whole 

 of the succeeding summer months. 



By due attention to the principle, on which this mode of 

 pruning and training depends * it may easily be continued 

 through succeeding years. It will be sufficient, at the winter 

 * See Note T). 



