ix STOKY OF THE SMYKNA FIG 109 



resemblance between the two is close, the wasp is 

 easily deceived into paying a visit to the edible 

 fig if the grower is careful to bring the caprifigs 

 close to the edible figs. If he does that, then the 

 wasps do their duty, enter the edible figs, fertilise 

 them, and so make them fat, juicy, and well- 

 flavoured. 



But the fig-grower must not stop here. He not 

 only wants to have wasps to fertilise his figs this 

 year, he must be sure that the stock of wasps is 

 kept up so that he may find fresh wasps next year 

 that is, he must have growing in his orchard 

 capri-trees bearing summer caprifigs ready to receive 

 the wasps when they have fertilised his edible figs. 

 If he has not such trees, then the wasps will die, 

 and there will be none for next year. Thus he 

 has to cultivate fig-wasps (remember they are quite 

 different from the common wasp, and very much 

 smaller), as well as figs and caprifigs. It is rather 

 a complicated matter ! 



The first difficulty was to get the wasps alive 

 to the States, and this was found very difficult. 

 Not until it was learnt that only the resting-wasps 

 in the autumn caprifigs would stand the journey 

 was this possible, and it took a long time to learn 

 this. 



After much hard work and many attempts, in 

 the spring of 1889 boxes of winter caprifigs were 



