ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, II. vn. 6-vm. i 



a hole, insert in its place a peg of oak-wood and 

 bury it 1 in the earth, and some call this ' punishing ' 

 the tree, since its luxuriance is thus chastened. 



Some do the same with the pear and with other 

 trees. In Arcadia they have a similar process which is 

 called 'correcting' the sorb (for that tree is com- 

 mon in that country). And they say that under 

 this treatment those trees that would not bear do 

 so, and those that would not ripen their fruit now 

 ripen 2 them well. 3 It is also said that the almond 

 becomes sweet, instead of bitter, if one digs round 

 the stem and, having bored a hole about a palms- 

 breadth, allows the gum which exudes from all 

 sides 4 to flow down into it and collect. The object 

 of this would be alike to make the tree bear and to 

 improve the fruit. 



Of remedies for the shedding of the fruit : caprification. 



VIII. Trees which are apt to shed their fruit before 

 ripening 5 it are almond apple pomegranate pear 

 and, above all, fig and date-palm ; and men try to 

 find the suitable remedies for this. This is the 

 reason for the process called ' caprification ' ; gall- 

 insects come out of the wild figs which are hanging 

 there, 6 eat the tops of the cultivated figs and so 

 make them swell. 7 The shedding of the fruit differs 

 according to the soil : in Italy 8 they say that it 

 does not occur, and so they do not use caprification, 9 



7 Tnaivovfft MVAld. ; Sifipovvi conj.W. ? TreTralvovfft, 'ripen,' 

 which is the word used in the parallel pass. C. P. 2. 9. 6, the 

 object of the process being to cause the figs to dry. 



8 Plin. 15. 81. 'Italy' means South Italy, cf. 4. 5. 5 and 

 6 ; 5. 8. 1. 



8 $pivd.ovaiv conj. Bod.; Ipivovviv Aid. H. 



