JULTWAt 



- 47 - LIBRARY, 



Of the Chiaja fig I counted of fallen fruits, pedagnuoU'&tid. mm 



Containing the fly 



August 3d _____________ ---- ..... __________________ ........ --------- ......... - ...... 473 



Total _____ ......... - ............ ------ .............. --------------- ......... -- 945 



Without the fly- 



July 24th ......... ------ ............... - .............. .-- ..... ------- ............ 46 



July 27th ........ - ................ ----- ................ - ........... ------- ..... 20 



July 29th ............. . ............ -- .......... - ................ -------- ..... 47 



August 3d _______ ..... . ..................... ----------- ................ - ..... ----- 127 



Total _____________ ......... - ....... ------------ ................ --------------- 240 



In this case there appears a great surplus among the fallen fruits of 

 those into which the insect had penetrated, so that its effect appears 

 rather to have been prejudicial. The trees had been abundantly capri- 

 fied, and in every fruit there were generally more than one insect in the 

 cavity or amongst the scales; but more frequently amongst these, and 

 around the insects, there were evident signs of corruption. The fruits 

 without insects generally showed no alteration, excepting that in some 

 the greater part or all the styles were faded, dried up, or slightly dis- 

 colored. But the results of the above-mentioned enumeration must not 

 be considered as invariable, for the same fig tree bears very differently 

 in different years, according to the season, as well as to the quantity it 

 bore the preceding year; and, besides, the finding more or less of the 

 fruits with insects depends on the greater or less quantity of caprified 

 fruits suspended, and the period when that was done, as there are some 

 cultivators who caprify three times, and then the insect is found as well 

 in the pedagnuoli as in the cimaruoli. Last year, having returned to the 

 same fig trees, and again examining their fallen fruits, I found the pro- 

 portions a little different from those I had ascertained the previous 

 year. In the Sarnese fig the fallen fruits without insects surpassed the 

 others by about a third; in the Chiaja and the White fig the numbers 

 with and without the insect were about equal, and in the Lardaro the 

 proportions were much the same as in the preceding year. 



Although I examined an infinity of ovaries in the fallen caprified 

 fruits, I never could discover with the microscope the least sign of their 

 having been pierced by the insect to introduce its eggs, and never found 

 anything within resembling a grub; thence it is probable that the insect 

 does not pierce them. I say this in order to call attention to the circum- 

 stance that the blackening and decay around the ovary is not to be attrib- 

 uted to the puncture, which we do not know to take place, but to the body 

 of the insect itself, which produces the effect either by some unknown 

 action, or by some acrid humor it contains. Thus, from the above observa- 

 tions, it may be concluded that the fly of the caprifig is rather injurious, 

 and that far from making the fruits remain on the tree, it either causes 

 or facilitates their fall, especially when it has penetrated into the inside 

 and produces decay, where it dies. But this I think will happen rather 

 to the deciduous than to the permanent fruits, because the first, even 

 though they be pedagnuoli, are by their nature disposed to fall, hold 

 but slightly to the branch, have but little firmness in their pulp, the 

 florets but little grown, and the inner cavity large. If with this bad 

 conformation, either natural or superinduced pending the growth, the 

 fly comes to inflict further damage, every one must see that the fruit 



