GLEANINGS ON HOliTICULTURE. 



FIG-TREE. 



The figure represents a shoot of last year. 

 The first figs were pi-oduced on the wood of" 

 the previous year (which is not shown). The 

 first growth, previous to Midsummer, extends 

 up to A ; at the joints B B B a second crop 

 was formed and immediately removed, and 

 other embryos are now formed below at C. 

 From A to J) is the second shoot, showing figs 

 for the first crop of next season. Thus along 

 the whole growth of last year figs are brought 

 to perfection. Whenever a branch is too 

 luxuriant, press it between the finger and 

 thumb till its soft cellular substance has 

 yielded. 



In pruning figs, I take out the old naked 

 wood, but invariably lay in all the young 

 shoots that come from the lower extremities 

 of the tree, whether they will nail to the wall 

 or not; for if the knife is used freely, to bring 

 the tree into shape, it will be destitute of 

 fruit, and the bearing branches will die back. 

 The first figs that appear are those that 

 will ripen, the second crop will not have suf- 

 B ficient heat of the sun in this northern lati- 

 Q tude to bring them to maturity, excepting 

 under glass in the orchard-house, where they 

 succeed remarkably well. Short-jointed and 

 well-ripened wood, trained after the curvi- 

 linear shape, will not fail to produce an 

 abundant crop, when nothing else is allowed 

 to grow on the border, and some rotten dung 

 has been forked in as manure. 

 J I take off the figs which are produced 

 after Midsummer, in order that the young 

 ones should grow there, which will form fruit 

 the following Autumn that will ripen. The 

 embryo is then formed at the base, as shown 

 in the adjoining figure. 



