400 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 21, 1691. 
of light. Not only do the plants remain longer in flower but the 
spikes increase in length if the seed pods are removed from the 
base as the flowers fade, and a little time this spent is certainly 
not wasted.— Practical. 
[Our correspondent sent us in March robust spikes of Mignonette 
upwards of 6 inches in length and highly fragrant ; they extended 
to a foot in length in water, in which they remained for three 
weeks, the stems in the water being divested of leaves.] 
FIG TREES CASTING THEIR FRUIT. 
This is of common occurrence, usually happening with the 
“first crop” of Figs. Failure of first crop Figs seems to prevail 
in all countries, hence the “ caprificatiun ” performed by the 
ancienis upon Figs, with the view of hastening their maturity. 
It is an eastern horticultural operation, said to be still practised in 
some districts of the Levant, in many parts of Italy, Spain, and 
other countries, but the process is “ dying out,” because in all 
countries where Figs grow they are obtained in perfection without 
the aid of branches of the wild Fig. Caprification consists in 
suspending by threads above the cultivated Figs branches of the 
wild Fig covered ivith an insect, stated to be a species of cynips. 
These small insects coming out of the fruits of the wild Fig spread 
themselves over the cultivated tree, penetrate the eye of the fruit, 
and having contracted pollen from the wild Fig carry it into the 
fruit of the cultivated Fig. That the cynips piercing the eye of 
the fruit hastens ripening is not questioned, indeed similar result 
attends the pricking of the eye with a needle, straw, or quill 
dipped in olive oil, or dropping a little “ spirit ” in the eye, and it 
may just as well be stated that punctures of insects, particularly 
in or near the eye of the ordinary orchard fruits, hasten their 
ripening. 
Casting the fruit is undoubtedly due to the non-setting of the 
flowers, but all fruits that fall invariably turn yellow at the eye, 
giving indications of premature ripening before it is cast. This is 
a characteristic of all fruits failing to perfect the seed, pip, or 
stone, but the Fig differs from those in the flowering not taking 
place until the fruit is considerably advanced in size, and is 
analogous (in stage) to the stoning of stone fruits, with the 
difference that when fertilisation of the Fig flowers is effected the 
fruit at once commences its last swelling, or concentrates the vital 
forces on the perfection of the seeds, and on which depends the 
ripening of the fruit. The flowers of the Fig, as everybody 
knows, a^’e monoecious—that is, male and female separate in the 
same fruit, inserted upon the interior surface of the fruit or 
fleshy receptacle, ihe upper part consisting of male and the lower 
or greater part female. The tip of the fruit is marked by an eye 
or orifice, and closed with small scales. This orifice never opens in 
the case of cast fruits, and the caprification before alluded to is 
never performed on “second crop” Figs. Indeed the flowers 
invariably attain such development as to open the “ eye ” when 
fertilisa.tion is effected without the aid of cynips. Therefore aids 
to fertilisation are, as regards Figs grown in this country, “an 
absolutely useless waste of time.” Besides “ first crop ” Figs 
were cast “ untimely ” 2000 years ago in the home of the Fig as 
in those lands to which it has been introduced, and that whether 
cultivated in the open ground or under glass. There are instances 
of “ barren Fig trees ” which persist in “ dropping their untimely 
Figs ” year after year, especially during their youth, in Asia, 
Africa, Europe, the Ameiicas, and Australias. Therefore the 
question of Fig trees casting their fruit without ripening becomes 
subject to variety, locality, or cultural conditions. 
How much is due to variety may be gleaned from an able paper 
by Mr. A. F. Barron, “ On Figs and their Culture at Chiswick,” in 
the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society, vol. xiii., page 122, 
Out of sixty-six varieties, “ for the most part collected by Dr. Hogg 
in the South of France,” grown in the Society’s gardens at 
Chiswick, which Mr. Barron terms the “ largest and finest collection 
of Figs that is to be found in this country,” only five varieties 
were found worthy of commendation as “ varieties which bear 
both first and second crops.” “ This is a very important quality,” 
states Mr. Barron, and every grower of Figs will agree with him, 
because the “ first crop,” particularly in early forcing, is of very 
much greater importance than the “second crop” Figs. The 
varieties named by Mr. Barron as producing first and second crops 
are “ White Marseilles, De la Madeleine, Trifer, Brown Turkey, 
and Brunswick.” It is always pleasing to have one’s own practice 
confirmed by those in authority. I do not know De la Madeleine 
and Trifer, and cannot find the former described or even named in 
the ‘‘varieties of Figs ” enumerated. This is unfortunate, and in 
turning to other sources for information I find no De la Madeleine 
in any list except Messrs. Thomas Rivers & Son, in which it is. 
given as “ Aogelique or Madaleine ; medium size, pale greenish 
yellow, flesh rose coloured, not very rich, but really good, forces- 
well and bears abundantly.” This cannot be the Angelique Noire 
of Chiswick—viz., “ fruit below medium size, roundish or oblate-, 
skin dark, flesh bright red, rich ; strong grower and moderate 
cropper.” Madeleine in Dr. Hogg’s Fruit Manual, fourth edition, 
is stated to be synonymous with Angelique, and the description 
corresponds with that given by Mr. Rivers. Angelique I havo 
known over thirty years, and found it “ force well and bear 
abundantly.” “ Trifer : Fruit medium size, pyriform, skin pale- 
green, flesh pale, thin, and wateiy, not rich ; very early, and a sure 
cropper.” Except in form, it is difficult to discern the difference 
between Dr. Hogg’s and Mr. Rivers’s Angelique and Trifer. 
Of the other three named by Mr. Barron, Brunswick may bo 
described as the finest of outdoor Figs, where it can be given plenty 
of room, but I am surprised to see it named by Mr. Barron as 
bearing first and second crops, particularly after stating that “ In 
this country it is only the ‘ first crop ’ varieties which come to 
maturity in the open air, the season of summer warmth being too 
short to do more ; but under glass excellent crops both of the 
‘ first ’ and ‘ second crop ’ Figs may be obtained where suitable 
varieties are grown.” Only once have I'seen the second crop Figs 
pass the winter safely (and that under a thick thatch of straw 
after bundling), and then only a few fruits ripened in June.. 
That was in 1852 on a tree against a south wall at Nun Appleton, 
Yorks. The Figs had probably “ set ” the previous autumn. The 
old gardener would not have the second crop Figs, which usually 
appear on the shoots of the current year in July and August,, 
removed in autumn, all being stored away in the matting and 
straw after the leaves had fallen from the trees, and a fruit here 
and there ripened off the following year. I have seen excellent 
Brunswick Figs grown against a thatched cottage wall in North 
Wales—viz., at Coed Dhu, Denbighshire. Trees of the same 
variety produced grand fruit on the walls cf Wilton Castle,. 
Redcar, Yorks, and it bears as standards in well sheltered sunny 
places in Herts (St. Albans). Under glass I have not seen much 
of Brunswick Fig, though as a pot tree it grew fast enough, and 
was simply useless, and planted out it made effort to oust every¬ 
thing, yet was the most unprofitable variety, but on the back wall 
of a vinery at Loftus Hall, Saltburn, Yorks, was an old tree of 
this variety that produced splendid fruit “ once a year.” 
In a cool house I found Brunswick quite as prone to cast its 
fruit as any other variety, and of all Figs is the most liable to- 
“ spot ”—a pale salmon coloured patch at the apex of the fruit 
when ripening, due to a fungus—Glasccsporium Iseticolor. For 
the reasons given Brunswick Fig is not appreciated under glass, 
and outdoors requires plenty of space and an unlimited amount of 
patience. Dr. Hogg says, “ The tree is very hardy, but not so- 
good a bearer as the Brown Turkey. It is, however, one of tho 
best for outdoor cultivation against walls.” Dr. Eisen in “ The- 
Fig of Commerce: its Culture and Curing,” states:—“Bruns¬ 
wick.—Fruit very large, pyriform, oblique at the apex, which is 
much depressed, skin greenish yellow in the shade, pale brown in 
the sun ; very hardy, but bearing qualities medium to poor.” Of 
White Marseilles and Brown Turkey nothing but good can be 
advanced. Mr. Barron also mentions Grosse Monstrueuse de 
Lipari as “ A certain first-crop Fig,” and speaks of Bourjassote 
Grise as “ The most constantly good Fig we have grown, and a 
good cropper.” 
In respect of “ casting of the fruit,” Mr. Barron makes the 
following practical remarks:—“ The casting of the fruit without 
ripening, which is of very common occurrence, is attributed to the 
non-setting of the flowers. That it is so may easily be seen by- 
cutting open the fallen fruits and examining them, when it will be 
observed that the flowers are undeveloped. Many reasons have 
been assigned as the cause of the defect. Some ascribe it to a 
sudden check, to coldness, to dryness at the root, or to the reverse 
of too much moisture, &c., all or any of which conditions may be 
injurious to the plant and may tend towards the evil, but are 
certainly not the tiue or primd facie c&\xsq. It may be noted that 
some varieties are more liable to cast their fruit than others, and 
that under all sorts of treatment, whilst others, receiving exactly 
the game treatment, do not do so. It is generally with plants that 
seem to be in the best possible health, and it is almost always with 
the ‘ first crop ’ and not the ‘ second,’ that failure occurs in this 
manner.”—(“Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society,” vol. xiii.^ 
page 124). 
It may be further remarked that Mr. Barron, without saying it, 
practically points out the cause of Fig trees casting their fruit. 
Under the head of “ Pot Culture ” he states :—“ Properly 
managed Fig trees in pots produce fruit in greater abundance and of 
better quality than those do which are planted out. When planted 
out_they always, whilst young, grow so vigorously that little fruit 
