33° 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



him, and a few years ago I had hoped to meet him at the Congress of 

 Hybridologists in London, but his arduous labors prevented him from 

 being present. I feared even now that there would not be many 

 chances of speaking to him, because July is his busiest time, when all 

 the numberless crossings are made and the selection of prunes takes 



Luther Birbank. 



place. These fruits at the present time are represented by a larger 

 number of varieties than any other plant in his orchards. It is no 

 small matter to select the best plum out of 300,000 different varieties. 

 This requires not only talent and experience, but also a great deal of 

 time, and it all has to be done within a few weeks while the prunes are 

 ripe on the trees. 



