The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-18
CAN'T GROW FIGS WITHOUT BUGS.
Insects Imported to California-Artificial
Crossing OF Fruit Blossoms.

Insects Imported to California-Artificial
Crossing OF Fruit Blossoms.
WASHINGTON CRY, Oct. 12.-[Special. l.
Some very valuable bugs were imported to
this country for the first time in July last
Upon them rest the hopes of persons who
are anxious to make fig-raising a success
in the United States. The tree which
bears this fruit has a very marked
popularity respecting it's blossoms. They
are actually inside of the embryo figs
themselves, so that the casual observer
would suppose that there were no flowers
at all. However, if you will cut open a
baby fig, you will find inside 1t the parts
of flower necessary for reproduc-
ton, 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 is preserved and
brought hither from abroad, this mingling
does not usually take place of itself. Thus
the trees would be nearly if not quite bar
rem were it not for the efforts of certain
insects of the kind above referred to.
For the purpose of eating the pollen,
these insects crawl in through a little hole
in the incipient fig, and wander about
within until they have incidentally caused
stirring together of the pollen and pis-
tils. 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 the
quantity of the fruit produced in the world
would be comparatively small, although
the ripening can be effected by poking
little splinters of wood into the blossoms
and turning them around. 1t has been
found that tlgs of this sort, which are the
kind valuable In commerce, cannot be pro-
duced on this side of the water without
these insect friends, and so consignments
of the latter have been landed in California,
where it is expected that they will be sue
cessfully propagated. Upon this prospect
depends all the expectation at present en-
tertained of hg culture here.
The creation of new varieties of fruits by
artificial cross-fertilization has become
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 it
has hitherto been found impracticable to
cultivate this fruit, owing to the inevitable
destruction of the trees by excessive winter
cold. For this purpose a hardy crabapple
has been taken and bred for size With
desirable large variety, the object being to
get an apple that will have the sturdiness
of one parent with somewhat of the flavor
and bigness of the other. To accomplish
this, the experimental takes a crabapple
tree before its blossoms are open. He
opens each bud gently and cuts of
with a 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 per-
Torrance with number of others. Sub
sequenly when the flowers have opened of
their own accord, he goes TO each with
pollen from tree that bears great, big
Juicy apples, Lifting off each paper bag
separately. he touches the pistlls OF the
blossoms with a little brush loaded with the
pollen. After the operation he ties the paper
bag on again, in this making sure that no
other male germs can come to any flower
so treated. He leaves the paper bags at
tached TO the twigs until the blossoms
inside of them have developed ripened
fruit. OF this fruit he knows the parent
age absolutely, and if il is good, 1t
simply remains for him to establish
il 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 a sturdy tree
and reproduce the apple obtained from the
cross So new variety is established.
IL has been found that pollen can be
shipped for great distances, at all events
for 1900 miles, and yet retain its vitality.
The only requirement is that il shall be
kept at low temperature, say As degrees.
This is very important, inasmuch as 1t Is
thus rendered possible TO cross varieties
which grow lar apart geographi-
cally. Also it is made practical
BILE to preserve the pollen of an
earlier stock for while, holding il back
until the ripening of the blossoms of a
later variety with which it is desired 10
mate il. A cross between two varieties
which are related very remotely is always
likely 10 produce what pomologists call
''mules. 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. It was by
an accident OF this sort that the nectarine
was originally developed on q peach twig.