THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
229 
thing w(‘ Iiave. It does not hurt at all to occasionally 
fake stock and appreciate what we possess ourselves and 
mark the progress we are making. ' 
CAPKI WASPS AND THE FKl 
Kichard Spillane writing in the Philadelphia Public 
Ledger says: 
For many years America depended to a large degree on 
Near Asia for figs. There were no figs to compare with 
the tigs of Smyrna. They dried readily and could be 
shipped the wmrld over. 
Here in America we raised figs, big luscious figs. Any 
one who has lived along the gulf coast, and especially in 
South Texas, knows the tig. It was so plentiful that in 
season it was hawked about the streets of cities like Gal¬ 
veston, Houston and San Antonio, and sold by the bucket¬ 
ful for ten cents. Most peojile had fig trees in their front 
or back yards. 
lint tbe tigs had to be eaten promptly upon ripening 
or made into preserves or they would not ‘‘keep.” In¬ 
numerable efforts were made at drying, but without suc¬ 
cess. In Texas the belief was that there was too much 
moisture in the coast-country air. In Georgia, Alabama 
and Mississijipi, some other explanation was advanced. 
Jn California where it was as dry as a bone, all sorts of 
efforts at drying were attempted, and all sorts of theories 
advanced as to why they didn’t give satisfactory results, 
and all these theories were wrong. 
Some w ise old boy in Georgia who had made a life 
study of tigs came to the conclusion that there was some 
discoverable reason w hy the fig of Smyrna dried almost 
naturally and that the fig of America did not; why the fig 
of Smyrna w ould stand transportation around the world 
and the fig of America would not stand transportation 
1000 miles; w hy the fig of America, which in quality was 
better than the fig of Smyrna, was of little value and the 
fig of Smyrna brought big profit. 
He went to Asia. He discovered that in Smyrna there 
was a peculiar custom in fig growing. Once a year the 
Iruit raiser went into the hills and brought down 
branches of the w ild fig trees and mixed them w ith his 
cultivated trees. Why he did this he could not explain 
except that it had been a custom for ages, and custom is 
strong in old, old countries. 
The man from Georgia brought back some of the wild 
fig boughs and mixed them with his fig trees. He was 
greatly gratified a few years later to discover that his 
fruit dried readily. He had discovered on the wild fig 
boughs a (jueer insect, a cross between the fly and the 
wasp. This insect lived in the fig tree. 
Aft(‘r two years of jiartial success in drying his figs the 
Georgin man had a season of failure. His wasp-flies had 
disappi'ari'd, died off, pmhajis. Not until he sent to Asia 
for mori' boughs of the w ild fig trees w as he able to dry 
figs w ithout great difficulty. 
Out of the man’s expmimenting there has developi'd 
such jirogress in fig drying as America has to her credit. 
Thei e w as sound sense back of the custom of the ancients 
in bringing down from the hills the boughs of the wild 
fig, for the fly or wasp carried certain pollen to or fertil¬ 
ized the cultivated fig so it did not spoil, as does the fig 
that is not “stung” by the wasp. 
America has not acciuired the skill in drying figs that 
is possessed by the people of the Levant, but it w ill “get 
there.” Meanwdiile the fig crop growls in value year by 
year and the fig wasj) comes more and more in demand. 
That explains the short story from California. Inciden¬ 
tally it makes persons appreciate that the pests of life 
may perform useful functions of which we know little. 
Who would have supposed that there was great econ¬ 
omic worth in the sting of a wasp? Not all wasps, maybe, 
but surely in that of the fig wasp. One of these days we 
may discover some useful if not lovable qualification in 
the mosquito. You never can tell. 
SOUTHEHN NUUSEKYMEN’S ASSOCIATION 
The Southern Nurserymen w ill hold their annual meet¬ 
ing on August 20th and 21st at the Piedmont Hotel, At¬ 
lanta, Georgia. 
The following are the officers: 
H. C. Cakhvell, Atlanta, Ga., President. 
S. W. Crowell, Roseacres, Miss., Vice President. 
0. Joe Howard, Pomona, N. C., Secretary aud Treas. 
WAR ORPHANS OF FRANCE DYING FROM 
MALNUTRITION AND SHOCK 
The children of France have not yet emerged from the 
shadow of the war. With peace assured, and a happier 
future opening before them, it becomes increasingly evi¬ 
dent that the child life of France has suffered a shock 
from which it is difficult to rally; while the birth rate has 
dropped to 8 to each 1,000 population. 
The latherless Children of France, an American or¬ 
ganization co-operating with a similar one in Paris of 
wiiich Marshal Joffre is the head, rej)orts that of the 
children receiving American aid to the extent of 10 cents 
a day under its plan of securing American godmothers 
lor the little French war waifs, its records show' an av¬ 
erage of 700 children’s deaths pt'r month since the ar¬ 
mistice. The help of the American godmothers came too 
late to save these undernourished nene-shocked little 
ones. 
Mrs. Waltei- S. Rjcw ster of Chicago, vice-chairman of 
the Fatherless Children of France, has been appointed 
chairman of a campaign to secun' Americaj) oid for the 
60,000 lilth^ w ar orj)hans w hose' names wc're on the lists 
ol the organization as ‘‘unadopl(*d” Ixdbi'e tin* signing of 
the armistice. Ten cetils w ill care for a child for an en¬ 
tire day; rfR.OO for a month; while for .1^36.50 a year the 
donor may select a child from the lists at the organiza¬ 
tion’s head(|uarters and be placed in correspondence w ith 
it. To adopt a child or make a donation w rite for infor¬ 
mation to Mrs. Walter S. Brew'sler, Room 634. 410 S. 
Michigan Avenue, Chicago. 
