BURBANK IN THE ORCHARD 



OEEATING NEW SPECIES 



Mr. Bui-bank early discovered that by hybridiz- 

 ing different species of plants he could produce 

 new varieties even new species. 



At the time when this discovery was made most 

 botanists and horticulturists supposed that a cross 

 between two species would be infertile. Mr. Bur- 

 bank proved that, quite to the contrary, some 

 hybrids show an extraordinary degree of fecund- 

 ity. Everything depends upon the degree of re- 

 lationship of the parent forms. Species that are 

 too widely separated do not interbreed. Those 

 that are a little less widely separated may pro- 

 duce sterile offspring, mules. Where the rela- 

 tionship is still closer, the hybrid offspring may 

 not be sterile, and yet may be less productive 

 than either parent. 



But where the degree of affinity is just right, 

 the offspring may show a vigor and fecundity far 

 in excess of that of either parent. 



The hybridizing of more or less closely related 

 species and varieties of plants, then, constitutes 

 a fundamental part of Mr. Burbank's procedure 

 in the creation of new forms. He has hybridized 

 about two hundred different species. Among the 

 orchard fruits thus crossed are the plum and the 

 apricot (producing the wonderful plumcot), apple 

 and pear, apple and quince, quince and pear, peach 

 and nectarine, peach and almond, and orange and 

 lemon. 



Strange and interesting forms have resulted 

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