BURBANK'S WAY WITH TREES 



the other through hybridizing the California black 

 walnut with the black walnut of the eastern United 

 States, which is a distinct species. 



The cross between the two species of black wal- 

 nut resulted in the production of a tree that grew 

 with extraordinary rapidity, and that ultimately 

 proved an enormously prolific bearer of nuts. 

 This hybrid tree was given the name of the Royal 

 walnut. It differed somewhat in appearance from 

 either of its parents, but its most striking pecul- 

 iarity was its amazing capacity for growth and its 

 no less amazing fecundity. The individual nuts 

 that it bore were considerably larger than those 

 of either parent, and the crop was multiplied 

 many fold. 



Long before the Royal hybrid had come to the 

 age of bearing, however, Mr. Burbank had made 

 the successful experiment of crossing the Cali- 

 fornia black walnut with the Persian walnut. 

 This was a far more remarkable cross, because the 

 species are much less closely related, one of them 

 being indigenous to the eastern hemisphere, the 

 other a native of California. 



The hybrid offspring of these widely different 

 trees showed such striking peculiarities that it 

 was named the Paradox walnut. 



Like the Royal hybrid just referred to, the 

 Paradox showed an extraordinary capacity for 

 growth. It sprang up and increased month by 

 month and year by year at a rate altogether un- 

 suggestive of the characteristics of either parent. 

 When nine years old trees of this mixed heritage 



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