196 GROWTH AND WORK OF PLANTS. 



number of attempts have been made during the last forty years 

 to introduce the Smyrna fig into cultivation in California. Trees 

 were successfully grown, but they failed to mature fruit, the 

 young figs falling early from the trees. 



The cause of this lay in the fact that the Symrna fig produces 

 only pistillate flowers. To set fruit they must be pollinated from 

 a pollen-producing variety. In the Mediterranean region where 

 Smyrna figs are grown, the pollen for this purpose comes from a 

 wild fig called the caprifig, which is the staminate form of this 

 species and of course bears the pollen. From very ancient times 

 it has been the custom in Oriental regions to gather branches of 

 the caprifig and hang them in the trees of the edible fig during the 

 season when the latter is in flower. From these caprifigs a small 

 insect issues, called the fig-fertilizing insect (Blastophaga). In 

 coming out of the caprifig it drags out with it quantities of pollen. 

 It then visits the pistillate flowers of the Smyrna fig, in which the 

 branches are hung, and those near by, for the purpose of deposit- 

 ing its eggs. In doing this it crawls over the pistillate flowers 

 and brushes off pollen of the caprifig in them. 



In the home of the Smyrna fig there are said to be three genera- 

 tions of fruit on the caprifig, the spring and early summer crop, 

 known as the profichi, the midsummer crop, the mammoni, and 

 the autumn crop, mamme, the latter remaining on the trees all 

 winter. The insect hibernates in the mamme. In the spring it 

 comes out and deposits its eggs in the profichi. By the time this 

 generation is ready to come out the flowers of the Smyrna fig are 

 ready for pollination. Many of the insects of the profichi genera- 

 tion, which are in the fruits left on the caprifigs, lay their eggs 

 in the second crop, the mammoni, and those issuing from these 

 deposit their eggs in the mamme. In this way the insects con- 

 tinue their existence from year to year in great numbers in the 

 caprifig. About 1882 a large number of Smyrna fig trees were 

 started in California. But they bore no fruit. A few years later 

 another attempt was made and the caprifig as well as the Smyrna 

 fig was introduced by cuttings. But as the insect was not present, 

 failure again resulted. For a few years some Smyrna figs were 



