120 LUTHER BURBANK 



But a moment's reflection makes it clear that 

 there would be no commercial value in a cherry 

 that ripened earlier than its fellows, unless this 

 cherry combined with the quality of early ripen- 

 ing other qualities of size and abundance and 

 fitness for shipping that give the cherry its value 

 as a market fruit. It is obvious that in selecting 

 these cherries it was constantly necessary to bear 

 in mind not merely one quality but several quali- 

 ties, and it requires no great knowledge of plant 

 experimentation to see that this greatly com- 

 plicated the problem. 



DIVERSIFIED QUALITIES REQUIRED 



In point of fact, the qualities that are required 

 in a really satisfactory commercial fruit are much 

 more diversified than the ordinary observer would 

 ever suspect. 



In the case of the cherry there are at least a 

 dozen quite distinct qualities, which might be 

 spoken of as unit characters, that must con- 

 stantly be borne in mind. 



A cherry that will bring a good price in the 

 market must be large in size; it must be attrac- 

 tive in color; it must be sweet and savory to the 

 taste ; and it is of prime importance, particularly 

 from the California standpoint, that the fruit 

 shall be of such texture and quality of skin as to 



