3d 
tunity offered and because of the variations referred to in the method 
of packing and the careful tenting of the single tree, in the hope that 
some might succeed in finding fruit of the right size for entering and 
for oviposition. Mr. Roeding, in acknowledging the receipt of the send- 
ing of March 31 and promising to cut them open and put them under 
the covered tree, said: ‘‘ But I anticipate no results, and I do not think 
a success will be made of this matter until fig trees with the figs attached 
are sent out here during the winter months.” Most of the figs shipped 
from Washington on the dth and 6th of April arrived at Fresno in a 
decaying condition. } 
In view of everything which has so far been said in this paper, the 
pleasure of the writer on receiving the following telegram from Mr. 
Roeding will readily be understood: 
} 
FRESNO, CAL., June 23, 1899. 
Dr. L. O. HOWARD, 
Chief Entomologist, Washington, D. C.: 
Great surprise. Blastophaga developed in caprifigs. Send instructions. 
GEO. C. ROEDING. 
This was followed on the next day by the following dispatch: 
FRESNO, CAL., June 24, 1899. 
Dr. L. O. Howarp, 
| Chief Entomologist, Washington, D. C.: 
Twenty figs tented tree; insects pupa state; one fruit outside; winged insects 
now escaping; fruit hanging Smyrna tree; letter and fig mailed. 
GEO. C. ROEDING. 
The letter referred to contained the interesting statement that the 
| figs with the insects in them were discovered by accident. One of Mr. 
| Roeding’s men was engaged in gathering caprifigs and extracting the 
pollen for the purpose of artificially pollinating Smyrna figs by means 
of a blowpipe. He ran across one fig which apparently contained 
seeds, but which Mr. Roeding found were in reality galls. The fig was 
taken from the covered tree, and about the 24th of June all of the figs 
on the same tree had dropped and shriveled up, with the exception of 
about twenty, which were still green and plump, and which subsequent 
evidence showed contained developing Blastophagas. Another fig out- 
side of the covered tree was found later in the same day, from which a 
winged Blastophaga was in the act of emerging. This fig was imme- 
diately tied on one of the Smyrna fig trees. A day later ten more figs 
on an outside tree were found to contain the Blastophaga. The pene- 
trating power of the female Blastophaga was shown by an interesting 
experience of Mr. Roeding. On June 29 he picked half a dozen capri- 
figs and, placing them in a glass jar covered with cheese cloth, started 
for his foothill farm, where he has some caprifigs growing. On the 
journey about one hundred Blastophagas emerged, and were quite 
lively, flying around in the jar. On arrival he found upon examining 
the cheese cloth that at least a half dozen of the insects were forcing 
their way through the cloth, and some were crawling on the outside. 
7277—No. 20 3 
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