28 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
what has become of the Blastophaga during the generation of the second 
crop of caprifigs known as mammoni. In the development of the third or 
over-wintering crop, the Blastophaga is again present and is thus carried 
through the winter in condition to oviposit in the proficlii of the following 
spring. 
As early as 1880 Mr. Gulian P. Rixford, of California, introduced three 
varieties of Smyrna figs and a single caprifig tree into that State. In 1885 Mr. 
E. W. Maslin, of California, planted Smyrna seeds taken from figs imported 
by the great wholesale grocery house of H. K. Thurber & Co., of New York* 
and presented to Mr. Maslin for experimental purposes. He grew in four 
years large and flourishing trees, the trunks of which had in 1889 reached a 
diameter of from 4 to 6 inches. In 1890 the Division of Pomology of the 
United States Department of Agriculture imported cuttings of the wild cap- 
rifigs from Smyrna, which arrived in excellent condition, a few even retain- 
ing and maturing fruit which had set before shipment. These immature 
fruits all contained caprifying Blastophagas, and the cuttings were distri- 
buted to twenty-seven persons in Florida, California, Texas, Mississippi, 
Louisiana, New Mexico, and Arizona, those in California at least, taking root 
and growing with extraordinary rapidity. 
Several persons in California were already, or soon after became, vitally 
interested in the subject of fig caprification and in its absolute importance 
to the fig industry of California. Dr. Gustav Eisen, at that time connected 
with the Fancher Creek Nurseries, of Fresno, and later curator of biology in. 
the California Academy of Sciences; Mr. E. W. Maslin, above mentioned; 
Mr. J. C. Shinn, of Niles; Mr. John Rock, a well-known nurseryman of Niles; 
Mr. Frank A. Kimball, of National City, and Mr. George C. Roeding, of 
Fresno, were especially interested. Mr. Shinn, through the assistance of a 
missionary in Syria, imported caprifigs containing Blastophagas and endeav- 
ored to establish them, but without success. Dr. Eisen studied the subject 
with great care, corresponded with Count Solms-Laubach, imported with his 
help cuttings of a number of varieties of both Smyrna and caprifigs, and with 
the help of Mr. Rock, at Niles, established and has now growing several hun- 
dred Sniyrna figs of large size and a number of caprifigs, while Mr. Rock 
has accomplished the Interesting result of grafting several varieties of the 
Solms-Laubach cuttings of caprifigs upon a single Smyrna fig tree” thus pro- 
ducing a tree of great horticultural interest and possibly in the near future 
of much practical importance. Dr. Eisen prepared and published in 1896 an 
important paper, entitled “Biological studies on figs, caprifigs, and caprifica- 
tion.” in the Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series II, 
volume 5, pages 897-1001. Mr. George C. Roeding, at Fresno, in the mean- 
time had started a large orchard of Smyrna and caprifigs, comprising 
roughly more than 500 trees, of which about 70 were caprifigs. In 1895, 
through European correspondence, Mr. Roeding introduced caprifigs from 
Europe containing Blastophaga, but failed to bring about its establishment 
or even, as in former experiments, to secure the production of a single indi- 
vidual offspring from the imported stock on California soil. 
From the beginning of the work, the United States Department of Agricul- 
ture had been thoroughly alive to the importance of the possible practical 
outcome. The importation of the caprifig cuttings mentioned above, in 
1889-90, was done after consultation between Prof. H. E. Van Deman, then 
pomologist, and Prof. C. Y. Riley, then entomologist, of the Department, for 
the purpose of establishing the proper host plants in the best possible condi- 
