LUTHER BURBANK 



threatens the offspring of every wide cross. One 

 of the first plum-apricot hybrids produced did 

 not have a stamen, on the whole tree. It was 

 evidently a cross of the plum and apricot, but in 

 the combination the means for perfect reproduc- 

 tion was overlooked. Experiments were made by 

 applying pollen to the malformed blossoms. But 

 few ripened the majority remaining dormant. 



The cross brings out this striking malforma- 

 tion, but there are doubtless almost numberless 

 tendencies striving for mastery that remain sub- 

 merged, seemingly neutralizing one another 

 perhaps destined ultimately to come to the surface 

 under influence of a changed environment. 



At every stage of the development and im- 

 provement of a plant short cuts must be intro- 

 duced, where time and expense can be saved. 



Instead of waiting years for a seedling to bear, 

 it is possible to save much of that time by the 

 application of well known methods of grafting, 

 elsewhere described. Some of the most vigorous 

 and best growers of the hybrid seedlings were 

 grafted into older plum trees. After two or three 

 years several of them began to bear fruit abun- 

 dantly. 



The grafts showed that fruit would actually be 

 produced fruit of fine quality; this much was 

 assured. 



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