Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-02
Raising Bugs for Profit.
From Leslis's Weekly.


There is a greater variety of plant life
in California than in any country of the
globe. excepting. of course. that Of which
the Sunset state Is a part. One farm
near the town Of Fresno, county seat of
Fresno county. and in the center of the
great inland basin, has on it nearly every
known variety of tree. So great is the
diversity of vegetable life here.
1t is in Fresno county that I find the
bug industry. The county contains 1900
600 acres, and has a population of about
$1,000 persons. Nearly half of these live
In the city of Fresno. which is mod
ern, up-to-date town in every respect,
with good shops. schools and churches.
Its high schools are accredited to the CAL
tfornia State University at Berkeley, one
of the largest and richest educational in
situations in America; and Leland Stan
ford University, not far from San Fran
cisco. which has the largest endowment
of any college in the United States, is
near at hand.
industry of America, which gives en-
ployment at lucrative wages during the
picking and packing season to thousands
including the wives and daughters of
the ranchers. and the annual product
amounts to about $2.500.000.
The bug-raising enterprise Is part
of the fig-growing industry which is
reaching large proportions about Fresno.
One rancher is now setting out in fig
trees alone a single tract Of 400 acres.
Another orchard owner who has forty
acres In fig trees sells his product every
year for from $4,000 to $1,000. The in
production of the Smyrna fg has neces-
STATED the propagation of the fig wasp,
tiny insect no larger than q gnat. The
Smyrna fig Is a hollow receptacle con-
tanning nothing but female flowers which
are inside OF the fig, and unless these
hgs are fertilized by the little fig wasp,
technically known as the Blastophaga
grossorum. the figs never mature. but
shrivel up and fall OF the trees when
wild fig stands In the relation of the
male to the Smyrna or female fig, which
is the edible fruit. This Capri fig serves
as the home for the little fig insect which
y necessary for the perfection Of the
Smyrna fig. The pollenation of the Smyr-
ma fig takes place in the following man
ner: The Capri fig produces three to four
crops year, the only one of which is
of any value to the Smyrna fig maturing
In June. The little wasp passes out of
the fig at this time. getting its body ind
wings covered with pollen from the male
or staminate blossoms and enters the
Smyrna hg, forcing its way through the
almost closed orifice and fertilizes the fe-
male flowers. Having performed this Of
fee 1t passes out of the fig and perishes.
There Is nurseryman In Fresno who
made thorough and intelligent study of
the fig Industry at Smyrna Asia Minor,
and has imported and now raises both
Capri and Smyrna fig trees. He sells
young trees to the fruit rafsers, and pro-
vides with each lot sold a supply of the
little wasps. safely housed in their native
finest fig known and In great demand In
the United States-which has hitherto
depended on Importation from Turkey
the industry In Fresno county IL rapidly
growing. and the man who sells the
bugs. the fertiiixing wasps. is getting
rich,