BURBANK'S WAY WITH TREES 



to other forest trees, giving us oaks and maples 

 and hickories of rapid growth, to repopulate the 

 hillsides and valleys of our eastern states made 

 barren through the cupidity and lack of foresight 

 of our ancestors. 



SECOND-GENERATION HYBEIDS 



In point of fact, nature herself occasionally 

 points the way by making a demonstration of the 

 value of hybridization in the case of forest trees, 

 quite along Burbankian lines, as we shall see pres- 

 ently. But for the moment I wish to trace a little 

 farther the history of the hybrid walnuts, for 

 these show interesting developments in the second 

 generation that are full of significance. 



Second-generation hybrids of the Royal walnuts 

 were readily enough secured, since this tree, as we 

 have seen, proved enormously prolific. The value 

 of the new tree, particularly to furnish roots on 

 which to graft scions of the Persian walnut, was 

 early recognized, and Mr. Burbank sold in one 

 season more than a thousand dollars ' worth, from 

 a single hybrid tree to be used for seed purposes. 

 The Paradox walnut, on the other hand, produced 

 so very scant a harvest that it could be multiplied 

 but slowly. Such nuts as they did produce, how- 

 ever, proved to be viable. 



But the seedlings that grew from nuts of both 

 Eoyal and Paradox walnuts proved to be a most 

 variable company. Some of them showed capacity 

 for growth fully equaling that of their hybrid par- 



[217] 



