166 Observations on the Fruit of Fig Trees. 



whole fruit was squat-shaped, and being cut open appeared 

 thus : 



Anther-bearing florets being in the upper part and the bot- 

 tom occupied by puny stigma-bearing florets, amongst which 

 here and there a half perfect anther-bearing floret occasion- 

 ally exists ; many of these Figs dropped when half grown, 

 others at different increased sizes. Those which remained on 

 latest seemed to make an ineffectual effort to ripen. They 

 swelled suddenly, but only a little, and acquired somewhat 

 of the complexion of a ripe Fig ; but when cut open, shewed 

 the anthers grown much larger, though become dead and 

 dry ; the stigmas no further advanced than in a half grown 

 Fig; and the part at the root of these last, which ought to 

 be the pulp, was become a little moist, and had acquired a 

 very slight smell of the ripe fruit, but was not sweet, or even 

 eatable. I opened every spring Fig, which dropped from 

 this tree, and found them all as I have described. When the 

 summer crop came out I found some variation. A few 

 dropped at half size: the others stayed on, and made the 

 ineffectual swell. I observed, upon opening them, that, 

 those, which stayed longest, swelled most; acquired most 



