PROPAGATION.
The fig roots easily from cuttings and is usually propagated in this way. Short pieces or even large branches of well-matured wood, cut from the tree at any time during the winter and simply thrust into the soil, will usually take root and make a strong growth the following summer. The well-matured wood is best for making cuttings. One of the most desirable methods is to cut a section bearing a short but thrifty lateral branch from a good-sized limb. The section taken should be 6 or 8 inches long and be entirely buried in the ground, leaving the end of the side branch projecting to form the tree. This is not at all essential, as a straight cutting will usually root and grow readily, but it is desirable, as the buried cross section holds the cutting firmly in the ground and its bulk prevents it from drying out easily. In the coast region cuttings are often planted in August with good results. In this case the leaves should be removed. It is advisable to plant the cutting where the tree is to stand, as fig roots are easily injured by transplanting. Little is gained in growth by planting rooted trees, but when such are used both roots and tops should be heavily pruned when planted, to secure a satisfactory growth.
Sometimes it is advisable to plant the cuttings in the nursery and to keep them there for three years before removing them to their permanent location, as winter protection can be more easily given them. After the trunk of the fig is three years old it is much less easily injured by cold. This practice would seem to be of doubtful value, since young figs are more often injured by late frosts after growth has started in the spring than by the greater cold of midwinter when they are dormant. Figs can be grafted without difficulty, but it is seldom done in the south.