296 t LUTHER BURBANK 



duced to California many years ago from seed 

 mixed in the ballast of a ship. This chanced to 

 be thrown out where it had opportunity to estab- 

 lish itself. 



The African plant is a strong and heavily 

 fruiting shrub, growing about two feet high on 

 good soil, and spreading to be about three feet 

 in diameter. 



It produces large black berries in clusters that 

 stand upright, and that, in the case of some 

 varieties, are nearly as large as cherries. The 

 fruit is not unattractive in appearance and, as 

 already noted, attempts have been made to intro- 

 duce it as the "garden huckleberry." But such 

 attempts have met with small measure of suc- 

 cess for the very excellent reason that the berry 

 is practically inedible. 



I have tested it often, and have always found 

 that one berry is more than any person is willing 

 to eat, and I have never known a person who 

 could be induced the second time to attempt to 

 eat this so-called "garden huckleberry," the taste 

 being most villainous. 



The plant is indeed somewhat closely related 

 to the black nightshade, Solanum nigrum, the 

 American species that is common everywhere, 

 one form of which, known as the stubbleberry, 

 is said to be poisonous, especially if eaten by 



