202 LUTHER BURBANK 



The remarkable crinkled and convoluted 

 leaves are so interesting that they are sometimes 

 preserved by electroplating, to be used as orna- 

 ments. They give the plant a very curious and 

 individual appearance, and present a striking 

 illustration of what may be done, by mere in- 

 breeding and systematic selection, to develop and 

 accentuate a plant characteristic. 



No one who casually observed the old parent 

 form of the plant and the new modified form 

 growing side by side would be likely to suspect 

 that the two belong to the same species. Yet an 

 examination of the flowers would show that these 

 are identical, for in making the successive selec- 

 tions I paid attention to the leaf exclusively, and 

 did not seek in any way to modify other portions 

 of the plant's structure. 



To the person who has not had experience in 

 plant development, probably the most remark- 

 able feature of the entire matter is the compara- 

 tively short time required, and the few genera- 

 tions involved, in producing what is a remarkable 

 transformation the most conspicuous transfor- 

 mation in a leaf that has ever been produced. 

 The nearest approach to this structure is seen in 

 the leaf of the Rex Begonia called Erdody, It 

 may seem further remarkable that a transforma- 

 tion of such significance could be effected in a few 



