80 Mr Macnab on a suspended Plant of Ficus Australis 
ter end of July, when the weather was very warm, but it seem- 
ed to have no bad effects on the Ficus. The plant, I may re- 
mark, could not have been in a warmer part of the stove, being 
close to the roof, where the stove is always the hottest, and 
quite exposed to the full rays of the sun. 
The branch which had been cut off, was kept growing 
in a pot of earth in the usual way, close beside the original 
plant in the stove ; and both appeared on an equality as to 
health and vigour. What may appear rather remarkable is, 
that though this ficus is a plant by no means free in producing 
fruit in the usual way of cultivating it, this specimen, quite sus- 
pended without a particle of earth, was loaded with figs during 
the months of September, October, and part of November. 
Two fruit were produced at the axilla of almost every leaf ; and 
these were quite as large as I had ever seen on the plant in the 
hot-houses of Kew Garden. Most of them dropped off during 
the latter end of November or beginning of December, and 
indeed some of the leaves dropped at the same time. This 
was partly owing to the strong fires which it was necessary to 
keep in the house at that time, and to the plant being placed 
in the hottest part of the stove immediately over the flue where 
it first enters the house. The usual temperature of the house 
with fire heat is between 55° and 60° Fahr., and where the fig 
was suspended, it must have frequently been between 70° 
and 80° of Fahr. I kept the plant in this local situation, that 
I might water it freely at all times without the risk of injuring 
any other plant below it. I have generally sprinkled water on 
it twice in the day during winter. The falling of the fruit and 
the few leaves happened only at the first application of fire 
heat to the stove ; in about ten days after, it seemed to get 
used to the fire heat, which now appeared to have no bad effects 
on it, although the fires were much stronger afterwards than 
they were at the time the fruit and leaves dropped off. The 
original plant now looks nearly as well as the separated one 
which is growing in a pot close beside it. It is even beginning 
to grow or extend, although it has now been suspended for 
eight months without a particle of earth, and during that time 
we have had very hot weather, and also very cold weather. 
Roots have been put out very freely all over the stem and 
