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have  passed  without  being  inspected,  but  for  one  package  being 
broken,  contents  were  noted  by  the  officials.  There  was,  how- 
ever, no  intention  on  the  part  of  the  consignee  to  evade  the  law, 
but  it  shows  how  pests  may  be  introduced  through  the  mail,  unless 
shippers  of  plants  be  compelled  to  label  their  wares.” 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
By  courtesy  of  Mr.  Walter  T.  Swingle  of  the  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  we  received  on  the  12th  from  Mr.  G.  P. 
Rixford  of  San  Francisco  a splendid  colony  of  the  Smyrna  fig 
insects.  The  insects  arrived  in  excellent  condition — alive  and 
issuing — and  were  placed  in  Moanalua  Gardens,  the  only  place 
on  these  islands  where  capri  trees  are  known  to  be  in  fruit.  In 
connection  with  this  shipment  we  received  the  following  letter : 
Washington,  D.  C.,  May  7,  1909. 
Mr.  Jacob  Kotinsky, 
Superintendent  of  Entomology  and  Inspector, 
Honolulu,  Hawaii. 
Dear  Sir: — I have  directed  that  some  mamme  caprifigs  with 
the  winter  generation  of  Blastophaga  be  sent  you  from  our  fig 
orchard  at  Loomis,  California.  I hope  the  insects  will  establish 
themselves  in  Hawaii  and  be  able  to  live  there. 
I am  also  sending  you  a few  copies  of  a special  circular  I pre- 
pared last  winter  on  caprification. 
I hope  you  may  be  able  to  get  some  people  in  Hawaii  to  take 
advantage  of  our  offer  to  send  cuttings  of  choice  varieties  of  figs 
and  caprifigs  as  a bonus  for  planting  seedling  figs. 
Possibly  some  of  your  people  would  like  to  try  the  special  foot- 
hill collection  and  perhaps  if  you  could  bring  to  the  attention  of 
the  readers  of  the  “Forester”  the  fact  that  caprifigs  and  seedlings 
are  distributed  free,  a number  would  like  to  write  for  the  cir- 
cular. Of  course,  the  cuttings  and  seedlings  cannot  be  sent  out 
before  next  winter. 
Very  truly  yours, 
Walter  T.  Swingle, 
Physiologist  in  Charge, 
Plant  Life  History  Investigations. 
The  copies  of  the  special  circular  here  referred  to  were  dis- 
tributed among  likely  applicants  for  fig  cuttings  in  the  hope  that 
they  would  avail  themselves  of  the  offer.  It  is  my  personal  belief 
that  with  an  abundant  supply  of  adequate  varieties  of  capri  trees 
the  Smyrna  fig  should  do  well  here  in  many  localities  and  prove 
