248 LUTHER BURBANK 



There are a good many other vegetables, how- 

 ever, in which the stalks of the leaf, along with 

 the leaf itself, becomes a more or less valuable 

 food product. Such, for example, are the cab- 

 bage and its allies, the lettuce, and some others 

 that we have already considered, as well as the 

 spinach and the celery. 



A familiar example of a plant whose stem 

 furnishes a valuable food product if cut before 

 it puts out its leaf stalks, is the asparagus. 



These plants have interest from the stand- 

 point of the experimenter and all present certain 

 opportunities for improvement. I have grown 

 them all, and have done something in the way of 

 selective breeding with most of them, but these 

 experiments have been relatively insignificant as 

 compared with my work in other lines, and there 

 is little to record in connection with the work 

 with either the spinach or celery that would 

 have novelty or value. But with asparagus 

 some remarkable results have been produced, 

 and now I have perfected and widely distributed 

 the new asparagus "Quality"; all are enthusi- 

 astic in its praise. 



The methods of growing these plants are well 

 known, and there is opportunity for develop- 

 ment of new varieties either along the lines of 

 selection or of hybridization. 



