LUTHER BURBANK 



We have seen that the hybrid walnuts of 

 both the Paradox and the Royal types have the 

 peculiarity of producing trees of quick growth 

 and gigantic stature in the first filial generation, 

 and a mixture of dwarfs and giants in the second 

 generation. 



The Strange Traits of Hybrids 



The tendency to surpass their parents in 

 size is a characteristic that is verj' commonly 

 manifested when plants of different species are 

 hybridized. It is a familiar and now well- 

 recognized fact that the crossing of diverse 

 strains of living creatures, plant or animal, tends 

 to result in what for lack of a better term is 

 usually described as increased vitality. 



It would appear as if the conflict of new 

 tendencies so stimulates the cellular activities as 

 to give them an unwonted capacity for repro- 

 duction. 



In this case we are not concerned, as we were 

 in some of the other hybridizing experiments 

 already examined, with the prepotency or domi- 

 nance of the qualities of one parent. Instead of 

 this there is a distinct blending of characteristics 

 so that the new product is in many respects inter- 

 mediate between its parents in matters of foliage 

 and fruit. But in growing capacity it far surpasses 

 them both. 



[154] 



