LUTHER BURBANK 



What is true of the apple is equally true of its 

 cousin the pear. This tree also has been per- 

 mitted in the old-time orchards to develop the 

 pernicious habit of too slender upright growth and 

 undesirable tallness, too much like a wildling. 

 These defects have been corrected with some of 

 the newer varieties, to be sure, but these have not 

 been introduced universally. 



The same criticism applies to the cherry. 

 Everyone knows how often this tree is seen grow- 

 ing in the New England dooryard, with trunk like 

 that of the sturdiest oak, and with its inviting 

 clusters of red fruit suspended at such a height 

 as to be quite beyond reach of everyone but the 

 birds. 



A well-trained cherry should renounce this 

 tantalizing habit and make its wares reasonably 

 accessible to the wingless biped that has fostered 

 it. 



The other notable members of the company 

 of orchard trees, namely the plum, peach, quince 

 and orange, have in the main developed a more 

 commendable habit of growth. Their trees are 

 for the most part not too large, and the best 

 varieties have a spreading form that leaves little 

 to be desired. But some of these, and in particu- 

 lar the peach and orange, have other faults that 

 urgently call for correction. 



[14] 



