CHAPTER XXXIV 

 THE ENNOBLING OF LITTLE BEACH 



Like most wild plants, the Beach plum family had a 

 hard, fierce struggle for existence, and its energies were 

 taxed to the utmost. Some of them even had to grow 

 thorns for protection, and others had to crowd together 

 in thickets so close that it was hard to find an opening 

 between them. 



The eastern part of the United States was its home. 

 It was called " Little Beach" there, because it lived near 

 the shore that was sometimes submerged by the sea. It 

 was also found on dry, rocky soils as well; yet it managed 

 to live and bear fruit under the most trying conditions. 



The fruit which it produced was no larger than a cherry, 

 and was mostly pit, there being only a thin layer of flesh 

 between the pit and the skin. 



The ambition of this little, lean, skinny outcast was to 

 be made tame, and to be better fed, so that it could grow 

 to be plump and fat. 



All that it seemed to have to recommend it was hardi- 

 ness, and all it could do was to yield an abundant crop in 

 the most trying time of cold or drought. Even though its 

 fruit was almost worthless, it would show its willingness 

 to be useful by doing its best. 



Through all the years of work in his plant school, Bur- 

 's* 



