S06 LUTlii-.i; r.i in- - 



graft and t!i f /' v tri- 



flora, upon whii M^^ 



There was a ? !" f^'Hage, 



fruit, and growti . One 



of the new aeedUngt waa li^t purple in foliage 

 throughout the seaaon. Ita fruit was small, 

 nearly globular, and purple in color even when 

 only half grown, while the Kelaey is an extremely 

 large, heart-shaped, greenish plum. 



Absolutely crerything about the appearance 

 of this strange seedling seemed to suggest that 

 it was a cross between the purple-leaved im- 

 ported plum and the Kelsey. There was no 

 other purple-leaved plum within thousands of 

 miles. The cion had not bloomed, and so cross- 

 ing could not by any possibility have occurred 

 in the ordinary way. 



There is no escape from the conclusion that 

 this was a case of so-called sap-hybridism, the 

 very existence of which has been doubted. 



The purple-leAved cion had without doubt in- 

 fluenced its host in such a w«y as to produce 

 what was a hybrid progeny. 



The new purple-leaved seedling was grafted 

 upon an old tree, and in due course I produced 

 several thousand second and third ^neration 

 offspring from the original seedling. The fruit 

 is of a characteristic red color, and in flavor 



