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which  had  been  made  in  Europe  in  caprification.  He  made  this 
proposition  to  Mr.  Shinn,  who  happened  to  have  in  his  fruit  gar- 
den Smyrna  figs  for  about  ten  years.  As  it  happened  Shinn  had 
a friend  in  Smyrna  to  whom  he  wrote  immediately  asking  to  send 
him  capri  figs.  Mr.  Shinn’s  friend  obligingly  did  so.  In  August, 
1891,  the  fig  trees  arrived  from  Smyrna  in  pretty  good  condition, 
still  having  on  them  many  Blastophaga  alive,  which,  on  advice  of 
Eisen,  were  released  on  the  capri  and  neighboring  trees. 
But  this  first  importation  remained  without  success,  also  several 
later  ones  up  to  1899  when  the  Division  of  Entomology,  of  which 
Prof.  L.  O.  Howard  was  chief,  in  cooperation  with  that  of  botany 
made  a determined  effort  to  introduce  and  acclimatize  Blasto- 
phaga. 
W.  T.  Swingle  was  sent  that  year  to  Greece  for  that  purpose, 
he  having  already  in  1898  taken  great  interest  in  caprification 
while  at  Naples  studying  at  the  zoological  station,  and  made 
from  Italy  shipments  of  fig  trees  from  which  the  Blastophaga,  as 
is  believed,  did  not  thrive.  From  Greece  Swingle  sent  other  vari- 
eties of  capri  figs  to  America  and  a little  later  also  other  slips  and 
one  capri  fig  three  metres  high  from  Algeria. 
In  the  following  spring  he  sent  eight  boxes  with  “Mamme”  of 
capri  figs,  which  arrived  in  Washington  in  good  condition  and 
from  there  they  were  sent  to  Roeding  in  California,  who,  by  this 
time,  after  so  many  failures,  had  become  very  skeptical,  but  still 
did  with  care  all  that  Howard  had  suggested. 
The  numerous  Blastophaga  which  developed  from  these  or 
“mamme”  sent  by  Swingle,  entered  the  fruit  of  the  Smyrna  figs 
and  those  of  the  local  capir  fig,  so  they  were  finally  able  to  pro- 
claim in  1900  the  definite  acclimatization  of  that,  by  California 
fruit  growers  so  much  desired,  insect  and  to  begin  a new  era  in 
the  culture  and  commerce  of  figs  also  in  that  country. 
B.  grossonim  has  been  introduced  in  California  without  the 
parasites  which  destroy  it  in  Europe  therefore  it  has  become 
more  numerous  there  than  in  the  latter  country. 
From.  California  Blastophaga  has  been  introduced  also  to  South 
Africa  with  complete  success. 
L ANT  AN  A INSECTS. 
The  Lantana  ( Fami  Verbenaceae ) was  introduced  in  the  Ha- 
waiian Islands  from  Mexico  in  1858  as  an  ornamental  plant,  but 
favored  by  climate  and  lack  of  enemies,  it  was  disseminated  every- 
where by  the  Indian  Mvna  bird  ( Acridotheres) , which  was  im- 
ported to  Hawaii  for  the  destruction  of  caterpillars  and  found 
also  Lantana  seed  to  its  liking.  Gradually  it  took  possession  of 
district's  which  were  used  as  natural  pasture  on  the  plains,  hills 
and  mountains  and  became  very  troublesome  to  remove  from  cul- 
tivated land,  especially  sugar  land.  About  1900  it  constituted  a 
real  serious  problem  for  Hawaiian  agriculture,  but  fortunately 
Koebele  was  then  entomologist  in  the  Islands,  and  he  in  this  in- 
