8 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN, 



stunted. I have seen many fig growers prune their trees high, that they 

 might drive their teams under the trees and give close cultivation ; but 

 they ruined their trees. The fig tree must be shaped as nearly like an 

 umbrella as possible in order to absolutely shade the trunk from frost 

 and sun on all sides. I have further observed that all the large and 

 vigorous trees are the trees whose trunl^ are well shaded. When the 

 trees come into maturity, after the fifth or sixth year, they must be 

 pruned back so that the lateral branches will become thick and dense. 

 The foliage thus produced will shade the limbs, which would otherwise 

 be burned by the sun. This method must be followed every two years 

 thereafter in order to make new lateral fruit wood and insure large fruit 

 and a large crop. 



CAPRIFICATION. 



The Smyrna figs contain nothing but female flowers, and unless they 

 are pollinated the fruit will not mature ; they will groAv to the size of a 

 marble and then drop off. A similar principle applies to the caprifigs 





Fig. 9. — Ten year old Smyrna fig tree before pruning 



(Original.) 



containing no insects; the fig grows to three-fourths of its normal size 

 and drops before maturing. The figs that carry over on the trees until 

 thej'^ mature are fertile figs. The fig wasp or Blastophaga develops in 

 the caprifigs, or, in other words, these insects are a part of the tree. 

 They hatch three times a year — in some varieties four— the generations 

 being distinguished as follows : Mamme is a Avinter crop, ripening about 

 the first of April; the Profichi matures in June, and the ^lammone is a 

 summer crop, maturing in fall. Each of these crops has a mission to 

 perform. The Mamme propagates or fertilizes the Profichi, producing 

 from 500 to 2,000 caprifigs to a tree. The Profichi pollinates the 



