GARDEN SPECIALTIES 235 



many times of improving it, and even yet may 

 undertake to do so. 



I have done a good deal of work with a related 

 naturalized weed from Europe and Australia, of 

 the genus Sonchus, known as the sow or milk 

 thistle. 



The genus is closely related to the lettuce, and 

 not distantly related to the artichoke. The two 

 species with which I have worked are succulent 

 weeds that vary greatly as to their degree of 

 smoothness of leaves and stem. One of them is 

 commonly known as the prickly milk thistle. But 

 the two species are so crossed that it is hardly 

 possible to find one in California now that is not 

 hybridized. 



I have worked on the smooth-leaved hybrids, 

 which are nutritious, making excellent greens. 



The plants can be raised with ease, and 

 varieties were produced from these wild hybrids, 

 by selection and crossbreeding, which were far 

 superior to any specimens seen in the wild state. 



So marked was the improvement that I was 

 somewhat disposed to introduce the developed 

 smooth-leaved milk thistle as a garden vegetable, 

 but hesitated to do so lest I should be blamed for 

 introducing a weed. The cultivated plant retains 

 its ability to produce a superabundance of seed ; 

 which are drifted here and there by the wind. So 



