CHAPTER XIII 



ON THE ORIGIN OF NEW SPECIES 



OHOULD a dweller upon some other 

 ^^ planet where some other sun kisses its 

 earth into life come down through space bear- 

 ing a fruit as yet untasted by the world-men, 

 it would not be more distinctive, or more deli- 

 cious to the taste, than the fruit which Mr. 

 Burbank picked one summer day from a tree 

 which he had made from three other trees. 

 For the fruit which he picked was unlike any 

 other fruit which had grown on the earth 

 before — it was absolutely new, he had accom- 

 pHshed that which men had said was impos- 

 sible. So it has been said on other occasions, 

 — such and such things cannot be done. Mr. 

 Burbank says. Wait; let us see about it. 



He took a wild American plum, a Japanese 

 plum, and an apricot. He bred these three 

 together and made a third, the plumcot, dif- 

 ferent in texture, color and taste from any 

 other fruit. Not only did he thus create a 



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