A dictionary of modern gardening - University Library

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FER 224 FIG
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closed in the papers, which should be a warm cucumber-frame, and re-potting
well secured and kept perfectly dry." them two or three times, they will
Gard. Chron.
FERRARIA. Eight species. Green-
attain a large size in one
With these cuttings, as with
summer.
the trees
house and hardy bulbs. Offsets and at all ages, bottom heat and water is
seeds. Sandy loam and peat.
FICARIA. Three species. Hardy
tubers, tubers, shaded. Common soil.
F I C U S. Fig Tree. Seventy-seven
every thing." Gard. Chron.
Soil.—Mr. Markham says, "The
best soil for this fruit is sandy maiden
loam and turf mixed together, without
species. Chiefly green-house and stove manure of any kind, over-luxuriance
evergreen trees and shrubs. Cuttings. being a great evil "in their culture. I
Light rich ioam.
F I E L D I A australis. Green-house
would advise all who are about to plant
a fig wall, to form the borders about
evergreen creeper. Cuttings. Loam and three feet deep, having a good drainage
peat.
FIG MARIGOLD. Mesemhryanthe-
of any rough material. At the front of
this, a wall four inches and a half thick,
mum.
running parallel with the other should
FIG. Ficus carica.
be brought up to within two inches of
Varieties for open walls, and time of' the surface, the intervening space being
ripening.—Brown Ischia, Large White walled across so that each tree may
Genoa, and Green Ischia, (August.) have its own division. This prevents
Brown Naples, Brunswick, White Mar- over-luxuriance, and causes them to
seilles, (September.) Black Provence, fruit more freely. Any old trees that
Yellow Ischia, and Genoa, (October.) are growing strong and that do not bear
Propagation may be effected by well, might have their roots pruned
seeds, and cross impregnation to get back in autumn and walled in as above
varieties ; the seedlings will be pro- described. By doing this early it would
ductive when six years old ; by layers, afford the tree time to provide itself
suckers, slips, and grafting, but by
cuttings is the mode usually practised.
These must be of young wood, about
eight inches long, with two inches of
old wood attached. Plant in October,
in a sandy loam and warm situation,
the surface covered with ashes, to exclude
the frost and drought. " The
tops of the cuttings will require the
additional protection of haulm or litter
during winter; give water and keep
clear of weeds during summer, and by
the following autumn the plants will be
fit to be transplanted into nursery rows,
where they must again be mulched at
root, and protected at top. They require
no pruning farther than to rear
them with a single stem, and keep their
heads of a regular shape ;
the second or
third year they may be removed to
where they are finally to remain. Cuttings
of roots readily make plants, but
the process is too slow for general use,
and the plants so produced are not
likely to come so soon into bearing as
by the layers or cuttings."
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Loudon^s
Enc. Gard.
Cuttings of the shoots may be of
well-ripened wood, which Mr. Markham,
of Hevvell Gardens, says may be
also " taken off in spring and potted
singly in small pots ; plunging them in
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with new feeders, and by opening a
trench in the front of the wall, about
the end of March or beginning of April,
and applying a pretty brisk lining of
leaves and long litter for a few weeks,
it would greatly assist the crop for
that season, and establish the trees
for the following. Water occasionally
with soft water ;
and, after the fruit has
attained three-fourths ofits size, two or
three good waterings of liquid manure
will assist materially in bringing the
fruit to a large size."
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Gard. Chron.
Good drainage is also very important;
an excess of root-moisture making the
plants over-luxuriant.
Standards must have a single stem,
and require no other pruning than to
remove irregular growths, suckers, and
decayed branches. The soil should be
forked over annually, and kept constantly
freed from weeds by the hoe.
Wall-trees and Espaliet's.—Mr. Markham
says that of these, " The requisite
pruning is merely to thin the branches
where they are too thick, and to admit
plenty of light and air. The points of
any branches that indicate too luxuriant
a growth are pinched out. The tree
will show how young bearing wood is
procured, when the branches get too
long, or begin to have a naked appear-