TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 137 



The female wasp forces its way, with the loss of its wings, into the fruit 

 of the Capri fig through the eye, and lays its eggs in the ovaries of the 

 gall flowers. In consequence of this puncture, the wasp embryo develops 

 in the ovaries of the flowers. The wingless or male wasps are the first 

 to appear. They gnaw their way into the ovaries in which the females 

 lie, impregnate them, and then perish within the fig in which they were 

 born. The winged female then escapes and enters the following crop of 

 the Capri fig, when the same process as described above takes place. 

 Or, if the fruits have been hung in the Smyrna fig trees, as is done with 

 the June crop, the wasp forces its way through the eye of this, the 

 edible fig, which is then in the proper state of maturity to admit its 

 entrance, and in its endeavor to lay its eggs, and laden with pollen 

 obtained in its outward passage from the Capri fig, fertilizes the female 

 flowers of the former and then perishes, leaving no offspring; the con- 

 struction of the female flowers being such that the insect is prevented 

 from depositing its eggs. 



All figs fertilized in the manner described mature good, edible fruit, 

 full of perfect seeds; while those which are not pollinated, fail to develop, 

 dry up, and fall from the tree when about one-third grown. 



The general impression prevails that the wild, or Capri, fig is really 

 the male fig, while the Smyrna, or edible, fig is the female. While the 

 two varieties of figs do ostensibly stand in the relation of male and 

 female to each other, it must not be inferred from this that the wild fig 

 produces nothing but male flowers, for it contains male, gall, and female 

 flowers, the number varying in a more or less degree in the different 

 crops of Capri figs. It is only in the June crop, however, that the male 

 or staminate flowers are to be found to any extent, and it is this crop 

 that plays such an important part in the successful production of the 

 Smyrna fig, the flowers of which are all pistillate or female. 



The fruit known as a fig is really a hollow inflorescence, the flowers 

 being grouped around a common receptacle. 



I have shown by my experiments that it is not necessary to have sev- 

 eral varieties of Capri figs in order that the insect may breed, but that 

 one tree is sufficient for all the generations of the insect, providing it 

 will produce a succession of crops 'in the future as it has done in the 

 season past. 



In my opinion, however, it is important that we should have a num- 

 ber of varieties of Capri figs planted in different parts of the State, so 

 that if one variety or even a number of varieties fail to produce fruits 

 in one locality, the insects could be obtained elsewhere when needed. 



The conclusions arrived at from the experiments made thus far are, 

 that the Smyrna fig cannot be successfully grown unless through the 

 agency of the Capri fig and the Blastophaga, and my orchard of sixty 

 acres of this variety from eight to twelve years old is, I think, a living 

 example of this statement. 



