20 BULLETIN 732, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
weather hastening development and cool weather retarding it. At 
this time the weather is very warm in the great valley of California. 
If large quantities of figs are to be gathered, a considerable saving is 
effected with no harm to the insect by letting them fall to the ground 
when detached from the branches, but the figs must not be allowed 
to remain on the hot ground in the sun longer than a few minutes. 
With a temperature of 90° F. many insects will be killed in half an 
hour, and most of them in an hour. In an hour and a half every one 
of them will have succumbed. ‘The figs in the shade of the tree or 
those attached to the branches are not affected except at very much 
higher temperatures. It is therefore necessary to pick up the figs 
from the ground about as fast as they are thrown down by the men in 
the trees. 
CAPRIFICATION OF COMMON FIGS. 
To show how erroneous is the conclusion of some authors that the 
pistillate flowers of the Adriatic class of figs are malformed and can 
not be pollinated, it may be mentioned that the writer by applying 
the Blastophaga to the so-called ‘‘mule” figs of more than 50 varieties 
found that in every instance heavy fertile seeds were produced and 
in as large proportion as in the Smyrna fig. From these seeds, thou- 
sands of plants have been grown at the United States Plant Intro- 
duction Garden, Chico, Cal. From such cross-pollinated seeds some 
interesting and valuable varieties are being secured. The breeder 
does not have long to wait for results, since most of the seedlings bear 
fruit at the age of 2 and 3 years. 
A striking instance of the fertilization of common figs occurred at 
Loomis, Cal., where Mr. Andrew Ryder, a prominent fruit grower, had 
grafted a portion of an Adriatic tree with Smyrna scions. The 
Smyrna set quantities of fruit, and wishing to secure a crop the owner 
hung in the tree caprifigs containing Blastophaga ready to issue. 
Some of the insects entered the Adriatic figs on the ungrafted part of 
the tree. The writer secured three mature Adriatic figs which showed 
by their abnormally large size that they had been entered by the 
insects. These three figs contained by actual count 4,800 heavy fertile 
seeds, or an average of 1,600 for each fig—certainly a good crop for a 
“mule” fig which, according to some writers, will not breed. 
Experience is showing that the time may come when it will be 
worth while to caprify all of the common figs, that is, those varieties 
which otherwise reach an edible condition without pollination. A 
caprified fig is a more nearly perfect fruit than an uncaprified one. 
The fruit is considerably increased in size, and the seeds contain © 
plump kernels which give a delicious nutty flavor, not apparent in 
uncaprified figs. Dr. Eisen was the first investigator to make the 
suggestion. 
