66 LUTHER BURBANK 



The Standard was offered to orchardists in my 

 catalogue of 1911-1912. The trees were sold at $3 

 each, and thousands of trees have been distrib- 

 uted, but it will be a good many years before 

 the real value of this superior prune is fully 

 appreciated. 



CLINGING VERSUS FREESTONE 



One of the most striking individual peculiar- 

 ities of the Standard prune is its freestone qual- 

 ity, already referred to. The development of 

 this character is of such interest and importance 

 that it calls for more than passing mention. 



At first, it is very probable, all fruits were 

 clingstones. The stone was probably firmly at- 

 tached to the flesh from the time of the forming 

 of the meat to the final decay of the fruit. The 

 stone in fruit acts as a support to the flesh, to 

 which it is attached and around which it grows, 



The clingstone feature was evidently an 

 advantage to the fruit, as plum and prune seeds 

 will not germinate if thoroughly dried, and the 

 clinging meat in most of the fruits keeps the 

 seed moist for a longer time, thus helping tc 

 conserve its vitality until the proper season for 

 germination. 



Where the flesh is attached to the pit, the cir- 

 culation between the pit and the surrounding 



