198 LUTHER BURBANK 



of the development of new varieties of flowers, 

 even though the particular development under 

 consideration has to do with the leaf of the plant, 

 and not with its blossoms. The principle of its 

 development is the same in its application to each 

 part of the plant, and we shall see plenty of illus- 

 trations of work with the flowers themselves 

 before we are through. 



The wild geranium, of which the plant with the 

 strange leaf is a modified representative, is a 

 plant that normally has leaves some of which are 

 rather decorative because of their slightly scal- 

 loped margins, but which in general are quite 

 plain. Some of the leaves are flecked with 

 brownish spots, but the surface is quite smooth, 

 as much resembling an apple or geranium leaf 

 as any other. Even botanists have never taken 

 special notice of any variation in the form of 

 the leaf. 



There is, however, a marked tendency to vari- 

 ation in different specimens, especially in the 

 brown spots on the leaves, and the crimson 

 shadings in the fall. 



A NEW LEAF BY SELECTION 



Several years ago, in examining some of these 

 plants growing wild on a dry rocky ledge near 

 Mt. St. Helens, I observed one that had leaves 



