F I C 
F 1 F 
F I G 
done any time from October to March or ! 
April. Choose the young pliable lower 
shoots from the fruitfulbranches ; lay them in 
the usual way, covering the body of the 
layers three or four inches deep in the 
ground, keeping the top entire, and as up- 
right as possible, and they will be routed and 
fit to separate from the parent in autumn; 
when they may be planted either in the nur- 
sery, or where they are to remain, managing 
them as above directed. The time for pro- 
pagating by cuttings is either in autumn at 
the fall ot the leaf, or any time in March. 
Choose well-ripened shoots of the preceding 
summer, short, and of robust growth, from 
about 12 to 15 inches long, having an inch 
or two of the two-vears wood at their base,, 
the tops left entire, and plant them six or 
■eight inches deep, in a bed or border of 
•good earth, in rows two feet asunder; and 
when planted in autumn, it will be eligible to 
•protect their tops in time of hard frost, the 
Inst winter, with any kind of long loose 
■litter. 
That part of the history of the fig-tree, 
'which for many ages was so enigmatical, 
namely, the caprilication, as it is called, is 
.particularly worthy of attention, not only as 
-a singular phenomenon in itseli, but as it has 
furnished one of the most convincing proofs 
of the reality of the sexes in plants. In brief 
it is this: the dowers of the tig-tree are situ- 
ated within a pulpy receptacle, which we 
call the fig or fruit; of these receptacles, in 
the wild tig-tree., some have male ilowers 
only, and others have male and female, both 
distinct, though placed in the same recep- 
tacle. In the cultivated fig, these are found 
to contain only female flowers, which are 
fecundated by means of a kind of gnat bred 
in the fruit of the wild fig-trees, which pierces 
■that of the cultivated, in order to deposit its 
eggs within ; at the same time diffusing within 
the receptacle the farina of the male flowers. 
Without this operation the fruit may ripen, 
ibut no effective seeds are produced. " Hence 
the garden fig can only be propagated by 
layers and cuttings in those countries where 
the wild fig is not known. The process of 
thus ripening the fruit, in the Oriental coun- 
tries, is not left to nature, but is managed 
with great art, and different degrees of dex- 
terity, so as to reward the skilful husbandman 
•with a much larger increase of fruit than 
"would otherwise be produced. A tree of the 
same size which in Provence, where caprifi- 
■cation is not practised, may produce about 
25 pounds of fruit, will by that art, in the 
Grecian islands, bring ten times that quantity. 
Figs are a considerable article in the ma- 
teria medica, chiefly employed in emollient 
•cataplasms and pectoral decoctions. The 
best are those which come from Turkey. 
Many are also brought from the south of 
France, where they prepare them in the 
following manner. The fruit is first dipped 
in scakling-hot ley made of the ashes of the 
fig-tree, and then dried m the sun. Hence 
these figs stick to the hands, and scour tlrem 
like lixivial salts ; and tor the sanae reason 
they purge gently, without griping. They 
are moderately mitrimental, grateful to the 
stomach, and easier to digest than any other 
of the sweet fruits. They have been said to 
produce lice when eaten as a common food ; 
but this seems to be entirely without founda- 
tion. The reason of this supposition seems to 
be, that in the countries where they grow na- 
turally, they make the principal food of the 
poor people, who are generally troubled with 
these vermin. The wood of the sycamore is 
not subject to rot, and has therefore been 
used for making coffins in which embalmed 
bodies were put. Mr. Ilasselquist affirms, 
that he saw in Egypt coffins made of this ' 
kind of wood, which had been preserved ! 
sound for 2000 years. 
FIDD, in the sea-language, an iron or j 
wooden pin, to splice and fasten ropes toge- 
ther. It is made tapenvise, and sharp at one 
end. The pin in the heel of the topmast, 
which bears upon the chesse-trees, is like- 
wise called a field. 
HELD, in heraldry, is the whole surface 
of the shield, or the continent, so called be- 
cause it contains those achievements an- 
tientiv acquired in the field of battle. It is 
the ground on which the colours, bearings, 
metal, furs, charges, ike. are represented. 
Among the modern heralds, field is less fre- 
quently used in blazoning than shield or es- 
cutcheon. 
Fteld-B'OO'k, in surveying, that in which ! 
the angles, stations, distances, &c, are set 
down. See Surveying. 
1 1 eld-coi.o urs, in war, ate small flags of 
about a foot and a halt square, which are car- 
ried along with the quarter-masters general, 
for marking out the ground for the squadrons 
and battalions. 
Field-fare. See Turdus. 
F ield-pieces, small cannons, from three 
to twelve pounders, carried along with an 
army in the field. 
Fi eld-staff, a weapon carried by the 
gunners, about the length of a halbert, with a 
spear at the end, having on each side ears 
screwed on, like the cock of a matchlock, 
where the gunners screw in lighted matches, 
when they are upon command; and then the 
field-staffs are said to be armed. 
Field-works, in fortification, are those 
thrown up by an army in besieging a fortress, 
or by the besieged to defend the place. Such 
are the fortifications of camps, highways, ike. 
FIERI FACIAS, a writ judicial, that lies 
at all times withiil the year and day for him 
who has recovered in an action of debt or da- 
mages, to the sheriff', to command him to 
levy the debt or damages of his goods against 
whom the recovery was had. Upon a fieri 
facias, the sheriff cannot deliver the defen- 
dant’s goods to the plaintiff in satisfaction of 
Iris debt ; nor ought he to deliver them to the 
defendant against whom execution is; but 
the goods are to be sold, and in strictness, 
the money is to be brought into court. Cro. 
Eliz. 504. 
If the defendant dies after the execution 
awarded, and before it is served, yet it may 
be served upon his goods in the hands of his 
executor or administrator; for if the execu- 
tion is awarded, the goods are bound, and the 
sheriff need not take notice of his death. 
1 Mod. 188. And upon a fieri facias, the 
sheriff may take any thing but wearing 
clothes. Cumb. 356. 
FIFE, or Fijfario. A shrill wind-instru- 
ment of the martial kind, consisting of a short 
narrow tube, with holes disposed along the 
side, for the regulation of its tones. It is 
not blown at the end, but at the side, like a 
German flute. 
FIFTEENTH, an anticut tribute or tax 
4 Y 2 
laid upon cities, boroughs, &c. throughout 'all 
England, and so termed because it amounted 
to a fifteenth part of what each city or town 
had been valued at; or it was a fifteenth of 
every man’s personal estate according to a 
reasonable valuation. In Doomsday -book-, 
there are certain rates mentioned for levying 
this tribute yearly. The .present property- 
tax seems a revival of this antient system. 
Fifteenth, in music, the appellation 
given to a certain stqp kt the organ. See 
S.TOF. 
1 iftf.enth, an interval consisting of two 
octaves. 
FIFTH, in music, a distance comprising 
four diatonic intervals, i. e. three tones and a 
half. '1 he fifth is the second of the conso- 
nances in the order of their generation. 
I'ifth, sharp. The sharp fifth is an in- 
terval consisting of eight semitones. 
FIG- See Ficus. 
FIGURATE numbers, such as do or may 
represent some geometrical figure, in relation 
to which they are always considered; as tri- 
angular, pentagonal, pyramidal, &c. num- 
bers. 
Figurate numbers are distinguished into 
orders, according to their place in the scale 
of their generation, being all produced one 
from another, viz. by adding continually the 
terms of anyone, the successive sums are the 
terms of the next order, beginning from the 
first order, which is that of equal units 1,1,1,!, 
&c.; then the 2d order consists of the suc- 
cessive sums of those of the first order, tunn- 
ing the arithmetical progression 1, 2,3, 4, &c. ; 
those of the 3d order the successive sums of 
those of the 2d, and are the triangular num- 
bers 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, &c.; those of tire 4th or- 
der are the successive sums of those of the 
3d, and are the pyramidal numbers 1, 4, 10, 
20, 35, &c.; and so on, as below. 
Order. Name. Numbers. 
1. Equals, 1,1, 1 , l, 1, 
2. Arithmetical, 1,2, 3, 4, 5, &c. 
3. Triangulars, 1,3, 6,10, 15, &c. 
4. Pyramidals, 1, 4, 10, 20, 35, &c. 
5. 2d Pyramidals, 1, 5, 15, 35, 70, &c. 
6. 3d Pyramidals, 1, 6, 21, 56, 126, & c . 
7. 4th Pyramidals, 1, 7, 28, 84, 210, &c. 
The above are all considered as different 
sorts of triangular numbers, being formed 
from an arithmetical progression, whose com* 
in on difference is 1. But if that common 
difference is 2, the successive sums will be 
the series of square numbers ; if it be 3, the 
series will be pentagonal numbers, or penta- 
gons; if it be 4, the series will be hexagoaal 
numbers, or hexagons, and so on. Thus - 
Arithme- 
tical. 
1st Sums or poly- 
gons. 
! 2d Syms, or 
; 2d Polygons 
1,2,3, '4, 
Tn. 1,3, 6, 10 
1, 4, 10, 20 
1, 3, 5, 7, 
Sqrs. 1 , 4, 2, 16 , 
1, 5, 14, 30 
1,4,7, 10, 
Pent. 1, 5, 12,. 22 
1, 6, 18, 40 
L 5, 9, 13, 
&c. 
Hex. 1,6, 15,28 
I, 7, 22, 50 
squares, pentagons, hexagons, &c. is, that 
those numbers may be placed in the form of 
these regular figures or polygons. 
FIGURE, in conic sections, according to 
Apollonius, is the rectangle made under the 
latus rectum and transversuna in the hyper- 
bola and ellipsis. 
Figure of the diameter; the rectangle 
under any diameter, and its proper parameter. 
