54 LUTHER BURBANK 



tell of two or three typical hybridizing experi- 

 ments made chiefly with the native leopard 

 lily (Lilium pardalinum) as the pistillate 

 parent. 



The extent of my experiments with the tribe 

 may be gathered from the statement that at one 

 time on the two Sebastopol farms I had fully 

 five hundred thousand more or less distinct kinds 

 of hybrid seedling lilies. About three-quarters 

 of them were produced by pollenizing the native 

 species just named with all the species from dif- 

 ferent parts of the world of which I could obtain 

 specimens. 



It was found that hybrids between the numer- 

 ous species of lilies that are native to the Pacific 

 Coast could be made with the greatest facility. 

 Tens of thousands of seedling hybrids between 

 the different indigenous species were produced. 

 But, on the other hand, hybridization with the 

 foreign lilies was found to be rather difficult, 

 different species having seemingly diverged some- 

 what toward the limits of affinity. 



One of the most successful crosses was that 

 made between the species known as Lilium 

 Humboldtii and L. Parryi. The former has a 

 very large bold, thick petal, white, with large 

 distinct spots, and it is fragrant. The other 

 parent is a tall, slender variety, the flower being 



