THE FIG, ITS NATURE AND CULTURE. 
do it well, so that the fruit must be appor- 
tioned to the capacity of the plant ; the i-oots 
must be in good soil, and they must be watched 
and attended to throughout all their stages of 
growth, like so many bunches of grapes, and 
be no more neglected than a favourite vine. 
There are early and late figs, as well as early 
and late grapes, and according to our intended 
object of getting very early figs, or very ripe 
ones, so must we choose our sorts and cultivate 
them. It is well known that a goodly supply 
was kept up at Covent Garden, by Hill, of 
Hammersmith, who grew them on the common 
walls of a kitchen garden ; while others, with 
to all appearance a better chance, were unable 
to produce a single ripe specimen. Situation 
and soil may therefore have more to do with 
it than we give them credit for, and it is only 
by tr}.ing the best known methods that we can 
hope to succeed, and even then may have more 
trouble than we anticipate. 
THE CHOICE OF SORTS. 
The principal sorts recognised by Miller, 
Lindley, Loudon, and others, who have written 
on the subject, are as follows : — 
Brown Ischia, Black Genoa, Small Early 
White, Large Genoa White. These, like 
some of our eaiiiest grapes, have a better 
chance of ripening than any others, therefore 
they are chosen in preference to any other for 
out of door culture. There are many others 
that will do well under glass, and the choice 
inay be made from the following : — Malta, 
Murray Brown Naples, Green Ischia, Black 
Ischia, Small Brown Ischia,, Yellow Ischia, 
Small Brown Italian, Small Black Italian, 
Common Blue or Purple, Long Brown Na- 
ples. Any or all of these are good for the fig 
house, and nearly all are fit for potting. Lou- 
don thus enumerates and describes the various 
kinds of fig adopted in English gardens, but 
this list is collected from other authors. 
L Brown Chestnut-coloured Ischia. One of 
the largest that we have : it is of a brown or 
chestnut-colour on the outside, and purple 
within. The grains are large, and the pulp 
sweet and high flavoured. It ripens in Au- 
gust, and if planted against a hot wall, two 
crops may be obtained annually. 
2. Blach Genoa. This is along fruit, of a 
dark purple colour, the inside being of a bright 
red and the flesh very high flavoured ; it ripens 
at the latter end of August. 
3. Small White Early. The skin of this 
fruit is of a pale yellow, when ripe ; the flesh 
is white and sweet ; it is ripe about the latter 
end of August or the beginning of Septem- 
ber. 
4. La.rge White Genoa. This is a large 
fruit ; the skin is thin and yellow when ripe, 
and red within ; it is a good fruit, and is ripe 
about the latter end of August. This and the 
preceding will bear two crops annually. 
5. Black Ischia. This is a middle-sized 
fruit ; the skin is almost black when ripe, and 
the inside of a deep red ; the flesh is high 
flavoured, and the trees good bearers. 
6 & 7. Brown and Black Small Italian. 
These are cultivated in pots. The fruit is 
small, round, and very delicious. Forsyth 
gathered from one plant, in a twenty-four pot, 
two dozen of figs at one gathering. 
8. Malta. This is a small brown fig ; the 
skin of a pale brown, the inside of the same 
colour : the flesh is sweet and high flavoured ; , 
it is ripe in August and September. 
9. Murray Brown Naples. This is a pretty 
large fruit, of a light brown colour, and the 
inside nearly of the same colour ; the flesh is 
well flavoured, and it ripens about the middle 
of September. 
10. Green Ischia. This is an oblong fruit, 
with a green skin, but being thin, is stained 
through of a brownish cast by the pulp when 
full ripe. The inside is purple, and the flesh 
high flavoured ; it is ripe about the middle of 
September. 
11. Madonna, Brunswick or Hanover. 
This is a large pyramidal fruit ; the skin 
brown, the flesh a lighter brown, coarse, and 
has but little flavour; it ripens about the middle 
of September. 
12. Common Blue or Purple. This is a 
large oblong fruit ; ripens in August and a 
good bearer. 
13. Long Brown Naples. The skin of this 
fruit is a dark brown when ripe, the flesh in- 
clining to red ; it has large grains and a good 
flavour, and ripens about the beginning of 
October. 
14. Small Brown Ischia. This is a small 
pyramidal fruit; the skin of a light brown, 
the flesh of a purple cast and a high flavour ; 
it ripens in October. 
15. Yellow Ischia. This is a large fruit ; 
the skin yellow, the flesh purple and well 
flavoured ; it ripens in October. 
16. Gentile. This is of a middle size ; 
roundish fruit, the skin yellow, and the flesh 
inclining to the same colour ; it has large grains 
and a good flavour ; ripens very late, and the 
trees are but indififerent bearers. 
It is quite clear, then, that from these de- 
scriptions, the very authority that quotes them 
as sorts for English gardens should have ex- 
cluded both the Madonna, which he admits as 
" coarse and of little flavour," and the Gentile, 
which "ripens very late and the trees but in- 
different bearers." The best for out-of-door 
culture are unquestionably the first four we 
mentioned. Brown Ischia, Black Genoa, Small 
Early White, and Large Genoa White. When 
you have obtained these and are doing well 
