Cañon City record., 1899-12-07

While agriculturists. scientific and
practical. are devising means all over
the world to fight insect pests. the
United States department of aGricul-
ture has just succeeded In making At
least one insect aid 1t in the work Of
raising fruit. This remarkable devel-
opment Of q combination of entomol-
ogy and agriculture will enable the
fruit growers of the West to raise .
fruit new to America and one OF vast
commercial value-the famous and ex-
cellent Smyrna fig.
For many years California's fruit
growers have tried in vain to raise
this particularly desirable fruit. Much
money was wasted for plants and cut
tinss, experts from Smyrna and tho
Mediterranean shores were brought
here by private persons, and time and
labor were expended patiently to no
avail. When the scientists of the
federal government began their inves-
tigatton the Californians were about
ready to abandon the attempt. But
now there seems to be hardly chance
OF failure, all owing to the microscope
and the scientist with his theories.
They have done what the practical"
orchard owner could not do with all
his experience.
The federal governments experts
found that the Smyrna flg would not
grow here because we lacked a little
insect that lived on the leaves Of the
trees In Smyrna and, by flying from
one to the other, fertilized them. So
af no ocht
to Smyrna for some Of these little
bugs. which were christened with the
hard and undeserved name of Blasto-
phaga-
The question had been studied for
some time by DR.. Eisen of the Cali
fornia Academy OF Sciences. George
c. Roeding of Fresno, CAL, and John
Rock of Niles, Cal. At Fresno and
Niles many Smyrna fgs. as well a.
wild figs from southern Europe. In
which the fertilized insect develops,
were started. DR.. Howard, the ento-
mologist of the department of agri-
culture. went to California to look
over the ground to learn the condi-
tions and to settle on the best points
at which to attempt the introduction
of the European insect. Another agent
of the department. Walter T. Swingle,
was sent to southern Europe. partly
to send to this country cuttings Of all
varieties of wild figs which could be
found. and to send over living speci-
mems of the Blastophaga.
1t was thought worth while to send
to this country the fruit OF the wild
fig. or the Capri fig. as 1t is called.
containing the living insects, and this
was done on many occasions by Mr..
Swingle. A Capri fig tree was in
closed at MIR. Roeding's place at Frss-
no. and, on the arrival of the Euro
pean figs. the insects, which were
found to be in good condition. were
liberated within the inclosure Tho
living insects previously had been OBJ
tanned by correspondence by James
Shinn of Niles and by Mr.. Roeding,
Df the insects had died before repro
cling. Mr., Swingle adopted a new
method of packing for transportation.
cIch' fig being carefully wrapped in
tin foil and sealed with wax The nrst
eEecimens were received at Fresno In
The early part of May. 1898. but, 10
far as could be observed, none OF them
aaent sendings. All through the In
tervening year wild fig cuttings have
been received and started under vary
ing conditions. 1t was realized that
the attempts thus far described were
: obiematical in their results, and the
.ances of success were small. 1t was
4Dned, therefore. TO transplant Capri
trees into large tubs and carry
Is. sn across the Atlantic in growing
rdition with their fruit and tho
stained insects: and one rather
large tree was sent over last spring
By Mr. Swingle.
II now turns out, however, that by
great good fortune some OF the in
eects brought over in 1898 did succeed
in penetrating the closed flowers of
the Capri figs growing at Fresno, and
that they laid their eggs and have
practically established themselves In
California. The first step Of the ex-
perimental work is. therefore. q sue
cess. Since the insect has maintained
if5eif for an entire year, there is reA-
son to suppose that 1t will continue to
breed. and that California in the near
future will be able to place ng upon
the market which will possess the
same superior flavor as that which
has given the imported Smyrna nEs
their pre-eminent commercial rank.
This favor seems without doubt to ts
dependent upon the number of ripsned
seeds within the fruit. This fact has
been learned through experiments in
the artificial fertilization Of Smyrna
figs grown In California. Experiments
were made by DR.. Eisen and Mr.. Roed-
ing with the transfer of pollen from
Capri figs by means of toothpick
and by means OF blowpipe. In this
way large number OF seeds were
fertilized, probably half AS many AZ
are fertilized by the work of the Bias
tophaga in Asia Minor. but already tho
characteristic flavor Of the European
figs was noticed.