LUTHER BURBANK 



abortive stone of the little French plum from 

 which my race of stoneless plums was developed. 



By selection among the seedlings of this almost 

 shell-less walnut, I discovered that a walnut with- 

 out any shell, bearing simply a husk, could readily 

 be produced. But, as I have just related, the birds 

 were soon aware of my secret, and they taught me 

 that, except for its scientific interest, the shell-less 

 walnut had no value. 



After that the experiment in walnut breeding 

 was carried on in a different direction, a shell 

 being obviously desirable. In due time I devel- 

 oped two varieties that had the shell of just the 

 right consistency; combining this trait with the 

 habit of early and abundant bearing and excellent 

 quality of the nuts themselves. 



Cions from these trees, grafted and regrafted, 

 make up the race of true Santa Rosa Soft-Shells. 

 I am informed, however, that trees grown from 

 the seed have been extensively sold as Santa Rosa 

 Soft-Shells, although they may depart very widely 

 from the characteristics of the parent form. In 

 point of fact, the name cannot be applied with 

 propriety to any trees except those that are grown 

 from cuttings, for the walnut is a variable tree and 

 cannot be depended upon to come true from the 

 seed. 



The original Santa Rosa Soft-Shell, however, 



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