138 



TREATISE ON THE CULTURE AND 



As foon as the leaves begin to fall, bruth them off with a 

 broom, but by no means till they will come off eafily. If 

 they are forced off before they begin to wither and decay, the 

 trees will bleed at the footftalks. At the fame time you 

 fhould clear the (talks of all the fmall late fruit, which, if 

 fuffered to remain during the Winter, will rot, and injure the 

 tree fo as to prevent it from bearing the enfuing Summer. 

 If you obferve any milk oozing from the footftalks, ufe a little 

 of the Composition, which will flop it and heal the injured 

 part. By doing this, you will afTift the ripening and bar- 

 dening of the wood before the Winter frofts let in. 



W 7 hen you plant Fig-trees, let them be from twenty to 

 twenty-four feet apart, and train them horizontally, which 

 will render them much more fruitful than when they are 

 trained upright, which caufes them to run up in long naked 

 wood. 



Obferve alfo to leave fpurs, or fhort fhoots, all over the 

 branches \ and when the buds begin to fwell, all the fhort 

 fhoots fhould be pinched, as before directed. 



As the branches of ftandard Fig-trees are very liable to be 

 killed in fevere Winters, it will be necefTary to lay them alfo 

 in the ground, wrapping them up in hay or ftraw- bands, as 

 before directed for wall-trees. It will be fometimes im- 

 practicable to lay down the middle branches ; they rauft^ 

 therefore, be well covered with hay or ftraw-bands, and the 

 outfide ones laid down, going regularly round the tree, and 

 taking particular care not to hurt them with the fpade ; then 

 mulch them with rotten leaves, &c. 



After hard Winters, I have frequently been obliged to cut 

 Fig-trees down very near to the ground, and apply the Com- 

 pofition ; 



