262 LUTHER BURBANK 



Of the thousands of characteristics of the par- 

 ent species as they were subjected to examina- 

 tion and analysis, one of the most startling was 

 found in the surface texture of the fruit itself — 

 one of the most novel effects, in fact, to be seen 

 in nature. 



The apricot has a fine velvety skin w^hich 

 serves not only as a protection to the fruit from 

 insects and from the sun's rays, but which adds 

 greatly to its attractive appearance. 



Plums, on the contrary, always have a smooth 

 skin, and are often overspread with a delicate 

 white or bluish bloom, powdery in form and 

 easily defaced by the slightest handling. This 

 bloom adds a touch of delicac}^ and beauty 

 to the fruit, suggests its freshness and in- 

 tensifies the attractiveness of the colors under- 

 neath. 



In the first plumcots it was noticed that many 

 had a softer, more velvety skin than the apri- 

 cot and that this persisted after much handling. 

 Then, as the characteristics began to become 

 more fixed, after several generations of plumcots 

 had appeared, it was noticed that the new fruit 

 not only had the attractive velvety skin of the 

 apricot, but that this velvet overspread and pro- 

 tected a bloom like that of the plum, giving the 

 plumcot the plum's delicacy of appearance with 



