for training, and bearing in mind that it grows wide and luxuriant. The Fig Tree when it has attained a surface of branches proportioned to the soil it occupies, produces its fruit at almost every bud which furnishes a leaf, but the fruit on the spring shoots is always the largest and finest; the figs however which grow on the Midsummer shoots, when they can be preserved during the winter, will become of a very delicious flavour, although small in size, and these will also ripen long before those on the spring shoots. Unlike the vine, the Fig Tree throws its strongest branches from the most vertical buds; but, notwithstanding, it always pushes out shoots from the point buds of horizontal branches, and although these are short, the buds are close together, and generally very fruitful. The farther the bearers are from the root, the more certainly productive they are. I therefore prefer training them in the manner of the morello cherry-tree, which also throws its shoots from the point buds, and produces fruit on the last year's shoots, in the manner represented by figure A. B. plate 6.; but it will be necessary to keep the bearers at the full distance of the length of a leaf, that they may not overshadow the fruit too much, which will prevent its ripening. Hitt says, 66 Fig Trees (as I have experienced) prosper and bear best when planted in a dry soil, with a rock near the surface." The explanation of his plate 6. and pruning of a Fig Tree against a wall. "This plate shows the shapes of a Fig Tree of different ages. Figure 1. is either a tree just planted with three branches left on, or one that has been planted a year with three buds or more upon it, which has produced shoots. 66 Figure 2. is a tree a year older than the first, brought to the shape it appears in, by displacing all other buds but those which produce the shoots. ·66 Figure 3. is a tree almost full grown, though it had the same shapes as the other two figures, when it was young, and the horizontal parts A. B. and A. C. were like A. and B. in figure 1.; but had they been laid horizontally when so short, they would not have reached near enough the outsides of the space designed for the whole tree, and as they would increase but slowly in length after, part of the wall would have continued a long time bare. "As the roots of a Fig Tree are like those of vines, so must they be planted in the same way, though pruned differently. "If the young shoots of a Fig Tree are not too near each other, they will produce almost as much fruit as leaves, both from the same places, but not all of them at the same time; for the leaves drop off the trees, when the fruit near the upper ends of the branches are only like small buds. And there are many others appear the next spring from leaves, where leaves were shed from in the autumn, that is, at the extremities of those shoots that are not killed by the winter's frosts. "These small ones, and those that only appear in the spring, are the most certain to ripen; for those which are pretty large in the autumn are liable to be killed in the winter; but if any of them live, they ripen the earliest the following summer, and are the best fruit. "Those which appear the largest at the time of the trees shedding their leaves, were such as put out earliest upon the new made shoots, but few of which ripen in this nation the first year, except some particular kinds, as the catalogue mentions, though I don't doubt but there are many which do in more southern climates, as in Barbary, Spain, and Italy, where I am informed they are in great perfection. "I cannot think it proper to take off the live end of a branch in the spring, for that part is most certain to produce ripe fruit; neither do I approve the ending of young shoots in June, though it is practised by some people to procure a great number of branches, but they may be obtained by laying strong ones horizontally; and if they are old, make nicks on their upper sides, which will cause young ones to come through the rind. The spring, or what may be called winter pruning, I think the properest time for taking out large branches, which I generally do about the middle of March, when the weather is dry; then should all dead fruit be pulled off, and the young shoots that are left should be up, chosen with live ends, if possible; if not, the dead ends must be taken off, and the branches nailed at least the breadth of a full grown leaf from each other. "As in the summer time there will be more branches put out than can be placed at the distance from each other required, let them be taken off at their first appearance, and the others kept close to the wall in the summer, by nailing them as they advance in length. This method will prevent their being injured by the winds, as they are subject to be, by reason of their large leaves. If at any time there be more branches put out from the horizontals than can be nailed upright at proper distances from each other, let them be taken off at their first appearance. "As the upright branches advance in height, take all from the middle branches that would intercept them before they reach the top of the wall, and suffer no collaterals to remain upon them (at winter pruning) above two inches long. "The wood of one year old in the uprights produces no leaves, which gives room for an annual succession of branches, admitting there be no long collaterals left on. "I know there are many practitioners that only nail the strongest parts of a tree, and leave the collateral loose, though of a great length, and have many times plenty of fruit upon them. "But they never ripen so early as those that |