142 LUTHER BURBANK 



half-stoneless plum; plums from Japan, some 

 with red flesh; other Japanese and Korean va- 

 rieties with large bright-colored fruits and de- 

 lightful flavors; the apricot-plum from China, 

 the purple-leaved plum from France and the 

 cerasifera, which has been grown mostly for 

 grafting stocks, have all been freely used. 



Although some of these species are insignifi- 

 cant in themselves, their characters by combina- 

 tion and careful selection have had a share in 

 making fruits of the rarest and most desirable 

 qualities. 



And the work, notwithstanding its notable re- 

 sults, is only at its beginning. 



THE MYSTERY OF THE BUD 



In completing this outline of the methods of 

 plum development, let us now consider a little 

 more in detail an aspect of heredity which con- 

 cerns equally all our other cultivated orchard 

 fruits, and which must seem mysterious to every- 

 one who gives the subject a moment's considera- 

 tion. 1 refer to the familiar but extraordinary 

 fact that whereas the bud or cion of a given tree 

 will reproduce the fruiting qualities of the 

 parent with the utmost fidelity, yet the seed- 

 lings grown from the fruit may have the widest 

 diversity. 



