198 PLANT-BREEDING 



guerites of the meadows, but surpassing them by the daz- 

 zHng whiteness of their flowers and some other striking quali- 

 ties. These he has crossed with the EngHsh daisy, which has 

 large flowers and stiff stems, and with the American daisy of 

 the New England states, which is tenacious of Hfe and hardy 

 of constitution, but not very white. By crossing these three, 



Fig. 64. A flower-head of the fluted variety of the Shasta Daisy. 



he has brought about a wondrous degree of variability, 

 ranging from small, button-like flowers to others of the size 

 of a hat. Selection thus being made possible in different 

 directions, Burbank chose that of increasing the size, com- 

 bining with it other valuable quaUties. The tall, stiff stem 

 of the Enghsh species, the bold white flowers of the Japan- 



