LUTHER BURBANK 



crossed with the apple. But none of them gave 

 any indication of producing blossoms, let alone 

 fruit. These, like the quince-apple hybrid seed- 

 lings, being only cumberers of ground which was 

 needed for other purposes, wererdestroyed. 



It will be seen, then, that nothing of practical 

 importance came of my experiments in hybridiz- 

 ing the apple with its remoter .cousins. Never- 

 theless the proof that such hybridization is pos- 

 sible must be regarded as highly interesting. It 

 seems by no means unlikely that further tests 

 along these lines might result in revealing some 

 varieties of these various fruits that would com- 

 bine more advantageously and produce fertile off- 

 spring. 



As I have said in another connection, there is 

 perhaps no opportimity open to the amateur fruit 

 grower that suggests greater possibilities of really 

 important discoveries than this. Out of a imion 

 of apple and quince or apple and pear might very 

 possibly come a new fruit that would constitute an 

 acquisition of the very greatest value to the or- 

 chardist. 



But even if the practical or economic results 

 should prove meagre, such a serids of experiments 

 might still have a large measure of scientific in- 

 terest, more than justifying the time and labor de- 

 voted to them. So little work — relatively speak- 



[208] 



