THE STOXELESS PLUM 47 



hornlike or stonelike protective covering for the 

 seed. 



And so, it becomes matter for wonderment 

 that with all these uncounted generations of 

 heredity clamoring for fruit with a stony cover- 

 ing there should have developed in France a 

 member of the tribe, even though it be an incon- 

 spicuous outcast, that rebelled against the fam- 

 ily tradition and dared to produce a seed that 

 lacked a part of the habitual covering. 



How THE Freak Oeiginated 



As to just how this break with tradition came 

 about, we can perhaps make a better guess 

 than we can as to the precise origin of the 

 tradition. 



It seems likely that the little buUace lost the 

 power to produce a protective stony covering for 

 its seed through the impoverished condition due 

 to some defect in the condition of the soil in which 

 it chanced to grow. Unquestionably the produc- 

 tion of the stone makes a strong draft upon the 

 resources of the tree. Obviously the material to 

 supply this dense horny structure must come 

 from the soil, and in case the exact chemicals 

 needed are supplied in scant quantity, the shrub 

 might be forced to economize in producing a shell 

 for its fruit kernel, just as a hen is forced to 



