THE CREATION OF SPECIES 



ducing a new variety of exceptional size and quality. 

 The potato, as every one knows, is ordinarily reared 

 from the tuber and it has almost lost the habit of 

 producing seeds. Thus it fails to benefit by the cross 

 fertilization that has such an invigorating effect upon 

 most species of plants. Occasionally, however, the 

 potato does produce a seed-ball, and it was by ex- 

 perimenting with such an exceptional find that Mr. 

 Burbank produced his first new variety of vegetable 

 and, incidentally, discovered his true bent. 



In California Mr. Burbank has gone from one 

 achievement to another, until the list of new flowers, 

 vegetables, and fruits that he has developed extends 

 to bewildering lengths. By crossing the Japanese 

 plum with an American plum he produced the fine 

 fruit that has revolutionized the prune industry in 

 California. By crossing the plum and apricot he pro- 

 duced a fruit that he calls the "plumcot," which, if 

 discovered in a state of nature, would be regarded as 

 a new species; a fruit that combines the qualities of 

 both of its progenitors. He has produced walnuts 

 with shells so thin that a bird can easily penetrate 

 them, and then from these has developed others with 

 slightly thicker shells to remedy the defect. He has 

 stimulated the growth of trees until he can show 

 walnuts that bear within eighteen montfis from the 

 time the nut is planted, whereas ordinarily the tree 

 required eighteen or twenty years to attain maturity. 



Working with flowers, Mr. Burbank has given a 

 sweet scent to the calla lily; has produced three al- 

 together different poppies from a single parent stock; 

 and, on the other hand, has combined the qualities of 



