Che RURAL NEW*YORKER 
1269 
A Veteran Rg Tree 
•Below is shown a picture of what is 
said to be one of the largest if not the 
largest fig tree in the South. It is grow¬ 
ing in the little village of Oriental, North 
Carolina, on the northern shore of Pamlico 
Sound. As it stands by the side of the 
road, it is a sort of “free for all” first 
come, first served. The “early birds” 
(and boys) get the ripest figs. Ordinarily 
figs grow on what might be termed very 
large bushes, but by glancing at the pic¬ 
ture one will readily see that the particu¬ 
lar specimen under consideration is more 
of a tree than a bush. It is about 60 
feet high and its age is unknown. The 
trees grow abundantly in all the States 
south of Mason and Dixon’s line, as it 
also does in Palestine, where some of our 
boys are now fighting for the right. In 
these war times, when we are all trying 
to conserve sugar to send to the boys 
over there, we cannot emphasize too 
strongly the wisdom of making use of 
A Veteran Fig Tree in North Carolina 
such dried fruits as figs, raisins and dates 
in the making of desserts, because of the 
richness of these fruits in sugar. 
North Carolina. A. D. daet. 
Treatment of Datura 
In further answer to S. M. C., who 
asked on page 1165 regarding the non¬ 
blooming of this plant, the annual varie¬ 
ties are semi-tropical in their require¬ 
ments. and the perennials are even more 
tender; both require a mellow soil and 
plenty of moisture at the roots, together 
with full exposure to a hot sun in order 
to blossom freely. With soil conditions 
favorable and partial shade they will pro¬ 
duce a fine foliage, but very few flowers. 
They require a long season and should be 
started under glass and transplanted in 
the open garden as soon as danger from 
frost is over. If planted in the open, and 
rather late, cold weather may strike them 
before the buds develop. Also the cool 
weather of last Spring may have checked 
the development of the buds. Neither 
will they blossom freely in an excessively 
sandy soil, or if root moisture is lack¬ 
ing. No plant will do its best, so far as 
blossoms are concerned, if the soil is 
heavily overbalanced with nitrogenous 
fertilizers, as appears to be the case in 
the present instance, although they may 
produce a luxuriant foliage. Further 
treatment should consist of the withhold¬ 
ing of nitrogenous fertilizers and the ap¬ 
plication of some form of phosphoric acid, 
preferably in the form of bone flour. 
Water should be leached through bone 
flour and applied plentifully, at the same 
time keeping the soil near the roots soft 
and mellow. The plants may be taken 
up, potted, in 12-inch pots or large boxes 
and carried into the house, where they 
will bloom till late in the Winter if given 
plenty of warmth and sunlight. Some 
care should lie taken when handling it, 
for a decoction of the foliage forms a 
strong nai’cotic poison. c. o. obmsbee. 
Eat Your Fence 
Copying from the San Francisco plan 
of • utilizing tall-growing plants to trim 
into a hedge fence about lawns and w-alks, 
let me suggest trying a double row of as¬ 
paragus planted about two feet apart each 
way with hills alternating. Not only will 
this develop into a beautiful screen if 
trimmed, but it also possesses the addi¬ 
tional qualities of disappearing in the 
Winter, and is therefore desirable where 
snowHbanks ai-e bothersome along walks 
near fences, and of being “a joy forever” 
inasmuch as it is the only self-building, 
edible and delicious fence on the bill of 
fare in the Springtime. ii. 
Greene Co., N. Y. 
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