New-York tribune., 1903-02-01
FERTILIZING FIGS.
A WASP ENABLES CALIFORNIANs TO
RAISE THE SMYRNA FIG.


According to an ancient Greek fable a young
woman was pursued over three continents pS
gadfiy After many centuries the taples nave
been turned. Prompted not SO much py ehi'
alrous as by commercial motives perhaps
Americans have pursued a species OF wasp
through Asia, Europe and Africa, ana nave ae
last succeeded in capturing their prey ana
bringing the insects here alive. The wasps are
now to be found in California where they are
successfully employed In the Smyrna hg IN
dustry.
Fig culture in this country was not resSfueu
as a practical venture until few years ago.
when wasp of the Orient was brought 10 'he
aid Of the American horticulturist. Figs had
hen raised In California and other parlS Vi tiie
limited States with a climate similarly mild
MI <;+ boyaver was shrunken and sour for
the most mart however, and Americans sun
continued to import the dried Smyrna hg OF
commerce to the value of about Sioo'ooo year
AS the price Of other kinds OF natlVe Lult ue
creased, because Of overproducuon' many S"
fornia horticultursts turned to the Hs' WHICH
ranks among the costest Of the dried FRUITS
bringing. as it does, $500 to S4OO ton IN the
wholesale markets Of this city.
cuttings of the Smyrna fig were transplanted
70 California soil early as 1880, but the 1ruit
of the matured trees proved to be shrunken anu
,aeteless After many years Of futile expert
r,ants II was found that the Smyrna hg coulo
NOT he raised without the assistance OF the Httle
wasp called by scientists the Blastophaga gros-
sorum which in its native skies carrles the hiaie
pollen Of the caprifg, or wild hg IN "hlch II 10
born. to the female flowers, which are closely
folded in the heart Of the Smyrna fig.
The first consignment Of these wasps was
brought to this country by James Sh1nn, OF
Niles, Cal, who had planted caprifg tree in
When the wasps arrived. in July, 1891 the
tree had just shed it's ripe fruit, with no sign of
a succeeding crop, in which the female Wasps
might lay their eggs. Accordingly, the tiny
Immigrants died from starvation and exposure.
Another importation Of the wasps was made y
George c. Roedng, Of Fresno Cal. by obtain
ing several consignments of caprifgs from
Smyrna. Upon cutting them open on their ar
rival, Mr.. Roedng found many were filled with
insects which he penned up in glass jars. But
the wasps being released within tent
spread a fig tree only pined away and died
MIR. Roeding then continued to raise well de-
veoped Smyrna figs as before by artificially
sprinkling the pollen of the male caprifg flower
on them by of a quill sharply pointed
glass tube. This method, however, was far too
costly to permit Of practical results
The Department of Agriculture at Washington
then undertook to solve the problem of i'm
porting the Blastophaga and keeping them alive
in their home. Through the efforts of DR..
l.. o. Howard, chief entomologist Of the Agr-
cultural Department, Walter O. Swingle shipped
from the Orient, where he was employed, several
packages of caprfgs. He found. furthermore
that of the three crops of the Will fig, which
mature in spring summer and winter, the wasps
born from the winter crop were most likely to
live The figs which he sent he carefully waXed
the end. On beng opened hundreds of in
sWarmed out These fgs We're sent to the
large fig orchards of Mr. Roeding, who. after
years of futile experiments had about given up
ali hope.
1t with surprise and delight, therefore,
that Mr. Roeding discovered in the summer of
'Sy4 after ~ had placed the imported figs On