THE GARDENER’S VEGETABLE SYSTEM 
Si 
Whi te G enoa Fig—a large, fhortifh, glo¬ 
bular-, or fomewhat top-lhape fruit, 
ripening of a whitilh-yellow with¬ 
out, red within; ripe in Auguft and 
September. 
Black Genoa Fig—a largilh, long 
fruit, ripening of a dark-purple co¬ 
lour, or almoft black, covered with 
a purple farina, bright red within ; 
"ripe the beginning or middle of Au¬ 
guft. 
Malta Fig—a fmnll, fhort fruit, flat at 
top, ripening of a brownilh colour 
without, andpurplilh-brown internally; 
ripe in Auguft and September. 
Green Ifchia Fig—a moderate flze, 
oblongilh fruit, globular at the crown, 
ripening greenifh without, purple 
within, end of Auguft and in Sep¬ 
tember. 
B rown Naples Fig—a large globular 
fruit, ripening of a lightilh brown 
colour, marked with white, and pur- 
piifh-brown within ; ripe end of Au¬ 
guft and in September. 
Long brown Naples Fig—a largilh, 
long fruit, ripening of a dark brown, 
4 reddilh within ; ripe in September. 
Small brown Ifchia Fig—a fmall pear- 
lhape fruit, ripening of a lightilh- 
brown without, the pulp fomewhat 
purple ; ripe middle or latter end of 
September. 
Madonna, or Brunfwick Fig—a large, 
long, pear-lhape fruit, ripening of 
a brown colour without, and a light- 
ilh-brown pulp ; ripe end of Auguft 
and in September. 
Yellow Ifchia Fig—a large, long, py¬ 
riform fruit, ripening yellow without, 
the inftde purple; ripe in September. 
Black Provence Fig—a large fruit, riy 
pening of a blackiih-purple colour, 
for eating, end of Auguft and in Sep¬ 
tember. 
ThcTe are the principal varieties of Figs the moll 
general known in the Britilh gardens, though theie 
are feveral others occafionally cultivated, but the forts 
above deferibed are fuch as will moftly ripen in per¬ 
fection, and the trees* in moft of the varieties, 
produce plentiful crops; however, there are but few 
gardens which are furnilhed with all the forts here 
mentioned, and in the greater part the Common Blue 
and the White Figs are the forts principally cultivated 
for the general fupply, as they more commonly pro¬ 
duce the moft abundant crops, ripening in full matu- 
ri'y ; but where there is plenty of garden-room, it is 
proper to have feveral different varieties, efpeclally 
where there is fome confiderable extent of walling, as 
they generally require to be trained as wall-trees, 
againft walls of a fouth afpeCt, full to the fun, in 
order to obtain the fruit in the beft perfection ; or fe¬ 
veral forts will alfo produce tolerable crops of fruit on 
efpaliers, planted in a (heltered, funny expofure, as 
likewife on ftandards, in fimilar fttuations. 
* % 
The trees of all the varieties will profper in any 
common foil of a garden; or where the ground is 
loamy, it generally promotes plentiful crops of large 
fruit; however, all the forts may be planted in any 
tolerably-good ground that the garden affords, or in 
common with other fruit-trees, both againft walls, and 
fome in efpaliers and ftandards, as above intimated. 
■ 
But, for the general fupply, it is proper to allot a 
principal portion in wall-trees, planted in borders 
againft fouth walls, both to obtain the fruit earlier in 
all poflible perfection, and that the trees may have 
better protection in winter from fevere froft, which, as 
the young (hoots arC fucculent, is apt to kill many of 
them where detached and full expofea ; and even thofe 
trained clofe to walls are alfo fometimes greatly 
damaged in rigorous winters, when not covered with 
mats, or the branches un-nailed, tied together in fmall 
bundles, fattened down low to flakes, and covered 
with draw; for, as the Fig trees bear only upon the 
young (hoots of the preceding year, if thefe are 
greatly injured by the froft, the production of fruit 
will be proportionably lefs. 
All the varieties of F*g trees produce the fruit al¬ 
ways upon the young (hoots of a year old, the fruit- 
buds arifing principally on the upper parts of the faid 
(hoots, and likewife the young lhoots of the fame year 
yield a fecondary production of fruit in fummer and 
autumn; but thefe never or rarely acquire any tolerable 
perfection in this country, as may be obferved by their 
remaining of a green immature (late upon the (hoots in 
winter, after the leaves are fallen, and (hould generally 
be then pulled off, and to depend only on the fpring 
production arifing on the (hoots of the laft year, for 
the principal crop ripening in full maturity ; and there¬ 
fore, in thofe trained in wall-trees and efpaliers, re¬ 
quiring a regulation of pruning and training every 
fummer and winter, a general fupply of the young 
(hoots of each year muft be retained in all parts of 
the trees for bearing, and fome proportionable part of 
the old cut out in the winter-pruning, to give room for 
training the fucceftional fupply of the young bearing 
wood to produce the Figs next fummer, as the fame 
individual lhoots never bear but once, though they 
produce others, as likewife the older branches, for fu¬ 
ture bearers, and thofe produced one year bear the 
fruit the year following; and thus the fucceflion of 
bearing wood is continued, annually j the fruit being 
emitted 
