LUTHER BURBANK 



tifully in the landscape, makes it worth while, as I 

 have just suggested, to work on the two in com- 

 bination. 



The golden rods are of so many species and so 

 variable that they tax the skill of the botanist. To 

 differentiate between them accurately is a task 

 lying far beyond the skill of most amateurs. But 

 for that matter, it is my observation that the dif- 

 ferent species hybridize so freely when growing 

 wild that the specific lines are thoroughly broken 

 down. 



Any botanist who pretends to fix hard and fast 

 lines between the different species of golden rods, 

 and does not take account of the hybrids, which 

 are even more numerous in many localities than 

 the parent forms, will not gain a very adequate 

 idea of the golden rods as they actually grow. 



Any species of golden rod will serve the pur- 

 pose of the experimenter. But, of course, it is 

 desirable to have a number of species, and it is 

 obviously worth while to make careful selection 

 in deciding which ones to transplant to your gar- 

 den. I have spent many days on a few acres of 

 ground, searching among the multitudes of golden 

 rods for the most beautiful individual specimens. 

 From these selected seed was collected, or the 

 roots themselves dug, to furnish the basis for 

 further experiment. 



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