LUTHER BURBANK 



The possibility of producing almost endless 

 numbers of new varieties of poppies from such a 

 conglomerate company is obvious. The difficulties 

 are greater than might appear, however, because 

 of the tendency to sterility. Many hybrids show 

 greatly increased fecundity, but with these pop- 

 pies this is reversed, the reason being, perhaps, 

 that the plants are almost at the limits of affinity, 

 beyond which cross-fertilization would be im- 

 possible. 



THE OKIGIN OF SPECIES 



It should be understood that hybridization and 

 selection are natural methods, and that in using 

 them man is merely imitating on a small scale the 

 practice by which nature has brought about the 

 evolution of all the existing forms of plant and 

 animal life. Plants in the state of nature are 

 frequently hybridized through the agency of in- 

 sects, or by the wind in the case of those who do 

 not depend upon insects for cross-pollenation. 



Mr. Burbank cites numerous instances of nat- 

 ural hybrids that he has observed; for example, 

 the madia plant, or tarweed, two species of which 

 frequently hybridize; mints of various species; 

 the wild raspberry; and the different species of 

 hickory nut. 



He believes that such natural hybrids afford the 

 material from which new species are constantly 

 being developed through natural selection, and the 

 results achieved by Mr. Burbank himself in the 



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