192 LUTHER BURBANK 



Seed of the chive was secured in Europe and 

 seedlings raised for eight or more years, carefully 

 selecting in each generation the ones that most 

 appealed. There was a considerable tendency 

 to vary within rather narrow limits, some plants 

 being deeper in color than others, but the diver- 

 gence was not at first very marked. 



In the third year, however, there appeared 

 a variation having a blossom of bright red 

 color instead of the usual rather deep dull 

 crimson. 



As the chive can be multiplied indefinitely by 

 division, this single plant might have become the 

 progenitor of a race of red-flowering chives. But 

 I wished to see what the hereditary tendency 

 would be, and so raised about ten thousand seed- 

 lings from the red-flowering stock. Nearly all 

 of these seedlings reverted to a pink color. 

 There had been a faint tinge of rosy pink in the 

 original flower, obscured by the crimson, but the 

 new seedlings bore larger blossoms of a pleasing 

 pink color, and constitute a new and highly 

 attractive variety. 



While thus developing a pleasing flower and 

 thereby adding to the attractiveness of the chive 

 as a border plant, I paid attention also to the 

 bulb and stalk of the plant itself as well as to 

 the flavor. 



