234 FERTILISATION OF THE FIG. 



drying. It must be remembered that tlie clever fig-growers 

 of Asia Minor continue to adhere to the system of artificial 

 fertilisation by means of the insect peculiar to the fig-, and 

 that it would seem incredible in this enlightened age that 

 these people should still resort to the ancient method, at con- 

 siderable trouble and expense, if no advantages whatever 

 could be derived from it. 



The question, it would seem, simply resolves itself to this : 

 Is the })roduction of the best kinds of dried figs, such as fetch 

 the highest prices in commerce, solely dependent on some 

 few select varieties, cultivated in specially adapted regions, in 

 pecuhar soil, and under particular methods for manuring 

 and watering, as all these conditions are likely to be found 

 in many parts of Australia also. In that case the caprifica- 

 tion process would simply rest on inveterate prejudice. 



On the other side, it is incumbent on us to demonstrate, 

 with the great prospect of fig-production also for drying in 

 these colonies, how far the action of the Blastophaga does 

 really affect the constitution of particular varieties of figs, as 

 it seems quite within the range of possibility that to some 

 sorts of fig the pollination may prove of distinct advantage, 

 and to others not. (See Gasfarrini, Researches on Fig and 

 Capri Fig, 1845 to 1860). This seems clearly to demon- 

 strate that the enigma could best be solved if the Agricultural 

 Dejiartments of the different colonies would unite in finding 

 the means — not necessarily very costly — of sending an expert 

 who, by autopsy, could investigate the question by spending 

 a season in Asia Minor amongst the fig-growers there. If 

 speedy action of this kind, on a recommendation of the 

 Hobart meeting of the Australasian Association, be taken, we 

 might then have the results ready in time for the Adelaide 

 meeting, and the conclusions arrived at would probably 

 be final. 



Should the horticulturist who may be entrusted with this 

 mission be convinced by local inspection that the fertihsation 

 of the fig is decidedly recommenclable, whether through the 

 physiologic stimulus thereby given or by some other yet 

 obscure cause, then we could secure for the Australian 

 colonies a supply of jjlants of the caprification fig in an ova- 

 bearing state, as the mere raising staminate fig-trees from 

 seeds, or their importation in a living state, would be of no 

 avail, just as has been the case in California ; for we could 

 of course easily obtain seedlings of the staminate fig-tree from 

 carefully preserved seeds of the Smyrna fig. 



