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At Baja the Dottato fig almost always ripens its fruit. Whoever 

 passes by that district will readily observe places where the Colombro 

 and the Dottato figs are so close to the caprifig that their branches 

 intermix. Yet there are no signs among them of early maturity, when 

 compared with similar fig grounds far from any caprifig. These figs 

 naturally do not bring all their fruits to perfection; those that fall are 

 at Baja called Sbufoni, and this usually takes place about the end of 

 May or the first half of June. 



In these fallen fruits, in the vicinity of the caprifig, there are generally 

 dead flies, and never seeds with embryos. Out of fifty figs recently 

 fallen from a Colombro, which I examined on June 17th, five only con- 

 tained no insect; the remainder had them in greater or less numbers, 

 but were so destroyed inside, and black and rotten, owing to the insects 

 which had died in them, that to all appearance that was the cause of 

 their falling. On the same tree were a number of figs looking nearly 

 ripe, but slightly pricked and insipid, and which fell off with a slight 

 shaking of the tree. Some of these contained insects, others did not; 

 the former, like the fallen ones, were destroyed, and black inside. As 

 to the permanent or set fruits, which in the middle of June can well be 

 distinguished from the others, there were some with the insects, others 

 without. In the fallen fruits of the Dottato fig I did not find one which 

 had not the fly; but among the permanent ones there were some free 

 from it. These experiments and observations were repeated three con- 

 secutive years, whilst every attempt proved vain at making the seeds of 

 these figs germinate, though they were sown under a variety of circum- 

 stances, and at different seasons. The fly, therefore, which issues from 

 the oratiri of the caprifig towards the end of April produces no effect on 

 the domestic fig, either in fecundating their female flowers or in making 

 them remain on the trees, or in hastening their maturity. If in the latter 

 respect a precocity may sometimes be observed, the difference is so slight 

 as not to be taken into account, considering the diversity of aspect, the 

 trees being more or less exposed to the sun. The size of the tree, the 

 being single and uncovered, or choked by the surrounding vegetation, 

 may also occasion some difference, even at very small distances. Indeed, 

 the different branches of one and the same tree ripen their fruits at dif- 

 ferent times. That the Dottato fig should ripen its fruits at Baja is not 

 to be attributed therefore to the caprifig planted there, but solely to the cli- 

 mate, or perhaps to the soil, for the same variety near Naples will produce 

 nothing, even with the caprifig, and in other localities will do as well as 

 at Baja without it. And on the Lardaro fig, which never ripens nat- 

 urally, at least in the vicinity of Naples, although the fruit enlarge con- 

 siderably, and some remain on the tree till the end of May, often as I 

 have attached to it the cratiri of the caprifig, I never observed a single 

 one ripen. Therefore, I conclude that the remaining and maturing of 

 the figs depend upon two circumstances the intrinsic properties or 

 natural disposition of the variety, and on the quality of the soil and 

 climate. 



6. 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 vigor. 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 



