144. The fruit proceeds immediately from the eyes of the shoots, without visible blossom ; indeed, the parts of fructification are entirely within. In warm countries, two crops are produced yearly, one upon the former year's shoots, and another on the shoots of the same year. In this country, the first of these crops is the only one to be de pended on ; the second often makes its appearance, but the figs are little larger than peas, when arrested by the cold of approaching winter. Some gardeners direct that these young fruit be carefully swept from the branches at the winter's dressing; but a more cautious observer, Mr Smith at Hopetoun House, has found, that while he frees the trees of all half-ripened fruit, if he can save the very young fruit over winter, they afford, as might be expected, the earliest figs in the following season. While the fruit is ripening, such leaves as cover it should be braced to the wall with small cross-sticks, and not cut off, as is sometimes done.
145. In pruning fig-trees, the shoots of the former year must not be shortened, the fruit being produced at the up per part of these. When a branch becomes naked, or des titute of laterals, some advise the cutting it entirely out from the base ; but if it be shortened, plenty of young shoots will in general be the result. Nicol remarks, that the most fruitful shoots are short-jointed, round, and not of length proportional to their thickness. The time usually chosen for pruning, is April, or early in May ; but some gardeners still prefer the autumn, as recommended by Miller, when less sap issues from the womided parts.
In preparing the trees for winter, the branches are close ly nailed to the wall ; and when frost approaches, coverings of bass-mat, straw-screens, or some such means of defence, are employed. Perhaps the best mode of protecting them is described by Mr Smith, in the second volume of Scottish Horticultural Memoirs. He recommends the use of spruce-fir branches, four or five feet long ; these are fas tened to the wall, each branch by two different points of at tachment ; and the tree is thus covered as equally as pos sible. The spruce-fir possesses this advantage, that the branches remain green over winter ; and in March, when the days lengthen, the leaves begin to fall off, thus gradu ally admitting more and more air to the trees as the season advances. By adopting this method, Mr Smith has never failed to have good crops of figs. At Argenteuil, near Pa ris, the culture of fig-trees is one or the chief employments of the people. The custom there, is to protect the branches by laying them clown in the earth, and keeping them cover ed with soil for the space of two months and a half during winter. The principal pruning is there performed in the
spring, by rubbing off the superfluous wood-buds, which are pointed, and leaving the young fruit-buds or embryo figs, which are round. Careful gardeners in our own country likewise perform most of their pruning in this neat and easy way.
146. We must not here entirely pass over the subject of the caloyfication of figs. By this is meant, in eastern coun tries, the introducing, into the interior of the young fruit, a sort of fly or gnat, which seems to act beneficially, not only by probably carrying in pollen and dispersing it, but by puncturing the pulp, and occasioning a defluxion of nutri tions juices. Impregnation is thus not only more certainly accomplished, but the ripening of the fruit is greatly pro moted. Caprification is imitated in France, and also oc casionally in England, by inserting straws dipped in olive oil. It has often been remarked, that the pricking of plums or pears hastens their maturation, and renders the fruit of richer flavour. It has been proposed to hasten the maturation of figs, by cutting out circles of the bark of the tree, from near the base of the bearing branches, thus re tarding or interrupting the descending circulation of the sap: as in the case of vines above mentioned, § 135, both the outer and inner bark must be removed, but great care taken not to injure the alburnum.
Mulberry.
147. The Mulberry-tree (Morns nigra of Linnmus; class Montecia, order Tetrandria ; nat. fain. Unice of Jussieu) is a native of Persia ; but has been cultivated in England since the end of the 16th century. It is generally trained as a standard or half-standard ; in a few places it appears as an espalier ; and in Scotland it is often placed against a wall. It flourishes most in a rich and deep mellow soil. In old gardens, frequently one or two large standard mul berry-trees, perhaps a century old, may be observed ; and these, in the autumn, are covered with fine and large fruit. Where it can conveniently be done, grass should be sown below such old trees : notwithstanding care in gathering, the best of the fruit falls from the tree ; and in this way it may be daily collected from the sward, without being in jured. On this account, and because of the large size to which the tree ultimately attains, the mulberry is better suited to the lawn than the garden. The fruit ripens in September, and must be used soon after it is gathered, not keeping more than two clays.