MARVELOUS POSSIBILITIES 261 



So intent was I in the purpose of combining 

 these two species, the plun and the apricot a 

 fruit which should reflect its double parentage in 

 flesh and flavor that I thought it best to ignore 

 some of the incidental possibilities of such a com- 

 bination. 



The cross having been made, however, much 

 thought was given to the study of other new 

 characters which the combination afforded. 



Some of these were recognized as being of 

 little practical value, others of great importance. 

 The foliage of the plumcot tree, for example, 

 does not necessarily resemble either the plum or 

 the apricot, being quite generally intermediate, 

 but it may be noted in passing that the foliage of 

 a cross or hybrid often takes on the characteris- 

 tics of either one parent or the other, or may con- 

 sist of intermediate leaves, or may even present 

 leaves of two distinct kinds on the same indi- 

 vidual plant, but often bearing a close resem- 

 blance to one or the other of the parents, 

 especially in the second and succeeding gen- 

 erations. 



The plumcot foliage being a blend, it was not 

 surprising to discover that the root of the plum- 

 cot tree resembled in color neither the bright red 

 of the apricot, nor the pale yellow of the plum, 

 but was of an intermediate shade. 



