21, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
401 
13 produced, and although the remedy for this is restriction of 
root space, it is found in practice difficult to regulate. 
When grown in pots the plants are perfectly under the control 
'Of the cultivator, and may receive whatever treatment may be 
required.” 
Over-luxuriance, no doubt, is fatal to fruitfulness, and has 
much influence on the “ casting of the fruit.” Lifting, when 
practised early, or as soon as the leaves give indications of falling, 
nas a great influence on the fruit setting the following season, and 
persisted in, other conditions being favourable, is a good remedy 
for unfruitfulness ; but there is still the important consideration 
of maturity of the wood. Mr. Knight carried up a central stem 
perpendicularly to the top of the wall, and then radiated the side 
branches horizontally and pendantly in close contact with the wall. 
Luxuriance of growth is thus supposed to be checked, and the 
branches thrown into a bearing habit. How many trees that are 
trained to walls under glass might thus be brought into a bearing 
state ? All ! Training the shoots down the roof at a not less 
distance from the glass than 9 inches keeps the points of the shoots 
up to ^e light, and care being taken to keep the growths thin, the 
thoroughly solidified, the points of the shoots on 
which the first crop is produced ripen perfectly, and store up matter 
tor the first fruits. The “second crop ” Figs are produced at the 
lower part of the current year’s growth on the well solidified wood, 
those nearest the points not being nearly as good, nor attaining to 
anything like the perfection of those situated nearest the base ; 
s.nd m thinning the second crop Figs the cultivator removes the 
top Figs and leaves those on the firmer wood. Then planted out 
trees are grown on the extension, pot trees on the restrictive 
system, and I submit that no Figs are ever produced so fine on the 
restrictive as on the extension system. 
With due regard to keeping the roots under proper control and 
the trees in abundance of light, nothing need be feared in the way 
of trees casting their fruit. Poor sappy ill-fed shoots never 
produce fruit. It is important that the trees have abundance of 
aliment, and equally abundant means in the shape of leaves- well 
exposed to light and air, with heat to elaborate the wood. Fig 
trees are grown in such unreasonable circumstances that they 
cannot bear, and without favouring conditions it is practically 
impossible to grow Figs with any degree of certainty so as to 
insure an abundant first crop. Thus planted-out trees are seldom 
started before the new year or February to ripen a first crop in 
dune, and the slower they are brought forsvard the better. This 
gi\es the trees the benefit of more light, and the fruits advance in 
proportion to the restriction of the growth or its elaborating and 
assimilating power, therefore the autumn growths become able to 
support the fruit at the most critical stage. But when the trees 
grow rapidly, whether it be from an excess of aliment, or from 
rapid forcing in -too close and moist atmosphere, the wood is soft, 
the fruit is^ hurried rapidly forward, and the fructifying organs 
have not time to develop ; in fact, become gross, invariably 
long in comparison with the second crop Figs, and never open 
the eye. f 
Pot trees, on the other hand, are closely pinched ; thus the 
unripe wood is nipped off, and this Mr. Birron says, alluding to 
pinching the shoots when about 3 or 4 inches long, “ will induce 
tte production of fruit in abundance at the axils of the leaves. 
Shoots not so pinched, but allowed to ramble, do not fruit so freely, 
the incessant pinching to which they are subjected seeming to 
encourage the production of fruit.” This pinching is only suited 
to pot trees, though fruit on the extension system is produced 
freely enough on spurs, but the spur fruits are never so fine as 
those grown on the extension shoots, the only essential points in 
either case is to effect the thorough solidification of the growth as 
made, storing in it abundance of food, and providing thorough 
maturation. The most abundant crop of Figs I have seen was at 
Hinchingbrook,^ Huntingdon, the seat of the Earl of Sandwich. 
The trees were in a narrow border, and the house had upright front 
lights with a short roof like a wall case ; the trees, in fact, were 
grown against a wall, and ever had the advantage of a “ flood of 
light. The border might be 2 feet wide, and the rest of the root¬ 
ing area the footings of the wall and a hard gravel path, which had 
been raised with old mortar rubbish. Spurring was practised as 
well as laying in young growth, but the former predominated. 
Last year’s wood bristled with Figs at every joint, in fact more 
Figs than foliage. The first crop always was in “in ” at Whitsun¬ 
tide, when the family were “ at home ” for the holiday. 
Fig trees outdoors cast their fruit for the same reason, the 
wood is not ripe or the wood on which the first crop is borne is 
not sufficiently solidified. The stronger the growth the later the 
ripening,^ and greater danger of the fruit falling. Early lifting 
and restricting the roots to a border of calcareo-silicious soil, are the 
only remedie'’, and, if under glass, with the point of the shoots up 
to it, and as near as is safe, whilst the second crop is perfecting. In 
this soil the trees will take almost any amount of liquid manure, 
but none ought to be giamn until the first crop of Figs have opened 
at the eye and set, then feed until the second crop begins to ripen, 
after which dryness and a free circulation of air will insure a first 
crop, provided the second crop has not been too exhaustive of the 
vital forces. In calcareo-argillaceous soils the finest' Figs are had, 
but in such the trees are more prone to cast the first crop, and are 
more liable to “ spot.” 
Pot trees started by early December to ripen fruit in May are 
seldom allowed to bear many second crop fruits, the object is to 
have the wood well ripened and stored with assimilated m-itter and 
these are given bottom heat so as to accelerate root action and 
afford an abundant supply of aliment to the embryonic Figs. 
Obviously these trees must be near to the glass, and have abund¬ 
ance of air. Indeed they are kept very gently moving to secure 
well developed foliage, and the fruits do not become nearly so long 
as those hurried by top heat into leaf and casting off the fruit, no 
attempt at “ forcing ” being made until the fruit has set and is 
taking its last swelling. Consequently the Figs have time to 
develop their flowers, otherwise like Strawberries started at that 
time in strong moist heat and close atmosphere display ample 
leafage, but the flowers become “ blind,” whereas plants introduced 
later and brought on gently set every flower and perfect every 
fruit. 
There are no doubt “ barren Fig trees,” that is, varieties or 
forms of the same variety which are not free. These may very 
advantageously be grafted, using scions from bearing trees and of 
known proclivities to retain the first crop fruits. The grafting 
alone checks the tendency to over-luxuriance. Grafting must be 
performed after the stocks are in leaf, similar to grafting the 
Grape Vine, the scions being cut and retarded in a cool place. 
Ring-budding is alsa alleged to favour fruitfulness, but I have 
not found anything so successful as a calcareous soil, or lime 
rubbish from an old building with just enough loam to encourage 
rootage. Really the Fig will grow in old mortar rubbish alone as 
luxuriantly as Nettles, and take any amount of liquid manure when 
in free growth, and in a paved yard it grows sufficiently to fruit 
abundantly with branches trained to a south wall, and if with a 
projecting roof all the better. The most fertile trees I have seen 
outdoors were in a narrow (2 feet) border and a G feet wide 
gravel path, and the roof projected so that the drip from the eaves 
dropped clear of the trees—soil, stiff loam over limestone. What 
the Fig seems to love is nitrate of lime, with enough siliceous 
matter to strengthen its growths. 
Some growers pinch out the points of the shoots from the 
middle to the end of August. This is to check growth and con¬ 
centrate the sap on the wood made, and by having every leaf of 
the future year’s bearing wood fully exposed to the sun secure its 
solidification and maturity, thus effecting the setting of the fruit 
in the following year. But, as with other trees, pinching and 
pruning luxuriant trees is a certain means of continuing their 
sterility. What rampant growth needs is the spade, not the knife. 
—G. Abbey. 
NOTES ON PLANTS AND GARDENS IN THE 
WEST INDIES. 
A VERY successful meeting of the Horticultural Club took place 
on Tuesday evening. May 12tb, the Chairman of the Club, Sir 
T. D. Llewelyn, Bart., presiding. There were present the Rev.s. 
W. Wilks and F. H. Gall, Messrs. Adams, Bunyard, Cockett, 
Soper, H. G. Pearson, C. E. Pearson, Lee, Cheal, Wallis, Morris, 
Paul, Jefferies, Cousens, Druery, &c. In the course of the evening 
the Chairman brought forward the subject of the annual excursion 
which had been dropped for a couple of years, and suggested its 
revival. The suggestion met with a good deal of favour, and 
seems likely to be carried out. Hertfordshire, Kent, and Sussex 
were named, the latter seeming t) find the most favour. After¬ 
wards the members adjourned to the Royal Horticultural Society’s 
room, where Mr. D. Morris delivered an interesting lecture on the 
trees and plants of the West Indies. It was illustrated by a series 
of lantern slides, and the Club was much indebted to the Council 
for allowing the lecture to be delivered there, as it was much more 
suitable for the lantern, and the following is a shrrt rhinne of the 
lecture, of which, however, it fails to give an adequate idea. A 
cordial vote of thanks to Mr. Morris was paese I unanimously. 
Mr. Morris first of all described on a map the geographical 
position of the West India islands, and said they resembled 
“stepping stones for giants scattered over the Caribbean Sea.” 
They were for the most part the tops of submerged mountains 
heaped up by fiie. In point of scenery and displays of tropical 
vegetation they w'ere among the most beautiful portions of the 
British Empire. Discovered by Columbus just 400 years ago they 
had cost this country many a hard fought battle by sea and land, 
