LUTHER BURBANK 



A good many years ago while traveling in the 

 east I found a candle berry bush that was of com- 

 pact growth and that produced a large crop of 

 waxy berries. I collected seed and brought it to 

 California, and for several years worked on the 

 shrub until, by selection, I had developed a variety 

 that produced at least ten times as many berries 

 and ten times as much wax as the average wild 

 plant. At the same time I experimented with a 

 Japanese member of the genus known as M. nagi 

 or M. rubra, and also with the California species 

 which is a tree growing fifty or sixty feet in height. 



I endeavored to cross the three Myricas in the 

 hope of producing new varieties of value, but did 

 not succeed, no doubt because the attempt was not 

 carried out with sufficient pertinacity. The Cali- 

 fornia species produces a wax of much darker 

 color than the eastern one, but of about the same 

 degree of hardiness. I still have several fine blocks 

 of wax that were produced from these shrubs and 

 trees during the time of the experiment. Although 

 not successful in hybridizing the different candle 

 berry shrubs, the experiments were carried far 

 enough to show the possibility of great improve- 

 ment by mere selection. If there were a market 

 for the wax, the plant might be well worth 

 improving. 



Even as it was, I advertised my improved 



[268] 



