BIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF FIGS. 925 



production of fertile seeds. Imported in 1880 (for de- 

 tails see the historical part) , and quite extensively propa- 

 gated and planted in the most dissimilar parts of Cali- 

 fornia, those figs failed to bear one single ripe fruit during 

 a period of (10) ten years. The fruit would form in 

 abundance, the flowers would develop and become ap- 

 parently receptive, as shown by the glands of the stigma, 

 and by the length of the style, but the fruit would in- 

 variably fall, when apparently one-third or one-half grown. 

 It was this fact, together with my observation that im- 

 ported Smyrna figs always possessed numerous fertile 

 seeds, while such were never found in our (other) edible 

 figs, that made me a strong advocate of caprification, and 

 which satisfied me that pollination was necessary and not 

 illusionary, as almost every one else (41) believed, prin- 

 cipally on the testimony of Gasparrini and Olivier. It 

 would indeed have been strange that Smyrna figs should 

 not ripen their fruit in California, if the maturing only 

 depended on climatic conditions or differences in soil. 

 Those figs', consisting of three distinct varieties, were 

 planted in the most dissimilar localities and in greatly 

 different soils, and exposed to varied climatic conditions, 

 found in the northern, central and southern parts of Cali- 

 fornia, in the interior valleys, in the foothills, as well as 

 on the coast. All the old world fig districts together 

 would hardly show more variations in climatic and other 

 conditions, than did those various localities in which the 

 Smyrna figs were tried in this State. Still not one tree 

 properly matured a single fruit. A few of the first crop 

 became half ripened, that is, became yellow, soft, but 

 insipid and not sweet; and besides never attained a proper 

 size, or a size at all approaching that of the imported 

 dried figs. I had no opportunity of trying direct pollina- 

 tion (from want of caprifig pollen) until 1891, in the last 



