THE SMYRNA FIG 



231 



no way affect either the flora or the fauna of the place ; 

 for, in the place of the high-smelling plants in question, 

 there would be found the dead roots in the frozen ground, 

 and the withered leaves, spathes, and the rest, above it, 

 no part of which would in any way influence the hawks 

 and owls, juncos and other finches, nuthatches and 

 chicadees and other winter birds, which one usually finds 

 in the marshes from November to March, inclusive. Much 

 less would the dead specimens of Symplocarpus in any 

 way be taken account of by the hibernating animals, such 

 as the star-nosed and common moles, the shrews, the 



deer mice, muskrats, and a whole lot of other mammals 

 which, as has been said, help make up the fauna of such 

 places during spring and summer. All this applies, too, 

 to such vertebrata as snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises, 

 and other forms. Where the skunk cabbages flourish in 

 the extreme southern part of their range, it goes without 

 the saying that the flora and fauna depart from the forms 

 found in the northern regions ; and while we might meet 

 with the cricket frogs (Fig. 10) in both localities, we 

 would find the green tree frog (Fig. 7) in the southern 

 boss and marshes. 



THE SMYRNA FIG 



BY H. E. ZIMMERMAN 



THE introduction of the Smyrna fig into the United Smyrna trees were as unproductive as before. Artificial 

 States has been attended with some interesting cross fertilization proved that the figs would remain 

 and yet very exasperating experiences. With all on the tree, but how to bring this fertilization about 



possible care in fertilization, 

 even in a warm California 

 climate, it was found that the 

 figs, after reaching a certain 

 stage in their growth, would 

 invariably drop from the trees. 

 Government experts were sent 

 abroad to study the growth of 

 the fig in its native habitat. 

 They discovered that growing 

 side by side with the figs of 

 commerce there was a kindred 

 plant known as the "Caprifig," 

 a wild fruit of no commercial 

 value. These men found that 

 the Caprifig furnished the pol- 

 len for the necessary fertiliza- 

 tion of the Smyrna fig trees, 

 and that without this polliniza- 

 tion the figs dropped from the 

 Smyrna variety just as it did 

 in this country. These men 

 were convinced that the Capri- 

 fig and the Smyrna fig trees 

 must be grown side by side if 

 results were to be attained. 

 They accordingly brought the 

 Caprifig to this country for this 

 purpose, and had to wait ten 

 years until these trees attained 

 maturity. But imagine their 

 amazement to find that the 



THE CULTIVATION OF THIS DELICIOUS FRUIT WAS 

 MADE POSSIBLE ONLY AFTER LONG AND TEDIOUS 

 EXPERIMENTATION. 



was the question. Further 

 investigation revealed the fact 

 that a certain insect was 

 necessary in order to trans- 

 fer the pollen from the 

 wild fig to the Smyrna varie- 

 ty. Accordingly arrangements 

 were made to send to this 

 country a living Capriform tree 

 with some of these insects 

 upon it. It arrived at just the 

 right stage of development, 

 and these insects immediately 

 went forth upon their work 

 of fertilization, thriving and 

 starting a new race of their 

 kind. They soon inhabited all 

 the Caprifigs in California, 

 and as a consequence all the 

 Smyrnas yielded, abundantly.. 

 This mysterious insect" is a 

 species of wasp about the size 

 of a gnat, without which none 

 of us would ever . have the 

 pleasure of eating Smyrna-- 

 figs. It required twenty-five 

 years to solve the mystery of 

 the Smyrna fig, the raising 

 of which has now grown 

 into a large and profitable 

 industry. 



H. FOSTER, State Forester of Texas, has resigned A SERIES of illustrated lectures on National Forest 



* and left the state in March to take up private ^*- grazing and its relation to the war will be given 



practice in forestry in New Hampshire. The progress on the Forests in Colorado during the next ten weeks, 



of the work in Texas under his administration was most The District office lantern and set of slides will be routed, 



successful and the loss of his able direction will be keenly and from one to four lectures will be given by the 



felt by his associates. Supervisors at various points on their respective Forests. 



