LUTHER BURBANK 



And the explanation of this diversity is found 

 in the wide range of ancestral strains that have 

 been blended to produce this versatile company. 



Europe, Asia and America have furnished the 

 foundation materials upon which have been built 

 the sixty-two varieties of plums, prunes, and plum- 

 cots that have already been sent out from my 

 experiment grounds since the first importation of 

 Japan plums in 1885. 



The Asiatic plums have been the most used, 

 thirty-eight of the varieties introduced being 

 developed from them. 



Fourteen introductions were developed from 

 American, and thirteen from European species. 

 NATIVE RAW MATERIALS 



A good deal has been said in earlier chapters 

 of the influence of foreign blood in our plum 

 family. Let us now give recognition to the contri- 

 butions of the native stock. 



The native plums of America, although usually 

 of a good flavor, are not nearly as large as the 

 Asiatic species, and usually not as large as the 

 American cultivated plums, and no larger than 

 the wild ones from Europe. 



But they possess the important characteristic 

 of hardiness. For this reason, it has been neces- 

 sary to use them in many cases to combine with 

 more tender species in order that the new varie- 



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