Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-17
BUGS FOR FIG TREES.

GONE VERY VALUABLE BUGS WERE I'M
Oported to this country for the first time in
July last. Upon them rest. SO a STAR reporter
was informed, the hopes Of persons who are
anxious to make fig raising success in the
United States. The tree which bears this frui,
has a very marked popularity respecting its
blossoms. They are actually inside OF the
embryo figs themselves, so that the casual OBJ
server would suppose that there were no
flowers at all. However, il you will cut
open a baby fig you will find inside 1t the
parts of a flower necessary for repro
duction curiously packed away. Both stamens
and pistils are there-namely, the male and
female parts-and it is only required that they
shall be mixed together in order that the fruit
shall ripen. Unfortunately, in the case Of the
variety of fig which 10 preserved end brought
hither from abroad, this mingling does not
usually take place Of ITSELF Thus the trees
would be nearly if not quite barren were il
not for the efforts Of certain insects of the kind
above referred to.
TEE IKsEcTs' Work.
For the purpose Of eating the pollen these
insects crawl in through little hole in the in
cipient fig and wander about within until they
have incidentally caused stirring together Of
the pollen and pistils Now it happens that the
bugs are not plentiful enough on the cultivated
trees, and SO the growers abroad fetch twigs
laden with them from wild fig trees and hang
them among the branches. If it were not for
this thu quantity OF the fruit produced in the
world would be comparatively small, although
the ripening can be effected by poklng little
splinters Of wood into the blossoms and turn
ing them around. 1t has been found that figs
of this sort, which are the kind valuable in
commerce, cannot be produced on this side of
the water without these insect friends. and 30
consignments Of the latter have been landed in
California. where it is expected that they will
be successfully propagated. Upon this pros
pect depends all the expectation at present en-
tertained Of fig culture here.
THE CREATION OF NEW VARIETIES OF FRUITS
by artificial cross-fertlization has become a
science. For example, efforts are being made
at present to produce an apple that will grow
and ripen in Dakota, Minnesota and other
parts Of the northwest, where 1t has hitherto
been found impracticable to cultivate this
fruit, owing to the inevitable destruction of
the trees by excessive winter cold. For this
purpose hardy crabapple has been taken and
bred for size with a desirable large variety.
the object being to get an apple that will have
the sturdiness OF one parent with somewhat of
the flavor and size OF the other. To accom-
plish this the experimenter takes Q crabapple
tree before its blossoms are open. He opens
each bud gently and cuts of with pair Of
scissors every stamen Having thus removed
the male parts OF the flower he covers the latter
with paper bag and goes through the
same performance with a number Of
have opened of their own ac-
cord, he goes to each with pollen from tree
that bears great big juicy apples. Lifting of
each paper bag separately, he touches the pis-
ills of the blossoms with a little brush loaded
with the pollen. After the operation he ties
the paper bag on again, in this way making
sure that no other male germs can come to any
flower SO treated. He leaves the paper bags
attached to the twigs until the blossoms inside
OF them have developed ripened fruit OF this
If it is good, it simply remains for him to es-
tablish 1t as variety by planting the seeds.
Out Of 500 seeds 499 will very likely turn out
worthless, but the five-hundredth one, perhaps
will grow into sturdy tree and reproduce the
apple obtained from the cross. So new va
riety is established.
SHIPPING POLLEN.
1t has been found that pollen can be shipped
for great distances-at all events, for 1000
miles-and yet retain its vitality. The only
requirement is that 1t shall be kept at low
temperature, say IS degrees. This is very i'm
pOrtant, inasmuch as it is thus rendered posi-
BILE to cross varieties which grow far apart geo
graphically. Also it is made practicable to
preserve the pollen of an earlier stock for
awhile, holding 1t back until the ripening OF
the blossoms of later variety, with which it is
desired to mate 1t. A cross between two varie.
ties which are related very remotely is always
likely to produce what pomologists call mules, T"
the seeds OF the fruit obtained producing
nothing. A curious freak occurs sometimes in
the bearing by one branch of tree of fruit
entirely different from that borne by the other
branches. 1t was by an accident Of this sort
that the nectarinc was originally developed on
peach twig.