148 LUTHER BURBANK 



curing is carried on under difficulties and often 

 with serious loss. 



It is not strange, then, that the Sugar prune 

 met with an immediate and enthusiastic welcome 

 from many fruit growers, although of course 

 there were regions in which a prejudice was 

 shown against it, such as always meets any new 

 product. 



In the markets of the East, the demand for the 

 Sugar prune was soon far in excess of the supply. 



A WONDERFUL LABORATORY 



We have seen that the essential quality of the 

 prune, and that which differentiates it from 

 plums in general, is its inherent tendency to pro- 

 duce a large percentage of sugar. 



A great number of fruits share with the prune 

 the capacity to manufacture sugar, but few other 

 fruits have the power in such supreme degree. 

 The manufacture of sugar by fruits is so familiar 

 a phenomenon that we usually take it for granted 

 and give it no thought. Yet a moment's consid- 

 eration makes it clear that this capacity is one of 

 the most extraordinary functions in the whole list 

 of vital phenomena. 



Holding a ripe prune in my hand I am some- 

 times led to reflect that this is in many ways the 

 most remarkable of chemical laboratories. 



