BIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF FIGS. 969 



the caprifig through the year. Each crop of fig has, as 

 we have seen, had its own crop or brood of wasps, from 

 which follows that if a crop of figs should entirely fail 

 the crop or brood of the wasps would also perish. 



To facilitate the understanding of the life history of 

 the wasp the following diagrammatic table has been pre- 

 pared : 



A. Second Crop or Profichi of the Caprifig. April to June. 

 L lu Ajpril these figs are less than quarter grown. 



2. The Blastophaga females enter the figs and here deposit their eggs 

 in the gall flowers. 



3. In June, or two months later, these Blastophaga eggs have become 

 fully developed, and the perfect wasps emerge to seek other figs. 



4. In emerging the wasps are covered with pollen. 



B. Third Crop or Mammoni of the Caprifig. June to October. 



1. In June the third crop is quarter grown. 



2. The Blastophagas emerging from the previous crop penetrate into 

 these third crop figs and deposit their eggs in the gall flowers. 



3. In doing so they also pollinate the female flowers. 



4. In October the Blastophaga eggs are fully developed and the perfect 

 wasps emerge hunting for the young figs of the mamme. 



5. A few seed fully developed are found in this the third crop of the 

 caprifig, none being found in the two other crops. 



C. The First Crop or the Mamme of the Caprifig. October, through 



winter, to April. 



1. In October the mamme are quarter grown. 



2. The Blastophaga, hatching from the preceding or third crop, enter 

 the mamme and there deposit their eggs in the gall flowers. 



3. The mamme, with the gall flowers and the eggs of the Blastophaga, 

 hibernate on the tree without further development. 



4. With the advent of spring the mamme and the Blastophaga eggs 

 resume development. 



5. In April the Blastophaga eggs have developed into full grown wasps, 

 which emerge from the figs seeking the young figs of the next crop, 

 the profichi, in order to deposit their eggs in them (78). 



PROCESS OF CAPRIFICATION. 



The process of caprification consists in bringing the 

 ■caprifigs, of the proper age and crop, in close proximity 



