504 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



ing to the individuality of the trees and according to the varieties 

 of Caprifig trees.* The presence of female flowers in the Capri- 

 figs interferes more or less with, or eventually entirely prevents 

 the development of the Blastophaga. 



Caprifig trees from which a large number of cuttings have 

 been taken, or from which the kt inside growth " has been trimmed 

 out, are generally avoided by the Blastophaga. The same holds 

 true of over-pruned or over-trimmed female trees. 



THE CROPS OF THE FEMALE FIG TREE. 



In the female tree, it is the fall crop (i. <?., that developing 

 on the new growth) which, in vigor corresponds with the spring 

 crop of the male tree ; the crop is characteristic of a female tree 

 in producing only genuine female flowers, which when pollinated 

 by the intervention of the Blastophaga, secrete a large amount of 

 saccharine matter and produce fertile seeds. Without pollina 

 tion by the insect the figs drop ofF before they attain the size of a 

 large cherry. 



The spring crop of the female tree, /. e., that developing on 

 the previous year's growth, corresponds with the fall crop of the 

 male tree ; the flowers of the figs are, according to the botanical 

 authorities, malformed female flowers, incapable of being fertil 

 ized even if pollen were obtainable at this season. f 



* Reading's Capri No. 2 produced, with few exceptions, only normal 

 figs, i. e., figs containing exclusively gall flowers. Capri No. 3 produced, 

 besides normal figs a large number of figs containing male flowers, but 

 the latter are never numerous, appear to be somewhat deformed, and pro 

 duce only a small amount of pollen. Figs are also frequently met with 

 which besides gall flowers and male flowers contain a smaller or larger 

 number of female flowers. Strictly bi-sexed figs, /. e., containing only 

 male and female flowers, are very rare. Roeding's Capri No. i is remark 

 able in producing, besides normal figs, a large number of figs containing 

 a smaller number of female flowers. Male flowers are here exceedingly 

 rare, but figs containing exclusively female flowers are not uncommon. 



tThis crop is, of course, without practical importance, and the writer has 

 neglected to study the flowers of this crop in the Asiatic varieties of 

 Smyrna fig trees as represented in Mr. Roeding's orchard It suffices to 

 tell here that at least one varie.ty (Reading's " Commercial Smyrna") pro 

 duced in June an abundance of large, edible, and sweet figs (of course 

 without fertile seeds) comparable in quality to the best Adriatic figs. 

 These figs could not possibly mature if the flowers were genuine female 

 flowers. On at least one tree of the same variety the writer found in April 

 buds of male flowers. 



