o2 BULLETIN 732, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Some varieties, like the Mission, seem to thrive on almost any kind of 
soil from light sand to heavy adobe. It is pretty well settled, how- 
ever, that the best Smyrna figs are grown on quite heavy soil rather 
than light sand. The water requirements of the fig are less than 
those of most other fruit trees. Still, it demands above all well- 
drained land and some irrigation. It does not succeed, for instance, 
on land where the Bartlett pear thrives. Next to a well-drained, 
compact loam, a rich sandy loam is best, and a good dressing of stable 
manure will always repay the cost of application in the increased size 
of the fruit. A good percentage of lime in the soil is important. 
Some growers contend that lime reduces nematode infestation to a 
considerable degree. 
CULTIVATION AND IRRIGATION. 
The fig tree responds to good care and culture as readily as any 
other fruit tree. The orchard should be cultivated after every irri- 
gation, and toward the end of the season it is well to have the ground 
under the trees mellow in order to avoid a hard surface upon which ~_ 
the ripe figs fall. Many orchards in California, especially on deep 
bottom land, produce good crops entirely without irrigation, while on 
shallower soil a good supply of water is necessary. A prominent 
grower at Fresno says that he raises large crops by a heavy irrigation 
in May or the beginning of June and another when caprifying at the 
end of June. 
PRUNING. 
The fig requires less pruning than any other fruit tree. After setting 
and cutting back to about 2 feet from the ground the aim should be to — 
produce an open, symmetrical top, so as to admit plenty of sunshine 
and at the same time shade the trunk to prevent sunburn; still the 
branches are to be kept up out of the way of the cultivators. Many 
planters use tree protectors to shade the trunk until the tree top 
offers the necessary shade. In the beginning the top should be 
started with three or four branches, which are to be the framework 
of the future tree. The after treatment will require little more than 
the removal of chafing branches and the suckers which start from the 
ground at the base of the trunk. The main idea to be kept in mind 
is that the ripening crop requires plenty of air and sunshine. 
GRAFTING. 
Occasionally it will be found convenient or advisable to change 
inferior varieties to Smyrnas by grafting. Any of the ordinary 
methods employed on other fruit trees can be used. The only pomt 
of importance is always to use for scions 2-year-old wood. It may 
be from one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch in diameter. If 1-year- 
old wood is used, not more than one-fourth to one-third of the grafts 
