KXO\VLi:i)GF.. 



August, 1912. 



absent or reduced to a very small luiinlicr, hence as 

 a rule no seeds are produced. The ciiprijiciis has, 

 so to speak, split away from the parent wild form, 

 carrying with it the male character and the com- 

 pleteness of the adajitation to the wasp — in this 

 form, and not in the cultivated female fig, we still 

 have the so-called gall-flowers. 



In the female fig {Fictis curica fi iloiiicsficiD there 

 are either two or three generations, all of which are 

 exclusively female or else sterile, and all edible ; 

 there are no male flowers or gall flowers. (1) The 

 inrtorescences of the first generation (" fiori di lico "') 

 rarely come to full maturity : most of them fall off 

 in spring. They contain sterile female flowers, but 

 these are not adapted to the wasp, since the style of 

 the i)istil is long and is closed up, hence if any of the 

 insects stray in, they seek in vain to lay their eggs in 

 these flowers. (2) In May or June appear the 

 inflorescences of the second generation (" pedag- 

 nuoli "), and in most varieties these alone become 

 fully ripe, maturing from August to October. These 

 inflorescences contain normal female flowers with 

 well-developed ovules, which are fertilised by pollen 

 brought by the female wasp froin the " profichi " 

 inflorescences of the caprificiis, these latter being 

 mature at this time of year ; hence the " pedagnuoli " 

 produce ripe seeds. (J) The inflorescences of the 

 third generation (" cimaruoli ") hardly dift'er from 

 the second, except that here the inflorescences are 

 developed at the ends of the branches instead of 

 lower down. They are produced in August and 

 September, or even later, and in unfavourable 

 seasons fall unripe from the tree, though in 

 Italy these " winter-figs " are often produced in 

 abundance. In general, the doiiicsfica form 

 produces only one generation of fuIl\-ri]H- fruits. 



usually the " pedagnuoli." In some varieties the 

 earlier croj) l"fi(jri di fico ") ripens freely, and there 

 are but few of the " pedagnuoli " matured in that 

 case. 



The domcstica form has clearly arisen from the 

 female generation (" fichi ") of the w ild fig, since it 

 carries only the characters of this generation, and 

 does not jiroduce male flowers. The advantage of 

 cultivating the liomeatica form, namely, the production 

 of edible and insect-free fruits all the year round, is 

 accomiwnied b\- the disadvantage that these fruits 

 are relatively small. To obtain large fruits, which 

 will reinain on the tree until fully ripe, and which 

 can be dried, fertilisation is necessary, and " caprifi- 

 cation " is resorted to. This process, practised from 

 ancient times, consists simply in placing branches of 

 the wild fig or the caprificiis (bearing " profichi ") 

 over the cultivated bushes — the wasp Blastophaga 

 is sluggish of flight, hence the male inflorescences 

 have to be brought close to the domestica plant in 

 order that the wasp may carry pollen into the female 

 inflorescences of the latter. 



Besides the types caprificiis and domestica, how- 

 ever, there are other forms of Ficiis carica which 

 maj' be regarded as reversions to the original wild 

 fig. For instance, there is a transitional form 

 between Ficiis carica and Ficiis carica a caprificiis, 

 in which the inflorescences of the first generation 

 are of the " profichi '" type, while those of the second 

 generation have male, female and gall flowers. In 

 another form, transitional between Ficiis carica and 

 Ficiis carica fi domestica. the inflorescences of the 

 first gi-ncration have female flowers like those of the 

 " fiori di fico,"' and an equal number of male flowers 

 as in the " profichi," while those of the second 

 generation are exclusiveU' female. 



NOTICES. 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF SOI LS.— Professor 

 Elmerfitten, of Cornell University, gives in Science for May 

 3rd, a practical classification of soils. He first considers 

 climate under the heading of " region " which is dependent upon 

 temperature ; while "section" is based on humidity. Under the 

 heading of " province " mode of formation is discussed ; the 

 " group " occupies itself with the source of material ; the sub- 

 headings of " series " are colour, organic matter, total plant- 

 food content, while the " type " is determined by texture and 

 structure. Altogether the article is a very suggestive one. 



THE WORK OF THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE.— 

 The Quarterly Bulletin which records the progress of 

 agriculture and industries in the colonies and India is now 

 published by Mr. John Murray. The first number of 

 Volume X is before us; it contains a number of important 

 papers which are the results of investigations made at the 

 Imperial Institute. They deal with such subjects as the 

 rubber and timber resources of Uganda and cotton soils of 

 Nyasaland, which are of technical interest, but there is 

 much which will appeal to the general reader in the notices 

 respecting economic products. Included are notes on the 

 commercial uses of the cocoanut as well as the cultivation 

 of hemp and of ginger. Allusion may also be made to the 

 general notes, which will particularly appeal to botanists. 



THE ALTERATION OF CHEQUES.— Mr. William 

 Kinsley, who is an examiner and photographer of questioned 

 documents, sends some interesting reprints of articles which 

 he has written. One dealing w-ith the alteration of cheques 

 describes a case in which a twelve dollar draft had been so 

 carefully altered that it required careful examination under 

 the microscope to detect what had been done. The cheque 

 had been perforated but the holes had been carefully 

 filled up with paper pulp and new ones made, and the 

 surface of the safety tint paper, after the erasure of 

 " twelve," the old amount and the filling in of " twenty-two 

 thousand " the new, had been restored by means of water- 

 colour. 



CHLORINE FOR THE TEREDO.— T/ic Scientific 

 American for May 4th, describes a means of killing the 

 boring mollusc known as the Ship-worm or Teredo by means 

 of breaking up sea water by electricity, so that chlorine gas is 

 liberated in the neighbourhood of the submerged timber of 

 wharfs. Electrodes are suspended in the water and the power 

 plant is on a barge. The current is turned on for about an 

 hour and the operation is timed so that the action of the tide 

 will help rather than hinder the process of chlorination. The 

 electrolytic treatment must, of course, be repeated from time to 

 time. 



