Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1901-02-02
BROUGHT BY IN INSECT.
Che Story of n Certain Fig Industry
In California.

IN tuistOFnfh-
During all past time the dried fg
trade OF the world has been controlled
by the countries bordering on the Medi-
terranean sea, and principally by Tur-
key and Algeria. Figs grow in nearly
all warm countries, and superior table
figs are found In many localities. In
GLIDING our southern states and Call
fornla, but none, when dried, has been
found to compare with the so called
Smyrna fig which has heretofore been
grown successfully In Mediterranean
regions only.
Now, 1t is certainly not the habit OF
the United States to allow herself to
drop behind any other part Of the
world, and this characteristic is par
ticularly in evidence In California.
That state would not rest under the
imputation that she could not supply
the worlds markets with dried figs
equal or superior to those exported
from Smyrna and Algiers.
The first step was to secure the
Smyrna fig trees. This was begun In
1881 by Mr.. G. P. Rixford Of the San
Francisco Bulletin, who imported
$4,000 cuttings and distributed them
to prominent fruit growers. When
these trees came into bearing. how
ever, the fruit failed to mature, drop
ping to the ground after reaching the
size Of a marble. Then DR.. Eisen, late
Of the California Academy Of Sciences,
showed that since before the Christian
era, as pointed out by many early writ
ers, Aristotle and Theophrastus among
them, it has been the custom Of the
orientals to pluck the fruit Of the wild,
or so called Capri, fig trees at a certain
time of the year, and to suspend them
in the branches Of the Smyrna or culti-
waited fig trees. He pointed out also
that there issued from the wild figs a
little insect, which, covered with pol
len, entered the cultivated figs, and
that the latter afterward developed
and ripened into the beautiful, sweet
Smyrna fruit. He further pointed out
that the young Smyrna fig contains fe-
male flowers only; that without the
Introduction Of pollen the seeds Will
not form, and that upon the formation
and maturing of the seeds depend the
persistence and ripening Of the fig,
which is not fruit Of the ordinary
kind. but a receptacle filed with a
mass of small flowers.
II onnooraH fharafora that fha npNf
step to take was to introduce and es.
tablish the wild, or Capri, fig, with its
male, pollen bearing flowers. and then
the little insect which carries the pol
len.
When the wild figs came into bearing,
in 1890 and 1891, their pollen was arti'
fcially introduced with q small quill
into a few young Smyrna figs, fertiliz-
ing their flowers and causing them to
persist and ripen. Then they were
dried, and it was found that although
the number of seeds was small, the
nutty, aromatic flavor Of the Smyrna
fig was evident.
The little insect was brought over
alive in Capri figs and issued in this
country. but without reproducing.
Then, In 1899. convinced that the con.
ditions were ut last favorable, the
United States department Of agri'
culture, through one Of its travelling
agents, secured In overwintering Capri
figs in Algiers and sent them to Cali.
fornia. These figs in the spring OF
1899 gave forth the beneficial insects
in the Fresno fig orchards. All through
the summer Of that year the insects
bred undisturbed, passing through four
generations and increasing in numbers,
and the winter of 1Sc9-l900 was sue
cessfully passed by them in small figs
upon three trees protected from the
frosts by a canvas shelter. In the
spring Of 1900 they issued, laid eggs,
and another generation developed in
the wild figs and at the proper time
were transferred to the Smyrna trees.
where they entered the figs and pollen
ized them, just as their ancestors have
done for unnumbered generations In
Mediterranean countries.-L. o. How.
ard in Forum.