88 



TILLEES OF THE (GROUND CHAP. 



even if they are not fertilised. For the botanist the 

 fig is not a true fruit like the date, but a cluster of 

 tiny flowers, and it is the tiny flowers which we eat. 

 The figs which are eaten green are not generally 

 caprified. They do not have true seeds inside, but, 

 as every one knows who has 

 tried, they are quite good to 

 eat. On the other hand, the 

 dried Smyrna figs which we 

 eat at Christmas must be 

 caprified, otherwise they will 

 not ripen and will not dry 

 properly. 



To sum up, figs which 

 are not caprified do not 

 contain fertile seeds, but 

 FIG. 21. A Twig of a Smyrna these figs may be quite good 



Fig-tree bearing Figs. The ,, , ,, n 



smooth swollen Figs to to 6at > th U g h the * V d not 

 the left have been capri- dry well. The figS which 



have most flavour when 

 dried are the kind called 

 Smyrna figs, and these must be caprified. Capri- 

 fication means the carrying of pollen by tiny wasps 

 from the wild figs to the cultivated ones. Next 

 time we eat a dried fig, we should notice that 

 at the top of the fig there is always the remains of 

 the little hole through which the fig- wasp entered 

 in order to fertilise the fig. 



fied, the wrinkled right- 

 hand Figs have not. 



