269 
the  proper  season  of  the  year.  When  the  transfer  of  the  capri 
fig  to  the  commercial  variety  of  tree  has  taken  place,  the 
female  wasp  forces  its  way  within  the  small  orifice  of  the 
Smyrna  fig  and  loses  her  wings  in  the  operation.  The  female 
flowers  inside  are  unsuited  to  the  deposit  of  her  eggs  and  in 
her  endeavor  to  achieve  this,  she  pollenizes  the  Smyrna  fig  and 
makes  its  development  possible.  Having  failed  in  her  effort 
to  lay  her  eggs,  the  wasp  now  leaves  the  fruit  and  deprived  of 
wings  falls  to  the  ground  and  dies.  All  Smyrna  figs  thus  en- 
tered expand  and  ripen  and  after  becoming  partially  dried  on 
the  tree  are  allowed  to  fall  to  the  ground.  They  are  then 
gathered,  and  after  being  dipped  in  boiling  brine  are  placed 
upon  trays  and  dried — two  or  three  days  being  occupied  in 
the  process.  The  figs  are  now  placed  in  sweat  boxes  for  about 
two  weeks,  washed  in  cold  brine  and  then  graded  and  packed. 
It  is  possible  that  the  caprification  necessary  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Smyrna  fig  will  militate  against  the  introduction 
of  its  cultivation  in  many  countries  on  account  of  the  belief 
that  the  work  attendant  upon  the  process  is  complicated  and 
difficult.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case  for  it  has  been  carried 
on  for  ages,  as  has  been  said,  in  Asia  Minor,  by  people  who 
probably  do  not  understand  its  principles.  Growers  in  the 
San  Joaquin  Vialley  in  California  have  experienced  no  difficulty 
in  its  accomplishment  and  there  should  be  none  attendant 
upon  its  adoption  here. 
THE  1910  FLORAL  PARADE . 
Already  preparations  are  being  made  for  the  Honolulu 
Floral  Parade,  which  will  take  place  next  February,  and  indi- 
cations are  not  wanting  that  the  1910  event  will  be  a note- 
worthy advance  on  its  successful  predecessors.  Centers  of  dis- 
tribution for  advertising  literature  have  been  established  not 
only  on  the  mainland  but  in  Canada,  Mexico,  Europe  and  even 
South  Africa,  and  the  event  will  be  heralded  by  postcards,  let- 
ter-seals and  posters  wherever  the  mails  penetrate.  Amid  all 
this  attention  to  the  detail  of  advertising,  the  Hawaiian  For- 
ester would  respectfully  enter  a plea  for  the  recognition  in  the 
Parade  of  the  merits  of  real  flowers  above  artificial  ones. 
By  the  establishment  of  special  prizes  for  decorations  in  real 
flowers  a stimulus  would  be  given  to  the  development  of  a 
beautiful  local  industry. 
With  proper  application  and  care  these  islands  should  be- 
come a veritable  garden  of  flowers,  so  that  the  visitors  whom 
our  posters  induced  to  sojourn  in  our  midst  might  witness  a 
Floral  Parade  indeed. 
