LUTHER BURBANK 



orchards were grown. And in the course of events, 

 when the families began moving westward, they 

 usually selected seeds from their best fruits for 

 transplanting. 



In this way a constant and natural selection has 

 been going on from the very first; the poorer 

 varieties being discarded and forgotten, while 

 those that filled a want and had proved productive 

 and valuable were cherished. 



After this sifting process of the years, only a 

 few of the older fruits, in proportion to the num- 

 ber now cultivated, are still considered standard 

 varieties. 



Especially during the last twenty-five years, 

 new varieties of strawberries, raspberries, black- 

 berries, currants, gooseberries, cherries, plums, 

 prunes, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, quinces, 

 figs, and oranges have been produced and are 

 now favorite fruits. 



The old varieties of these fruits, however, are 

 slowly but surely being supplanted by still later 

 productions. 



NEW VARIETIES TO MEET NEW CONDITIONS 



This process of evolution is wholly imper- 

 ceptible to the careless observer; but to one who 

 watches closely the development of fruits, there 

 is an unmistakable and rapid change now going 

 on. Old orchards are continually being grafted 



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