LUTHER BURBANK 



two fruits may be segregated and re-assembled in 

 the way desired. 



Nevertheless I am disposed to think that this 

 result may prove attainable. There are consider- 

 able variations between the different plumcots. 

 Some of them tend to vary in the direction of the 

 apricot, and others in the direction of the plum. 

 By breeding with reference to a particular set of 

 qualities in this case the restoration of the apri- 

 cot qualities and the retention of the hardy qual- 

 ity of bloom it would probably prove possible to 

 segregate and re-assemble the qualities now 

 blended in the plumcot in such a way as to give 

 us a true apricot. Enough has already been done 

 to convince me that this is possible. 



Such being the case I see no reason to doubt 

 that by careful attention to the question of hardi- 

 ness of bloom at all stages of the experiment our 

 redeveloped apricot might be induced to retain 

 this quality, a heritage from its Japanese plum 

 ancestor, while retaining also the peculiar quali- 

 ties of flesh and texture and flavor that are the 

 hall-marks of the apricot. 



We shall have occasion, perhaps, to revert to 

 this aspect of the subject more in detail in dis- 

 cussing the plumcot with regard to its various 

 possibilities of improvement. Here it is enough 

 to call attention to the fact that the hybridization 



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