NEW CREATIONS IN PLANT LIFE 



same purpose (of crossing). These were more 

 tender and came from more tropical regions. 

 Some, Burbank was even obliged to keep in 

 his hothouse, but, when crossed with the 

 garden amaryllis, they gave hybrids which felt 

 at home in the California climate." 



De Vries, in concluding this part of his 

 comment, again referred to the means which 

 Mr. Burbank has made use of to shorten the 

 duration of life from seed to seed, noting that 

 "many a tree or shrub with us (in Europe) 

 only commences blossoming when it is ten or 

 fifteen years old," a great obstacle especially 

 when repeated crossings are necessary. He 

 then calls attention to the means which Mr. 

 Burbank has utilized, threefold in character: 



"The selection of California, with its beauti- 

 ful climate ; the selection of the first flowering 

 seedlings, and his method of grafting." 



He then describes Mr. Burbank's method of 

 hurrying hybrids forward with great rapidity 

 by grafting upon a vast scale, as elsewhere 

 described. 



Down through long rows of green beds 

 where plants of many kinds are under test, 

 showing in the gradations from the small, 



76 



