BURBANK'S PRODUCTION Ol- HORTICULTURAL NOVELTIES. 469 



is one of the best and most popular Japanese plums throughout 

 all the United States; it is early and heavy bearing, free from in- 

 sects and diseases, and a market fruit of large size and attractive 

 color. 



Other species needed only sowing on a large scale and a selection 

 of the best individuals, and could then be introduced without 

 artificial improvement. The common French prune, of which Cali- 

 fornia has produced one hundred and fifty millions of dried produce 

 in a year, is a small fruit and late in ripening, although it is rich 

 in sugar. In order to enlarge the size and to change the time of 

 ripening, Burbank sowed large numbres of seeds of this French 

 prune d'Agen, grafted the seedlings on older trees in order to force 

 them to yield their fruits soon and finally chose among the thousands 

 of grafts, the type which is now known as the sugar prunes, a large 

 fruit ripening a month earlier and prolific in bearing. In the same 

 way, the crimson rhubarb, or Mammoth pie plant, was secured 

 which is now grown on a large scale all around Los Angeles, whence 

 it is shipped, during the winter months, to the markets of New 

 York. It is a continuous bearer throughout a large part of the 

 year and has a peculiarly delicate flavor. It was sent to Santa 

 Rosa by Messrs. D. Hay & Son, Nurserymen in Auckland, New 

 Zealand, about 14 years ago. Burbank sowed the seeds on a large 

 scale and selected the best type for introduction as soon as he 

 perceived its excellent qualities. 



Among flowers, the Australian star flower or Everlasting 

 {Cephalipterum Drummondii) is now being introduced after only 

 a few years of multiplication and selection. It is a composite, and 

 its apparent flowers are in reality flower-heads, the bright red color 

 of which is due to the bracts of their involucres as in other species 

 of everlastings. It is recommended for millinery purposes and may 

 supplant a large part of the trade in artificial flowers. I admired, 

 on each of my three visits, the large beds full of the shiny red flowers, 

 and saw the selection of the largest and brightest specimens 

 going on. 



The main work of Burbank, however, consists in producing 

 new varieties by crossing. The aim of crossing is the combination 

 of the desirable qualities of two or more species and varieties into 

 one strain and the elimination of the undesirable characters. In 

 the most simple cases this can be produced by one cross and without 

 selection; but, ordinarily, many crosses and the production of a 

 more or less chaotic progeny are required, and selection has to decide 



