Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-02-01
BROUGHT by AN INSECT.
The story CT Certain Fig Industry
In California;

In California.
During all past time the dried zig
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
Guiding our southern states ard Cali
fornia. 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, it 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 i'm California.
That state would not rest under the
imputation that she could not supply
the worlds markets with dried Ggs
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 MIR. G. L. Rixford of the san
Francisco Bulletin, who imported
1900 cuttings and distributed them
to prominent fruit growers When
these trees came into bearing, how
ever, the fruit failed TO mature. drop
ping TO tie ground after reaching the
size OF 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, 1t has been the custom of the
orientals TO pluck the fruit of the wild,
or so called Capri, fig trees at certain
time of the year, and to suspend them
In the branches of the Smyrna or cuiti-
waited fig trees. He pointed out also
that there issued from the wild figs
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 fiawers 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 fg.
which is not fruit of the ordinary
kind, but receptacle filed with a
mass of small towers.
Ii appeared, therefore, that the next
step to take was to introduce and es.
tablish the wild. or Capri, fig. with it's
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-
hcially introduced with q small ouill
into few young Smyrna figs. fertiiiz-
ing their flowers and causing them to
persist and ripcn. Then they were
dried, and 1t was found that, although
the number of seeds was small. the
nutty. aromatic flavor of the SMYRNA
tig 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 at last favorable. tho
United States department OF agri-
culture, through one of it's travelling
agents, secured i'm Overwhelming Capri
figs In Algicrs and sent them to Cali
fornia. These figs in the spring of
1892 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 1S99-190o was sue
cessfully passed 10y them i'm small gigs
upon three trees protected from the
frosts by canvas shelter. In the
spring OF 1900 they issued, laid eggs.
and another generation developed in
the wild figs ana at the proper time
were transferred 20 the Smyrna trees.
where they entered the figs and pollen.
lied them, Just as their ancestors have
done Tor unnumbered generations ia
Mediterranean countries.-L. o. Ucw.
ard in Forum.