LUTHER BURBANK 



cosmopolites. The facility with which the seeds of 

 the bramble berries of various kinds are dis- 

 tributed by the birds doubtless accounts in part 

 at least for the wide migrations of the tribe, and 

 this in turn accounts for the great range of 

 variation among the different species. 



In the course of my experiments with the fam- 

 ily, I naturally enough looked to Japan to supply 

 material, just as in the case of so many other tribes 

 of plants. The species that I received from there 

 certainly did not appear to be an encouraging 

 plant to work upon. Yet it proved susceptible of 

 development, and well repaid the efforts bestowed 

 upon it. 



The plant in question was found growing wild 

 high up on the sides of Mt. Fujiyama in Japan. It 

 is known botanically as the Rubus palmatus. The 

 collector who secured it for me sent the best 

 specimens of the fruit that he could find, and roots 

 of the plant itself. The plants that grew from 

 these roots bore large, white blossoms, solitary 

 and drooping on long, slender stems swinging 

 from the leaf axils. 



But the berries were a great disappointment, 

 being small and of a dingy, yellowish, unappetiz- 

 ing brown color. 



Their flavor was as unattractive as their 

 appearance. 



[146] 



