LUTHER BURBANK 



California seldom venturing below an altitude of 

 five thousand feet. 



No other shrub on the Pacific Coast exhibits a 

 more pleasing effect than a broad expanse of the 

 soft, delicate, green foliage of the Thimble Berry. 

 Its large, white flowers, flat, button-shaped red 

 berries, and sweet, resinous, woody fragrance add 

 to its attractiveness. 



The flowers of the Thimble Berry are not so 

 large as those of its eastern relative, but their 

 delicate, pure white petals scattered among the 

 large, pale green leaves, add to the beauty of the 

 banks of foliage that overshadow the other forest 

 flowers. The thin, button-shaped berries are often 

 of a brilliant red, though sometimes paler, but are 

 extremely soft so that they can be picked with 

 difficulty. The fruit, though edible, is of little 

 value, being somewhat acid, and lacking flavor. 



Yet the aristocratic lineage of the plant makes 

 it seem probable that its fruit may be susceptible 

 of development. 



I have attempted to cross the Thimble Berry 

 with nearly all cultivated varieties of raspberry 

 and blackberry, but have never succeeded in 

 effecting hybridization, unless this has been 

 effected in some hybrid seedlings of last season, 

 which from the foliage would appear to have 

 resulted from a cross. 



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