108 LUTHER BURBANK 



Perhaps the matter seems rather complex as 

 thus explained; and indeed all matters pertain- 

 ing to living organisms are complex in the last 

 analysis. But the methods of operation were in 

 practice simple. 



Granted certain conditions and certain hered- 

 itary tendencies; granted, in other words, the 

 materials with which to work, it required only 

 clear-eyed selection and patient waiting the 

 encouragement of some tendencies in the right 

 direction and the suppression of other tendencies 

 in the wrong direction to produce the desired 

 result. 



PROPAGATING THE WINTER RHUBARB 



To make the story complete, however, it 

 should be recorded that although the winter 

 rhubarb was developed by mere selective breed- 

 ing of a pure strain, yet the experiment was not 

 carried forward without numerous tests of the 

 hybridizing method. 



From the outset the New Zealand plant was 

 crossed with the native rhubarb, hoping thus to 

 stimulate variability. 



And, almost needless to say, variability was 

 stimulated. The hybrid plants took on sundry 

 forms and diverse habits. But it chanced that no 

 one of these forms was an improvement on those 



