64 REPORT ON THE FIG MOTH IN SMYRNA. 
escape from the boxes during transit to America, leaving behind 
only their borings and excrement. This objection is not a reasonable 
one : First, because in fact a very small percentage of larvae escapes 
in transit, the majority remaining within the boxes and crawling over 
and littering many more figs than are required for their sustenance ; 
secondly, the body of the dead larva either dries or becomes perfectly 
preserved by the sirup of the fig and indistinguishable from it, 
leaving no outward trace to indicate' its presence in the fig. .The 
larvae are not injurious when eaten with the figs, the objection to 
them being the unsightly condition their work gives to the, fruit. 
If figs are delivered to the packers promptly from the interior, i. e., 
within a week after being gathered, the majority of larvae will be too 
small to be objectionable or even distinguishable at the time the figs 
are sterilized. 
As attested by a number of the large fig packers in Smyrna, the 
installation of machinery adequate to sterilize the entire output 
of packed figs from a " khan " is quite possible. Packers are, more- 
over, willing to proceed immediately toward that end if sterilization 
of figs (or whatever term we choose to use for the process of killing 
the "worms") is insisted upon and imposed with equal rigidness 
upon all. So long, however, as some packers can find means of 
evading the trouble and expense of sterilizing, and are thus enabled 
to undersell those packers who are put to extra expense in improving 
their product, and are at the same time assured of being able to 
sell their figs — or are perhaps even given a preference by some 
American importers because of the lower price they quote — it is not 
likely that much advance will be made in the way of sterilization. 
These things alone keep many packers from investing on a large 
scale in improvements that would greatly benefit the trade. In order 
to progress they must have the protection of this Government. 
"Without such action as can be taken against the fig moth in the 
"khan," the insect will only with the greatest difficulty be eradi- 
cated or even greatly reduced in number in figs coming to this coun- 
try. There are several species of parasitic enemies of the fig moth 
present in Asia Minor, and often as high as 40 to 50 per cent of the 
larvae are destroyed by them; but, as in all similar cases of insect 
parasitism, the eradication of the host is accomplished after the 
worst of the damage has been done. The larvae, until they are full 
grown and about to leave the figs to pupate, do not succumb to the 
attack of parasites. The combined activities of all the parasites 
prove to be of little service in relieving the "wormy" condition of 
figs, so we must depend exclusively upon artificial means. 
