246 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  21,  1901. 
Figs  Under  Glass. 
The  earliest  forced  trees  in  pots  of  the  very  early  varieties,  such  as 
Early  Violet  and  St.  John’s  or  Pingo  de  Mel,  that  were  started  in 
gentle  bottom  heat  at  the  middle  of  November  or  early  in  December, 
are  row  showing  signs  of  taking  the  last  swelling  for  ripening.  Brown 
Turkey  and  White  Marseilles,  however,  are  still  stationary.  They  must 
not  be  hurried,  as  this  is  the  most  critical  time  in  Pig  culture,  checks 
of  aDy  kind  causing  the  fruit  to  fall,  and  this  must  be  carefully  guarded 
against  by  maintaining  an  equable  temperature,  making  the  most  of 
fine  days  for  givmg  air,  and  closing  early  so  as  to  secure  safe  advance¬ 
ment.  After  the  fruit 
gives  indications  of  ripen¬ 
ing  water  mu-t  be  with¬ 
held  ;  yet,  though  less 
water  at  the  roots  is  neces¬ 
sary,  there  must  not  be 
anything  like  dryness  in 
the  soil.  Until  the  fruit 
changes  for  ripening  the 
trees  must  be  well  sup¬ 
plied  with  liquid  manure, 
giving  the  whole  rooting 
area  a  thorough  supply, 
and  to  trees  safely  passed 
the  flowering  stage  a 
thorough  soaking  of  water 
a  few  degrees  warmer 
than  the  bed  acts  like  a 
charm  on  Fig-tree  roots, 
especially  when  a  light 
mulching  is  supplied  of 
sweetened, lumpy  manure, 
as  this  absorbs  moisture 
when  the  trees  are 
syringed,  and  the  changes 
it  undergoes  attract  the 
roots,  whilst  a  genial 
vapour  is  given  off  highly 
favourable  to  the  foliage. 
Syringe  twice  on  fine 
days,  once  a  day  when 
the  weather  is  dull, always 
giving  the  second  syring¬ 
ing  in  time  for  the  foliage 
to  become  fairly  dry 
before  night.  Maintain  a 
night  temperature  of  65° 
in  mild  weather,  70  to 
75°  by  day.  Stop  side 
shoots  at  the  fourth  or 
fifth  leaf,  not  allowing 
them  to  become  crowded. 
Early  fo.  ced  planted- 
out  trees  succeed  best 
where  the  roots  are  con¬ 
fined  to  narrow  limits. 
Top-dress  as  often  as  it 
becomes  dry,  as  that  is 
necessary  for  decay  and 
the  evolving  of  manurial 
matters,  especially  the 
element  ammonia,  which 
in  minute  quantities,  and 
a  regular  supply,  has  a 
marked  effect  on  the 
health  of  the  trees. 
Syringe  the  tiees  twice 
a  day,  or  damp  the  paths 
and  other  surfaces  fre¬ 
quently  on  dull  days. 
Keep  the  temperature  at  60°  to  65°  at  night  in  mild  weather,  5°  less  on 
frosty  nights,  ventilating  from  70°,  and  keeping  through  the  day 
between  75°  and  85°  from  sun  heat,  attendingto  air-giving  early,  closing 
with  a  brisk  heat  about  three  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  or  early  when 
cloudy.  The  growth  is  rapid,  therefore  give  frequent  attention  to 
stopping  of  side  shoots  at  the  fifth  or  sixth  leaf,  as  these  give  the  best 
results  in  the  second  crop;  but  avoid  too  many,  for  Pigs  are  produced 
in  proportion  to  the  light  received  ;  heoce,  when  two  shoots  or  more 
appear,  rub  iff  all  but  one,  retaining  those  only  that  can  have  full 
exposure  to  light,  otherwise  they  will  not  be  sturdy  and  fruitful. 
Train  terminals  and  successional  growth  to  replace  those  reaching  the 
limits,  anu  to  be  cut  out  afier  fruiting,  to  their  full  length. 
For  general  purposes  Brown  Turkey  stands  unrivalled,  White 
Marseilles  being  a  fine,  laige,  roundish  fruit,  and  freely  produced  where 
there  is  room.  Grizzly  Bour  jassotte  is  the  most  constant  for  delicious 
flavour,  and  ought  to  have  heat.  For  late  supplies  Negro  Largo, 
Nubian,  and  Agen  are  excellent,  but  these  must  have  heat  to  ripen  the 
late  fruits  perfectly.  The  grand  seoret  in  growing  Figs  is  plenty  of 
light  and  heat,  and  the  principal  points  in  their  culture  consist  in 
keeping  the  growths  thin,  their  points  always  facing  the  light,  and  when 
growing  afford  generous  treatment. —  Grower. 
Yucca  recurvifolia. 
- > - 
Yucca  recurvifolia. 
As  a  companion  to  the  illustration  of  the  specimen  of  Yucca  gloriosa 
figured  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  November  29th,  page  487,  grown 
in  the  Botanical  Gardens. 
Edgbaston,  it  occurred 
to  me  that  the  annexed 
photograph  of  a  well 
flowered  specimen  of  Y. 
recurvifolia  (syn.  recurva, 
pendula,  and  japonica), 
kindly  contributed  by  Mr. 
Thos.  Hewitt,  Fernleigh, 
Solihull,  might  prove 
equally  interesting.  The 
plant  in  question  is  about 
twenty  years  old,  and  was 
planted  by  Mr.  Hewitt  in 
its  present  site  about 
seventeen  years  since,  and 
flowered  last  summer ;  the 
well  developed  bold  pani¬ 
culate  inflorescence  was 
just  4  feet  long.  Alto¬ 
gether  the  plant  was  an 
object  of  no  ordinary 
attraction,  and  backed  up 
as  it  was  by  the  Ivy- 
mantled  wall  of  the  dwell¬ 
ing,  interspersed  with 
the  beautifully  contrast¬ 
ing  flowers  of  a  plant 
of  Clematis  Jackmanni. 
There  appears  to  have 
been  considerable  con¬ 
fusion  or  uncertainty  re¬ 
garding  the  identity  of 
Y.  gloriosa  and  recurvi- 
folia.  The  “  Index  Kew- 
ensis,”  I  observe,  gives 
recurvifolia  simply  as  a 
form  or  variety  of  Y. 
gloriosa,  which  it  main¬ 
tains  as  the  true  species. 
According  to  Mr.  Baker 
there  are  ten  distinct 
varieties  of  X.  gloriosa, 
but  “Johnson’s  Gardeners’ 
Dictionary  ”  intimates 
that  there  are  nearly 
eighty  varieties  of  this 
species.  It  is  a  matter 
of  surprise,  then,  that  so 
few  of  them  are  com¬ 
monly  cultivated  in  this 
country.  Perhaps  the  major  portion  of  them  are  so  nearly  alike  in 
character  that  it  has  not  been  deemed  worth  while  to  cultivate  them, 
excepting  in  botanical  gardens  like  Kew.  I  do  not  recollect  ever 
having  heard  or  read  that  the  various  species  of  Yuccas  have  been 
known  to  ripen  perfect  seeds  in  this  country.  The  free-flowering 
Y.  filamentosa  is  said  to  have  done  so.  The  famous  American  State 
entomologist,  the  late  Mr.  Kiley,  discovered  that  the  aid  of  a  moth 
(Pronuba  yuccasella)  was  required  for  the  fertilisation  of  the  flowers 
of  all  the  Yuccas,  thus  accounting  for  the  persistent  sterility  among 
cultivated  Yuccas. 
The  Yuccas,  like  the  American  Agave  (Agave  americana),  owing  to 
the  number  of  years  of  growth  ere  they  flower,  are  popularly,  though 
erroneously,  regarded  as  flowering  once  only  in  a  century.  In  reality 
they  flower  but  once,  the  mature  condition  being  acquired  in  a  longer 
or  shorter  period,  according  to  conditions  under  which  they  are 
subjected.  Afrer  flowering  lateral  shoots  develop,  which  may  in  their 
turn  flower.— William  Gardiner. 
