LUTHER BURBANK 



not readily mated with others — which will lead 

 us, in a later chapter, into the interesting study of 



plant aftinities. 



***** 



The bees helped us to make a pink daisy 

 because, through heredity, the daisies of our first 

 planting gave daisy nectar, though their colors 

 were white and orange. And in seven out of any 

 ten experiments which we might try, we could 

 safely entrust the work of poUenation to the bees, 

 or birds, or other messengers with whom the 

 plants have built up partnerships. 



But in those other three, the most important 

 of the ten, perhaps, we should find that the 

 pollenation would have to be done by hand. 



If, for example, we desired to effect a combina- 

 tion between two flowers, one of which blooms in 

 the spring and the other in mid-summer, the 

 bees could be of no service. We should have to 

 take the pollen of the early blooming flower and 

 carefully save it until it could be applied to the 

 other. 



If we desired to effect a combination between 

 a bird flower and a bee flower, even if in bloom 

 at the same time, we should find it necessarj^ to 

 attend to the pollenation ourselves. 



If we had it in mind to effect a cross between 

 a particularly large, insipid plum and a small, 



[180] 



