306 LUTHER BURBANK 



graft and the Kelsey, a variety of Prunus tri- 

 flora, upon which the graft was growing. 



There was a most perfect balance in foliage, 

 fruit, and growth so far as I could judge. One 

 of the new seedlings was light purple in foliage 

 throughout the season. Its fruit was small, 

 nearly globular, and purple in color even when 

 only half grown, while the Kelsey is an extremely 

 large, heart-shaped, greenish plum. 



Absolutely everything about the appearance 

 of this strange seedling seemed to suggest that 

 it was a cross between the purple-leaved im- 

 ported plum and the Kelsey. There was no 

 other purple-leaved plum within thousands of 

 miles. The cion had not bloomed, and so cross- 

 ing could not by any possibility have occurred 

 in the ordinary way. 



There is no escape from the conclusion that 

 this was a case of so-called sap-hybridism, the 

 very existence of which has been doubted. 



The purple-leaved cion had without doubt in- 

 fluenced its host in such a way as to produce 

 what was a hybrid progeny. 



The new purple-leaved seedling was grafted 

 upon an old tree, and in due course I produced 

 several thousand second and third generation 

 offspring from the original seedling. The fruit 

 is of a characteristic red color, and in flavor 



