194 LUTHER BURBANK 



produce from one to twelve or more offsets in a 

 season, so that they can be multiplied quite 

 rapidly. 



The seedlings from these hybrids produce 

 plants that as a rule show a combination of two 

 or more of the species fairly well balanced. The 

 seed parent of the larger number of my hybrids 

 is the Crinum americaiium, but in some cases 

 the Crinum amabile, or the Crinum asiaticum 

 was the seed parent. It is observed that a 

 certain small percentage of the hybrids show 

 a strong tendency to run toward the seed parent 

 of whatever species. This can generally be de- 

 tected by the foliage when the plants are quite 

 small. I have not observed that any of the 

 hybrids depart so strongly the other way to- 

 ward the tropical species when used as the 

 pollen parent. 



In the second and third generations the varia- 

 tions are better balanced through selection, and 

 become more fixed in desired qualities than at 

 first, when grown from seed. 



On the whole, it is perhaps a little easier to 

 get valuable new varieties of crinums by cross- 

 ing and selection than with most other bulbous 

 plants, especially the lilies — although there are 

 notable exceptions among the California lilies, 

 some of which cross very readily. 



