LUTHER BURBANK 
two fruits may be segregated and re-assembled in 
the way desired. 
Nevertheless I am disposed to think that this 
result may prove attainable. There are consider- 
able variations between the different plumcots. 
Some of them tend to vary in the direction of the 
apricot, and others in the direction of the plum. 
By breeding with reference to a particular set of 
qualities—in this case the restoration of the apri- 
cot qualities and the retention of the hardy qual- 
ity of bloom—it would probably prove possible to 
segregate and re-assemble the qualities now 
blended in the plumcot in such a way as to give 
us a true apricot. Enough has already been done 
to convince me that this is possible. 
Such being the case I see no reason to doubt 
that by careful attention to the question of hardi- 
ness of bloom at all stages of the experiment our 
redeveloped apricot might be induced to retain 
this quality, a heritage from its Japanese plum 
ancestor, while retaining also the peculiar quali- 
ties of flesh and texture and flavor that are the 
hall-marks of the apricot. 
We shall have occasion, perhaps, to revert to 
this aspect of the subject more in detail in dis- 
cussing the plumcot with regard to its various 
possibilities of improvement. Here it is enough 
to cali attention to the fact that the hybridization 
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