192 ON THE CAPRIFICATION OF THE FIG. 



superfluous juices, and perhaps by communicating some peculiar 

 humours of their own produced the saccharine maturation. 

 Pontedera followed the ancients, whose theories were all based 

 on that of Theophrastus. Linnaeus concluded, from the obser- 

 vations of Pontedera on the structure of the flowers of the 

 caprifig and the flg, that the latter could not be fecundated 

 without the assistance of the caprifig, and that this fecundation 

 enabled them to set more abundantly. Cavolini combined in 

 some measure the theories of Linnaeus and of Theophrastus, 

 affirming that the caprifig fecundates the fig, and thereby causes 

 it to bear more fruits and ripen them better ; but that the same 

 fig can also ripen its fruit in certain districts by the sole effect of 

 soil and climate. Gallesio follows Cavolini in as far as regards 

 the action and effects of fecundation, but believes that neither 

 climate nor soil can produce anything of the kind ; and that the 

 figs which do not require caprification diffier from the others in 

 the internal structure of their flowers. Lastly, the opinion of 

 our cultivators is nearly that of the Greeks. They believe that 

 the caprifig is necessary for some figs, which, without it, would 

 lose the whole or the greater part of their fruits whilst still sour, 

 and that it hastens the maturity even of those figs which do not 

 absolutely require it. They also admit that the quality of the 

 soil and climate may also in some cases produce the same effect 

 as caprification. 



§ 5. Discussion of the above Opinions. — The ancient philo- 

 sophers and naturalists admitted, as every one knows, four ele- 

 ments — earth, water, air, and fire — the wliich combined together 

 in various ways produced an infinity of phenomena and thirigs. 

 Now Theoplirastus, wishing to explain how it could happen that 

 the fly should cause the young figs to remain on the tree, be- 

 thought himself that, whilst the fig abounded in humidity, it was 

 deficient in the air and heat necessary for fermentation, and that 

 the insect, by feeding, carried off" precisely the superabundant 

 humidity, and by opening the mouth gave entrance to air and 

 heat ; and as this happened naturally in a poor soil and northern 

 exposure, there was no occasion for the assistance of the fly. 

 But in the present state of science, who would believe in the 

 attribution of such powers to the soil and the north wind ? On 

 the contrary, such circumstances would rather produce an oppo- 

 site effect ; for the want of humidity and cold tend rather to 

 contract the parts. And if any one were to see in the aura 

 cerealis of Pliny that which is now called pollen, or the ferti- 

 lising dust generated in the anthers, would probably be mistaken, 

 for it appears to me that the epithet cerealis denotes nothing but 

 fertility or abundance produced by the aura. The opinion of 

 Linnaeus has, in truth, all the appearance, I do not say of pro- 



