LUTHER BURBANK 



of seedlings have since been grown from it. On 

 the contrary, it breeds true from the seeds as 

 true as any wild species, and far more true than 

 most cultivated ones. Thus it gives every evi- 

 dence of constituting a fixed species, sprung into 

 being in a single generation. 



This is believed to be the very first new species 

 of plant ever produced under conscious human 

 direction. Its production marked an epoch in the 

 history of plant development, not because of the 

 qualities of the Primus berry itself, which is of 

 a flavor not generally appreciated, but because 

 of the demonstration that a new species could 

 be produced by hybridization. Instead of being 

 infertile as hybrids were supposed to be, the new 

 berry proved enormously productive. 



Another variation in application of the laws 

 of heredity was illustrated when Mr. Burbank 

 crossed the California dewberry and the Cuthbert 

 raspberry. Here the hybrid progeny were of 

 various forms, but they were all red in color, 

 though the seed parent was the blackberry. The 

 hybrids proved fertile, and a few of the best of 

 them were preserved and inbred through suc- 

 cessive generations. In the second generation 

 one of these produced a berry of extraordinary 

 size perhaps the largest berry ever seen which 

 resembles a blackberry in general appearance but 

 is bright clear red in color, showing the influence 

 of the raspberry grandparent. This berry was 

 named the Phenomenal. It has a fine flavor and 

 has gained great popularity. 



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