318 LUTHER BURBANK 



The fruit borne by the Cape raspberry is of a 

 dark mulberry color. It is of the raspberry type 

 quite unmistabably, but is larger than any other 

 raspberry I have ever seen. The quality of the 

 fruit is fair, and its large size makes it attractive. 



The foliage of the plant is peculiar, having a 

 curious resemblance to leaves of the grape. In- 

 deed the resemblance is so striking that people 

 passing it at a little distance have often asked 

 what kind of a grape I had that grew upright 

 like a bush. 



The entire plant is highly ornamental, growing 

 about four feet in height and bearing its hand- 

 some, large, leathery leaves in profusion. The 

 prickles on the leaves grow so close together and 

 are of such texture that they can scarcely injure 

 the skin in handling them. 



The plant is not very hardy, but its other qual- 

 ities make it a very desirable species for hybridiz- 

 ing experiments. Indeed, I know of no wild 

 species of Rubus in the world that gives more 

 promise of being useful. My own experiments 

 with the plant were not carried far enough to 

 produce particularly notable results. But the 

 plant invites attention from anyone who is inter- 

 ested in the further development of our small 

 fruits. Coming from the Southern Hemisphere, 

 it should introduce a tendency to variability in a 



