ON THE CAPRIFICATIOX OF THE FIG. 195 



called by our cultivators Mamme cli propichi, or caprifig teats. 

 The fly entered the flower-heads of the fig, but they did not set 

 in greater numbers on eacli branch than was the case on similar 

 fig-trees not caprified, and growing far from any caprifig. In 

 the ripe figs I could not find a single seed with an embryo ; 

 they were all sterile ; some quite empty, others containing albu- 

 men only, and when sowed would not germinate. 



At Baja the Dottato fig almost always ripens its fruit. Who- 

 ever passes by that district will readily observe places where the 

 Colombro and the Dottato figs are so close to the caprifig that 

 their branches intermix. Yet there are no signs among them of 

 early maturity, when compared with similar fig-grounds far from 

 any caprifig. Tliese figs naturally do not bring all their fruits 

 to perfection ; those that fall are called at Baja Sbufoni, and 

 this usually takes place about the end of May or the first half of 

 June. 



In these fallen fruits, in the vicinity of the caprifig, there 

 are generally dead flies, and never seeds with embryos. Out of 

 fifty figs recently fallen from a Colombro which I examined on 

 the 17th of June, five only contained no insect; the remainder 

 had them in greater or less numbers, but were so destroyed inside, 

 and black and rotten, owing to the insects which had died in 

 them, that to all appearance that was the cause of their falling. 

 On the same tree were a number of figs looking nearly ripe, but 

 slightly pricked and insipid, and which fell off" with a slight 

 shaking of the tree. Some of these contained insects, others did 

 not ; the former, like the fallen ones, were destroyed and black 

 inside. As to the permanent or set fruits, which in the middle 

 of June can well be distinguished from the others, there were 

 some with the insect, others without. In the fallen fruits of the 

 Dottato fig I did not find one which had not the fly ; but among 

 the permanent ones there were some free from it. These expe- 

 riments and observations were repeated three consecutive years, 

 whilst every attempt proved vain at making the seeds of these 

 figs germinate, though they were sown under a variety of cir- 

 cumstances and at diflferent seasons. The fly, therefore, which 

 issues from the cratiri of the caprifig towards the end of April 

 produces no effect on the domestic fig either in fecundating their 

 female flowers, or in making them remain on the trees, or in 

 hastening their maturity. If in the latter respect a precocity 

 may sometimes be observed, the difference is so slight as not to 

 be taken into account, considering the diversity of aspect, the 

 trees being more or less exposed to the sun. The size of the 

 tree, the being single and uncovered, or choked by the .surround- 

 ing vegetation, may also occasion some difference, even at very 

 small distances. Indeed the different branches of one and the 



