210 LUTHER BURBANK 



berries growing on vines as smooth as pussy wil- 

 lows, the impression gained is both vivid and 

 lasting that this is a plant improvement of a very 

 notable order. 



In fact, there is perhaps no other single plant 

 development in connection with small fruits that 

 constitutes so radical a change and so conspic- 

 uous an improvement as the removal of thorns 

 from the blackberry. The bush itself no longer 

 needs the thorns to protect it against marauding 

 deer or sheep as it did in the days when it grew 

 in the woodland or nestled in fence corners. On 

 the contrary, as we have elsewhere suggested, 

 the thorns are now detrimental to the plant 

 in that they take a certain amount of energy 

 and building material that might be put to 

 better use. 



And from the standpoint of the horticulturist, 

 the thorn is not merely a detriment; it is a nui- 

 sance of such significance as materially to inter- 

 fere with the cultivation of the blackberry and 

 very greatly to reduce its popularity. 



It may confidently be predicted that, once the 

 thornless blackberries are generally introduced, 

 the really delicious fruit that the blackberry pro- 

 duces will be seen far more commonly in the 

 market than it has been in the past, and will soon 

 achieve the popularity that it deserves. 



