THE AMARYLLIS 257 



giants, to breed into the strain of royal guards- 

 men, far beyond the bounds of Prussia. 



Reasoning still from plant analogies, we may 

 assume that the full measure of possible develop- 

 ment in the direction of the ten-foot giant would 

 have been attained only when mingled with the 

 European races. 



And in making this illustration I am only seek- 

 ing another way of emphasizing the truth which 

 we have seen illustrated in many fields, that the 

 widest possible range of variation, and therefore 

 the greatest possible opportunity for develop- 

 ment along any given line, can be stimulated only 

 by the hybridization of species or varieties that 

 are divergent almost to the limits of affinity 

 using the word affinity in the sense defined in our 

 earlier studies of cross-fertilization. 



It was thus that my gigantic walnut trees were 

 produced, as the reader will recall. 



It was thus that the fruit of the little beach 

 plum was magnified from the size of a berry to 

 that of a nectarine. 



It was thus that the giant among small fruits, 

 the Phenomenal berry, was brought into being. 



And such also was the origin of the giant 

 spineless cactus plants, and of numerous other 

 plant developments in their way quite as remark- 

 able, even if not always so spectacular. 



9 Vol. 6 Bur. 



