134 [ THE FIG TREE 



The insect from this crop fertilizes the second crop 

 of caprifigs (Maltese nannu] which is less abundant and 

 appears early in June on the young wood, at the same 

 time as the edible figs. The third crop (Maltese=^^w) 

 is formed in August, and the fourth crop (Maltese =6arru) 

 is formed in September or October soon after the first 

 rains of Autumn. The third and fourth crops are often 

 indistinct, being merged together and consist of only a 

 few fruits. The caprifigs of the second, third and fourth 

 crops are never used for caprification but are allowed to 

 remain on the tree in order to afford scope for the Blasto- 

 phaga to breed, so that the caprifigs of the first crop may 

 be found well provided with galls when picked for use. 

 The caprifigs intrinsically are useless for caprification, 

 their value being dependent on the galls which they 

 contain. In fact when the third and fourth crops are very 

 scarce it will happen that the caprifigs of the first crop 

 may have few galls, and some of them may have none, 

 in which case of course they are useless. 



The Blastophaga, when it issues from the ripe 

 caprifig, carries with it some of the old pollen from the 

 decayed male flowers near the orifice of the fruit, and 

 when it squeezes itself into the orifice of the young edible 

 fig, it further becomes powdered with the pollen of the 

 male flowers whose anthers are just then in dehiscence. 

 When the Blastophaga proceeds to lay eggs in the 

 stigma of the female flowers, it is therefore acting as 

 a pollen carrier ensuring pollination with the new 

 pollen of the young fig, and also cross-pollination 

 with the old pollen from the caprifig. Further, the 

 presence of one or more Blastophagas in the cavity 

 of the young fig, and the irritation which is set up 

 as a consequence of the development of the galls, act 

 as an incentive to intensify nutrition, so that within 

 a few days the young fig becomes plump, assumes a 

 healthy glaucous green colour, and there is no longer 

 any danger of its being shed off. When the edible fig 



