196 ON THE CAPKIFiCATION OF THE FIG. 



same tree ripen their fruits at different times. That the Dottato 

 fig should ripen its fruits at Baja is not to be attributed there- 

 fore to the caprifig planted there, but solely to the climate, or 

 perhaps to the soil, for the same variety near Naples will pro- 

 duce nothing, even with the caprifig, and in other localities 

 will do as well as at Baja witliout it. And on the Lardaro fig, 

 which never ripens naturally, at least in the vicinity of Naples, 

 although the fruits enlarge considerably, and some remain on the 

 tree till the end of May, often as I have attached to it the cratiri 

 of tlie caprifig, I never observed a single one ripen. Therefore 

 I conclude that the remaining and maturing of the figs depends 

 on two circumstances^ — the intrinsic properties or natural dispo- 

 sition of tire variety, and on the quality of the soil and climate. 



§ 7. Does caprification hasten the maturity of late figs ? 



In the district of Portici I made the following experiment. 

 In a large property there were two small trees of the Sarnese 

 fig, distant from each other about two stone-throws, and about 

 equal in size and vigour. To one of them only, about the end 

 of June, I hung the flower-heads of the caprifig, and I counted 

 the fruits upon each tree. In the first days of September there 

 was no difference between them. Each had some ripe figs, some 

 still sour, and otliers commenced ripening. Counting them 

 again, there was here also no difference, each tree having lost 

 about a fourth part of their fruits. The following year I re- 

 peated the expei'iment, with some modification. I marked with 

 thread or with twine the figs into which I saw the fly had pene- 

 trated, and I took care that there was no caprifig in the vicinity 

 of the other tree. The result of this expeiiment was precisely 

 the same as that of the preceding year. In the mean time I had 

 suspended five flower-heads of the caprifig to a large branch of 

 a Lardaro fig which rose considerably above the rest of the 

 tree, thinking that however little the caprifig might hasten the 

 maturity, the slight difference would nowhere be more per- 

 ceptible than in the different branches of the same tree. Yet 

 when maturity commenced numerous fruits on all parts of the 

 tree were in the same state as those of the branch in question. 

 Now it appears improbable, not to say impossible, that those 

 five caprifig flower-heads should have furnished insects enough 

 for so great a number of figs. 



I repeated the experiments for four years, and always with 

 the same results, though in different localities. At the Camal- 

 doli, where caprification is not practised and the caprifig very 

 rare, I caprified copiously a Dottato fig and two white fig-trees, 

 and none of the three showed the least sign of precocity. I be- 

 lieve, therefore, that tlie insect does not at all hasten maturity. 

 It must only be observed that maturity is not to be confounded 



