CAPRIFICATION OF THE FIG. 97 
male flowers as well as gall flowers with inquilines or wasps. This 
crop is not edible. The second crop contains perfect female flowers. 
Solms-Laubach, who has had opportunity to observe the mammoni or 
second crop of this fig, states that the mammoni possessed both female 
flowers with perfect embryos and gall flowers with wasps. This fig 
does not seem to be related to the Croisie or Cordelia figs. 
In the caprifig we have three kinds of flowers: Male flowers, which, 
on account of the time of ripening of the pollen, can pollinate only 
female flowers of the succeeding crop; female flowers, which produce 
seed, but which, on account of the early time at which they are recep- 
tive, can be pollinated only by the pollen of the preceding crop; gall 
flowers, which resemble the female flowers, but which are at no time 
receptive, and which serve no other purpose than breeding places for 
the Blastophaga wasp. The female flowers of the caprifig are found 
only in the second crop or mammoni. The object of this restriction 
of nature is due to the fact that it is this crop alone which falls to the 
ground at a time when, on account of climatic conditions, seeds could 
germinate. The profichi as well as the mamme fall during the dry 
season, when no seeds would find the proper moisture to germinate. 
VARIOUS KINDS OF MATURITY. 
In the fig we can distinguish between botanical and pomological 
maturity. Gallesio was the first one to make the distinction, which 
is here adopted, somewhat modified, as being of particular use in 
demonstrating the nature of the fig. We find that some or most edible- 
fig varieties set and mature their figs without pollination, but that, 
as a consequence, such figs contain no perfect flowers with fertile 
embryos. This state of maturity may be called pomological maturity, 
as it does not necessarily require the botanical perfection of the flow- 
ers. Pomological maturity is attained by the great majority of edible 
figs, and is probably an inheritance from the caprifig, which becomes 
similarly pomologically mature. This pomological maturity is not 
necessarily accompanied by any botanical maturity, as, for instance, 
is proven by our California figs, which never contain any fertile 
seed unless caprificated.! 
The other kind of maturity may be called botanical maturity, as it 
requires the flowers to be perfectly developed, with perfect embryos, 
in order that the fruit may set and become also pomologically mature. 
If the fruit is edible or cultivated as a fruit, the pomological maturity 
will always be effected by the botanical maturity. The Smyrna figs 
can only attain pomological maturity by first being botanically 
'The fact that one tree has been found which produces male flowers, and accord- 
ing to the finder also seed, does not in the least detract from this theory. The 
Cordelia fig, as well as the Croisic fig, must be considered as a modified caprifig 
which has not yet lost its male flowers. 
