LUTHER BURBANK 



any circumstances, even when fresh. This seems 

 to be especially true of seeds collected from the 

 younger trees a fact that accentuates the already 

 sufficient difficulties that confront the plant devel- 

 oper who cares to undertake the rather discour- 

 aging task of experimental breeding with these 

 antique giants. 



Nevertheless, it should be recorded that a cer- 

 tain amount of work has been done with the red- 

 wood, particularly in the way of selecting trees 

 that bear weeping branches. It has been observed 

 that seedlings usually show the characteristic 

 drooping branches of the parent form. In my 

 experience there is less variation among seedlings 

 of this type than among the normal ones. The 

 latter show a rather wide range of variation of 

 foliage, particularly where seed from different 

 localities is sown. Some are much lighter in color 

 than others, and there are various interesting char- 

 acteristics that may be noted by a close observer, 

 leaving no doubt that there is sufficient material 

 for the purposes of the plant developer. 



Doubtless anyone who has patience to under- 

 take the task will be able to produce various types 

 of redwoods that will reveal interesting character- 

 istics of the remote racial strains that now are so 

 blended in the existing representatives of the 

 family as to be scarcely observable. 



[280] 



