44: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



to cause proper development as it is in the male fig. It lias 

 been shown, however, by Eisen over twenty years ago that in 

 no single case has a female F. cari&i developed when the insects 

 had not come into contact with any pollen before entering, 

 while others on the same tree into which pollen had been carried 

 matured, and there is no reason to suppose it is otherwise with 

 F. Foxhurghii. Dr. Cunningham found that the end of the 

 pollen-tube enlarged into a globe into which all the contents 

 collected. This burst and discharged thousands of minute 

 granules. Mr. Brown said that this process required further 

 investigation, and that he thought it possible that the granules 

 might be the real elements of fertilisation, and that having been 

 set free in the fluid which fills the cavity they would reach 

 the stigmas. The dispersal of these granules may be part of 

 the function of the fluid. 



The fertilisation of the edible fig is much the same as that of 

 F. Roxhurghii. The insect efiecting it is Blastophaga grossorum. 

 In this case oviposition is stated to take place down the short 

 style of the gall flower. The accounts of the fertilisation have 

 been obscured by the fact that many cultivated varieties ripen 

 their fruit without insect aid. To understand this it is necessary 

 to bear in mind the following : — There are four forms of this 

 fig : (1) The wild fig (Capri fig). This is the male tree, in the figs 

 of which the insect breeds ; they contain male and gall flowers, 

 and in the third (last) crop only a few female flowers which 

 produce one or two fertile seeds in each fig, (2) The Smyrna 

 fig. This is the female tree bearing only perfect female flowers. 

 (3) The common fig, bearing only abortive female flowers. These 

 figs are purely a product of cultivation, and ripen just as bananas, 

 seedless oranges, and other seedless fruits do. (4) A peculiar class 

 of figs in which the first crop ripens without pollination, and the 

 second, consisting of perfect female flowers, does not. The figs 

 of the Capri fig are used for the process of caprification, which 

 consists of hanging strings of mature Capri figs on the branches 

 of the Smyrna (or other) figs, so that when the insects emerge 

 from the Capri figs they may fertilise the Smyrna figs, which 

 would otherwise drop ofi the trees. The Smjn-na fig contains 

 ripe seeds, while the common fig is seedless, containing only 

 empty husks. The Ficus and the Blastophaga depend upon 

 each other for existence. The Ficus could not produce seed 



