The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-20

insects are ready to bite their way
out of the gals the mouth of the capri
fig opens and ring of male iower5
situated below it begin to shed pollen
abundantly AS the insects crawl out
they get coated with this pollen and
carry it 10 The female flowers which
line the young budding tiss on the fe-
male tree. The busting OF the female
flowers with pollen causes the fruit
to set and TO bear fertile seeds, which
give the flavor and make the Smyrna
fig so delicious
Now these flowers about the figs on
the female trees arc longer than those
on the male trees. They are SO Ions
that when the wasp puts its tail in and
lays its eggs they do not reach to the
bottom and the egss dry UP to moth
ing However. as the blastaphagas
lays che drops this pollen on the bios
SONS and fertilizes tho fruit. The
flowers on the figs of the male tree are
shorter. and the eggs reach the fruit
and speedily hatch The work of lay
ing the eggs on the female trees is
deception practiced by nature on the
wasps. but 1t works nevertheless. and
such as lay their eggs on the low-
ere of the male tree are enough to
perptuate the race for the figs of the
future.
The people of California knew about
this insect and tried to get II for a
long time before they succeeded. In
deed. our knowledge of it dates far
back into antiquity. Herodotus re-
fers 10 caprification in some of his
writings in the fifth century before
Christ. and Aristotle speaks OF 1t In
his history of animals. 1t was well
known throughout the Orient. and 1t
has been carried from Asia Minor TO
Africa, SO that the Moors and Alger.
ians raise their figs In this way. In
Smyrna. the fig growers cut the male
figs containing the insects in halves
and string them on wire sticks. and
then throw them UP into the femal'
trees, and the same ie now being oone
in our fig orchards.
AS to the Introduction of the In
sect into California. this was attempted
twepty-one years ago. but 1t was not
successful. During the eight or nine
years following other attempts were
made and failed. and then Professor
Swingle, having spent a long time IN
the study OF the insect and its methods
of working. sent some capri figs, whose
cut stems had been waNed and which
We're wrapped In tin foil, to California.
| The waSps came out. but H. was not the
right time of year for the female bios
| 1870 This was successful, and to
make long story short. theblest-
ophagas began to breed by the mil
| lions year They are now to be
| found in the male trees of all the zig
| orchards. and we are raising fruit
| that will compete with that of Smyrna
| in the worlds market.
/ Breeding New Figs,
| At the same time the Smyrna fis Is
| being bred. and new figs created, the
very best fgs are being married, and
new varieties are cIming Into be-
ing. One Of these has a sum drop In
its mouth. which seals up the place
where the rain is liable to so in and
| rot tho hg This is known as the Rtx-
| ford fig. 1t is fruit which practical
" cans itself, and therefore may be
guaranteed clean. without and within
Another self-sealing variety was dis
covered three years ago, after two
soaking rains had spoiled the fiE< on
the adjoining trees of different Harie-
/ ~. Cuttings of these varieties are
being distributed to all VINO Will plant
three seeding ns trees for every cut
ting received.
| The ,Insiin Fig Orchard.
One Of the great breeding grounds
/ for new fgs is the Maslin fig orchard
| in Placer county. Cal. This is now
| government station, being rented
TO Uncle Sam for a nominal sum BY the
Southern Pacific railroad. 1t contains
12a AZ trees which were planted from
the seeds of the best imported Smyrna
ags by z. w Msslin. the seeds having
| been sown almost quarter of cen
fury ago. Prior to that there had been
attempts to raise Smyrna figs in Call
fornia. but owing TO non caprihcation
| and ether rca sons they were all I'm
| successful Mr. Maslin thought the
| Turks were sending MS bad seeds. and
| so he wrote to ThurY,r r. Company,
| the we'll known groces OF New York
to ship him hox of tfseir very best
smyrna figs. as he wanted 10 plant the
seeds They did so and having
bought this plantation he gave up his
! in orchardins The sesds sprouted and
he got l53 tress. Later on he found
that his figs would not fruit. and he
eventually had 10 give UP his orchard
! and the estate connected with IT.
| In the meantime Mr.. Swingle tried to
buy the orchard for the Bureau OF
Plant Industry of the United States
| Department OF Agriculture. but the
new owner asked an extravagan.
prize. whereupon the title was investi-
gated and was found TO lie in the
Southern Pacific Railroad the orchard
being on their right OF way The mat
ter was referred to the railroad au-
thorities and they being glad to pro-
mote the fruit industry leased the
land to the United States government
} for an indefinite period for 81 per acre
per year.
: In that orchard there are now sew
enty-four male trees and sixty Ave &c,
!. male trees All are twenty years old
From the seedlings have sprung UP
dozen valuable new varieties. some o.
! which are unequaled by any that W,