LUTHER BURBANK 



A slab growing as a part of a plant that is 

 spineless throughout will produce only spineless 

 plants, with the exception of very rare bud sports 

 which appear on all plants from time to time. 



The case of the Opuntias in this regard is 

 precisely comparable to that of the orchard trees 

 that are propagated by grafting. In each case the 

 entire crop of plants, although multiplied until the 

 offshoots of a single plant may cover hundreds or 

 thousands of acres, really constitutes essentially 

 one plant with divided personality, rather than 

 successive generations of plants. 



SPINELESS CACTUS FROM THE SEED 



Yet the important question has arisen as to 

 what will take place when the transplanted Opun- 

 tias, once they have come to populate the arid 

 places, produce fruit, and scatter their seeds. The 

 answer is that no bad results will ensue. 



The reason is that the new hybrid Opuntias 

 have been found to be seedless; or, where the seeds 

 are not entirely eliminated, they are reduced in 

 size and have lost vitality. In my experience, then, 

 when the improved species have ripened and 

 dropped to the ground, under the most favorable 

 possible circumstances, no seedlings have been 

 seen; whereas, when the fruit of the wild ones 

 drops there are abundant seedlings. 



The case is comparable to that of the Shasta 



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