38 Bulletin 77 



usually dwarfs the tree permanently. It is therefore advisable to 

 apply water sparingly, yet abundantly enough during the early 

 development of the plant to induce deep rooting. Since many of 

 the feeding roots occur near the surface, shallow tillage is essential. 

 Mulching the ground is known to be very beneficial. Application 

 of barnyard manure when top growth is not satisfactory induces 

 the development of new wood. Commercial fertilizers carrying 

 potash, phosphoric acid, and lime are generally recognized as 

 valuable on old and more or less depleted soils. 



WINTER PROTECTION FOR FIG TREES 



No attempt is made to protect the trees from injurious tem- 

 peratures except in those sections where the fig plant will not endure 

 exposure until two or three years of age. In most places where pro- 

 tection would carry the tree through the winter, the cost of neces- 

 sary attention is so slight that one could afford to prepare the trees 

 for cold snaps by wrapping the stems in straw, old stalks, or other 

 materials, or by covering with straw and dirt so that the trees, 

 when of a bush form, may be bent over and covered conveniently. 



CAPRIPICATION 



Pollination of the fig is commonly termed "caprifi,cation." 

 This is an important practice and requires detailed instruction, 

 since only accurate work will give satisfactory results. It becomes 

 necessary at this point to consider methods of caprification. 



The operator of the Smyrna and San Pedro fig orchards must 

 thoroughly understand the habits and life history of the fig wasp, 

 since this insect is the sole means by which pollen can be conveyed 

 from the staminate to the pistillate flowers. This insect is a para- 

 site in the fruit of the Capri fig and can not live under other con- 

 ditions or in other kinds of fruit. This wasp is found native only 

 in sections where fig growing has been practiced for centuries or 

 where the Capri fig is native. It must therefore be introduced 

 where needed to insure pollination of the fig. These conditions 

 make it mandatory to propagate the wasp. 



The development of three crops on the Capri fig each year 

 makes it necessary for the insect to change quarters the same 

 number of times each growing season. Unless the crops are avail- 

 able to provide suitable quarters the wasp will perish, notwith- 

 standing the fact that climate and other conditions may be ideal. 



Plants requiring caprification.- — -Attention has previously been 

 called to the necessity of the caprification (pollination) of Smyrna 

 and second-crop San Pedro figs. Frequently the orchardist overlooks 



