276 LUTHER BURBANK 



already been done to convince me that this is 

 possible. 



Such being the case there seems to be no reason 

 to doubt that by careful attention to the question 

 of hardiness of bloom at all stages of the experi- 

 ment our redeveloped apricot might be induced 

 to retain this quality, a heritage from its Japan- 

 ese plum ancestor, while retaining also the pecu- 

 liar qualities of flesh and texture and flavor that 

 are the hall marks of the apricot. 



We shall have occasion, perhaps, to revert to 

 this aspect of the subject more in detail in dis- 

 cussing the plumcot with regard to its various 

 possibilities of improvement. Here it is enough 

 to call attention to the fact that the hybridization 

 of the apricot with the plum offers at least 

 a possible solution of the vitally important 

 problem of the development of a cosmopolitan 

 apricot. 



Perhaps there is no single problem of orchard 

 fruit development that offers possibilities of 

 greater economic importance. 



MATING WITH ORIENTAL SPECIES 



As to other hybridizations, we may add that 

 there is a quite different species of apricot grow- 

 ing in Japan, known as Prunus Mv/me, which 

 may possibly be of value in the development of 



