122 LUTHER BURBANK 



Anyone who has experienced the delightful 

 flavor of my plums, Gold, Shiro, Geewhiz, 

 Duarte, or America, will be interested to know 

 that these new varieties (along with ten 

 others) are American plums, reconstructed 

 through combination with other species, but 

 owe their flavor largely to their wild American 

 ancestors. 



To develop the earliest plum in existence from 

 six species of later plums seems an impossibility. 

 Yet this is what happened when the Wild- Goose 

 type was combined with five other late-ripening 

 species. The plum introduced from this com- 

 plex combination has been aptly named "First." 

 It was the first introduced variety in the 

 making of which the Wild-Goose had a part, 

 and the first plum to ripen of all those grown 

 in California at the time of its introduction 

 in 1901. 



If the Wild-Goose plum is mentioned, the 

 Chickasaw should not be overlooked; for al- 

 though it has not served in the production of any 

 introduced varieties, its hardiness has con- 

 tributed valuable attributes to many varieties 

 still in the proving orchard. 



But perhaps the greatest interest attaches to 

 the story of the little Beach plum. In its wild 

 state this is not much sought ; for its fruit varies 



