116 LUTHER BURBANK 



cavity, which may be made much smaller. The 

 seeds should not, of course, be altogether elim- 

 inated, but their number might be advan- 

 tageously reduced. 



Again, varieties may be developed having 

 shorter or more compact vines. There should be 

 no great difficulty in attaining these ends, and 

 the field is obviously one in which any amateur 

 gardener may work with ease. The facility with 

 which squashes may be hybridized gives them 

 added attractiveness from the standpoint of the 

 novice. 



The very various forms of the watermelon are 

 also attractive subjects for endless experiments 

 and most of the remarks regarding the musk- 

 melons apply to the watermelon with equal 



force. 



THE CRUCIFER FAMILY 



The tribe of Crucifers is represented by a 

 large number of annual and perennial herbs of 

 wide distribution, the most conspicuous members 

 of which are the cabbage and its allies. 



It is supposed that all of the near relatives of 

 the cabbage are modified descendants of a single 

 species that grows wild along the Mediterranean 

 and Atlantic Coasts of Europe. Turnips are 

 descended from another closely related species 

 having the same habitat. The radish, horse-rad- 



