CHAPTER VII. 



THE FLOWERS AND FRUIT. 



Fig flowers are invariably grown on the inside of 

 woody, shell-like envelopes, all of which softens 

 into fruit. Some trees bear male flowers, others 

 bear both male and female, while the edible Smyrna 

 varieties have only female flowers. The flowers of 

 other edible figs are probably descended from fe- 

 males and are sometimes called mule flowers. Pol- 

 lenation is necessary with Smyrna and Kabylia 

 varieties, and is accomplished by hatching blasto- 

 phagae in male fruit, the insects, while struggling 

 to emerge, becoming covered with pollen, which 

 they carry to female flowers in seeking places to lay 

 eggs. But one kind of wasp has been found adapt- 

 ed to this work, the flowers being so concealed by 

 surrounding fibre that bees and other insects fail 

 to find them. 



The smallest figs measure less than an inch in 

 each dimension, and are of the following varieties : 

 Angelique, Bargenron, White Barnissotte, Bermis- 

 senca, Betada, Bondance Precoce, Boutard, Caiana, 

 Celeste, De Constantine, Early Violet, Grassale. 

 Giuliana, Tschia, Lipari, Magdalen, Martinique. 

 Mourenao, Nigra, Pergussata, Rocardi, Rondeletta, 

 Trifero, and Verdal. 



The largest sometimes grow five inches long, with 



