CAPRIFICATION OF THE FIG. 101 
now in California some five or six different varieties of the genuine 
Smyrna figs and some nineteen different kinds of caprifigs. During 
the last season many thousand genuine Smyrna figs have been planted 
all over the State, and we may expect that in five or six years from 
now the harvest of figs of the Smyrna varieties will be considerably 
increased. In the meantime improvements are constantly being made 
in handling and curing the common figs for market. 
The Blastophaga wasps are now apparently well established in this 
country. They wintered safely in the mamme figs both at Niles and at 
Fresno. At Niles the temperature fell as low as 22° Fahrenheit, but 
no harm was done to the fig insects. At Niles only one variety car- 
ried its mamme over winter. The other varieties of caprifigs dropped 
their mamme figs after the first fall frost. This may have been due 
to the immature age or the nature of the trees. It shows, however, 
the necessity of planting a number of different kinds of eaprifigs in 
order to have a succession of crops and a constant supply of caprifigs 
both winter and summer. 
SEEDS IN THE COMMON EDIBLE, NOT CAPRIFICATED FIGS. 
As common figs I arrange, as has already been stated, all fig 
varieties with only or principally mule flowers, which set and mature 
their figs without the aid of pollen. If the seeds of such figs are 
examined under the microscope it will at once be seen that they are 
seeds only in appearance, but not in reality. They are mere glossy 
hulls of a yellow or brown color, with no kernel and embryo capable 
of development. Even without the aid of a microscope this may be 
ascertained by crushing the seeds with the point of a knife. The 
shell will then be seen to collapse, the interior being absolutely with- 
out any kernel. Although I have examined many thousands of figs 
grown in California during the past ten years or more, I have failed 
to find a single seed properly developed. Tat first attributed this to 
the former total absence of. caprifigs in this State. I now believe it 
to be due in equal degree to the absence, or scarcity, of female recep- 
tive flowers in our figs, generally speaking. This observation in regard 
to the absence of seeds in common figs has been repeatedly made in 
Europe. 
The conclusion which I draw from the above and other investiga- 
tions in regard to the perfect and fertile seeds found in our common 
edible figs, which produce fruit without pollination, are as follows: 
Figs with only mule flowers do not generally produce seed with fertile 
embryos. ‘Theirso-called seeds are mere shells without kernel. When 
this class of figs is found to contain seeds with developed embryo, 
it is to be explained by the presence of perfect female flowers, which 
again have been brought to development by the introduction of pollen, 
either by the Blastophaga wasps or by some other means. Some fig 
varieties of this class contain many female flowers. 
