LUTHER BURBANK 



in which the first-named member of this Oriental 

 trio was used. This is popularly known as the 

 Chinese cucumber quince, sometimes called Pyrus 

 cathayensis, the Cathay pear. 



In its general appearance this Chinese tree is 

 a small, upright grower, quite unlike the ordinary 

 quince. It is not hardy in the northern United 

 States. The leaves resemble those of the apple 

 or pear more than those of the quince. They turn 

 scarlet in the fall. The flowers for which the tree 

 is mostly grown vary from pink to crimson, mak- 

 ing a gorgeous display in the early springtime. 

 The fruit is variable, but is usually long, green, 

 very hard, bitter, and uneatable however pre- 

 pared, but quite fragrant. 



In shape as well as in size the fruit suggests a 

 large, full-grown, white-spine cucumber. It has 

 usually a smooth, though sometimes netted waxy 

 skin. A single fruit from it may weigh more than 

 two pounds. 



It will be clear from this description that the 

 Chinese quince, or Cathay pear, differs very widely 

 from the European quince. Its fruit is wholly in- 

 edible, yet there is no reason why this might not 

 be made over into a profitable and delicious fruit. 

 It is merely a fruit that has retained the qualities, 

 undesirable from the human standpoint, of its re- 

 mote ancestors. Perhaps it is not much worse to- 



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