G. GASPAEBINT ON TIIK EIPENING OF FIGS. 



advancing to maturity. The variety of mineral tar known in 

 commerce under the name of "black" had the same effect 

 in three fruits out of four. Some, however, were unaffected by 

 the olive-oil, of whose agency in promoting maturation there 

 is no doubt. Of six bathed with sugar and water, and five 

 with carbonate of ammonia, a single fruit of each was a little 

 increased in size within the same period. Five anointed with 

 plaster mixed with lard were in like manner a little enlarged ; of 

 four anointed with honey, a single one became ripe, and 

 another made some progress ; five treated with sulphate of am- 

 monia, and the same number with nitrate of copper, remained in 

 the same state in which they were on the 21st of August, when 

 I began the experiment. On the same day I bathed the mouth 

 of six fruits from the base of the current year's wood of the 

 Winter Fig with a little hydrochloric acid ; and on the fourth 

 day all were twice as large, and began to get soft and ripen. 



The like action of sulphuric acid was recognized by repeated ex- 

 periments in the course of August and part of September. The sul- 

 phuric acid of commerce, lowered with two parts of water, brought 

 a certain number of the Tintore and Paradise Fig to perfect ma- 

 turity, with little variation, in the space of eight days ; and out 

 of five Winter Figs, after three days, three were enlarged and 

 approached maturity. "With four parts of water the acid gave 

 the same result, in the Paradise Fig, in two receptacles, as if they 

 had been greatly excited ; but two others, after enlarging a 

 little, split without changing colour or becoming tender in any 

 part. In consequence, I wished to proceed with more precision 

 when employing the same acid lowered with three, six, and nine 

 parts of water. The mouth of four receptacles of the Sardinian, 

 White, and Brogiotto Fig was anointed with each of these liquids, 

 thirty-six in all ; and in about three days they became double the 

 size and npproached maturity. The mouth of five unripe figs of 

 the Imperial Brogiotto variety was touched with the sulphuric acid 

 of commerce lowered with two parts of water; and three of these 

 on the eighth day were twice as large, and split at the base into 

 two or three parts ; their cuticle had become violet, their flowers 

 deep red, the pulp tender, but with little flavour, as is the case 

 also with receptacles which split naturally. The scales of the 

 mouth, moreover, became tender, and, as it were, sodden with the 

 acid. A fourth, without enlarging or changing, also split into 

 two parts at the apex ; the fifth became three times as large, was 



