On October 20, 1891, while visiting an orchard at Los Gatos, I came 

 across a tree which attracted my attention by reason of its being of pecul- 

 iar foliage; and upon cutting the fruit I found that it possessed both 

 pistillate (the female organ of a phsenogam, consisting of the ovary with 

 its stylus and stigma) and staminate (the pollen-bearing, organ of the 

 flower, consisting of an anther usually supported upon a stalk or fila- 

 ment) flowers, which were so grouped that the pollen from one was freely 

 conveyed to the other. Thus fertilized, the female blossoms had devel- 

 oped into hundreds of perfect seeds with well-defined kernels. 



This is the first time that fruit of this character has been found in 

 this State; that is, containing both pistillate and staminate flowers, and 

 the seeds perfect kernels. One of the specimens cut in the presence of 

 E. W. Maslin, Secretary of the State Board of Trade, and G. F. Weeks, 

 agricultural editor of the San Francisco " Chronicle," was full of pollen; 

 in fact, the pollen was so abundant that it gave the center of the fig a 

 yellow appearance. Unfortunately, the figs were not fully matured, so 

 there was no opportunity to test their quality. On cutting them open 

 they were of a decidedly purple hue near the skin, changing to bright 

 red and to deep red in riper specimens. Hardly any red coloration was 

 visible in greener specimens, the entire flesh being a deep purple. The 

 fig is of elongated shape, rather small, and resembles the elongated fig 

 grown by Mr. Shinn, both in shape and color of flesh. It has a leaf 

 resembling the Smyrna, finely lobed. 



Afterwards Mr. Maslin brought to my office several seedling Smyrna 

 figs grown by him in Placer County. The specimens were small, of a 

 bright amber color, and the fruits in the receptacle well developed and 

 ripe. Upon examination they were found to contain numerous male 

 flowers and considerable pollen. We have here two conclusive facts, 

 showing that the insect is not altogether essential for the setting of the 

 fruit, in some figs, at least. 



This is a progressive world, and its people, step by step, have unrav- 

 eled many of the most difficult problems; so let us hope that wisdom 

 and ingenuity will in the near future solve this interesting question. 



The subject of caprification of the fig is dealt with so exhaustively 

 and ably in the report of Professor Gasparrini, that nothing further need 

 be said of it in this place. 



The fig is a deciduous tree, and requires about the same degree of 

 temperature to ripen its fruit to perfection as does the olive, although 

 it will ripen its fruit where the olive will not. In fact, conditions suitable 

 to the one will be found favorable to the other. Its fructification and 

 vegetation are uninterrupted where the temperature does not fall below 

 53 degrees Fahrenheit. Where the temperature falls below this the 

 leaves fall, and the fruit presents a peculiar phenomenon. A branch 

 only develops and ripens part of the figs borne upon it those on the 

 lower end, nearest the stem. The immature figs at the farther end of 

 the branch have their growth arrested by the first cold weather, and 

 remain dormant during the winter, resuming their growth the following 

 spring, and ripening in the summer. These are known as " first figs," 

 or " summer figs." Those which commence their formation in spring on 

 the lower part of the branches are called " second figs," or " autumn figs." 

 In our warm climate there are thus two crops from the same tree every 

 year. In colder climates the " first," or " summer " figs form the whole 

 crop, as autumn figs can only be produced in unusually warm seasons. 



