142 LUTHER BURBANK 



The master was greatly pleased with Half-pit's efforts, 

 but years of training were still necessary and thousands of 

 seeds had to be planted. Other crosses were made; some- 

 times pollen from prunes, at other times pollen from plums', 

 was used. Often the half -pits were larger than the first; 

 indeed, many of the young trees bore fruit with entire pit 

 covering. The best half-pits were saved for planting, 

 although other qualities had to be considered when select- 

 ing seeds. The new fruit must be sweet, large, and juicy. 

 As many as five thousand descendants of little Half-pit 

 were often in the school at one time. 



After twelve years of patient training, Conquest, the 

 first pitless prune, appeared. Now, many varieties of 

 prunes which have no hard stone are found in the plant 

 school. There is, however, a tiny kernel in most of these 

 prunes which adds a rich almond flavor to the fruit. This 

 kernel looks somewhat like the seed of an apple. In some 

 of the recent prunes there are left only .small fragments, as 

 if the kernel of an apple seed had been divided. 



Scraggy, sour little Half-pit laughs now as he sees the 

 surprised expression on the faces of great and wise men 

 who visit the school and are given this new fruit, and asked 

 to cut through its centre. Of course they expect to strike 

 a pit, and they consider it a joke, but when the knife glides 

 through the prune they adjust their spectacles and search 

 for the stone that they think should be, but is not there. 



