LUTHER BURBANK 



to tobacco, valued for its chemical content — and 

 so on throughout all of the variations. 



The tomato, we should see, was the last of the 

 family to fall into a violent change of environment. 



A tropical plant, bearing fruits about the size 

 of a hickory nut and not believed to be edible, 

 the tomato found its way into the United States 

 within the past century. 



At first, the tomato plant was prized merely 

 as an ornament; it was grown as we now grow 

 rose bushes, and the fruit was looked upon 

 as a mantel decoration, until, by accident, it was 

 discovered to be edible. There are, in fact, many 

 such ornamentals today which might bear us 

 edible fruit. One, in particular, the passion 

 flower, which Mr. Burbank is developing, will form 

 the subject of an interesting description later on. 



Following the discovery that the tomato was 

 edible came the same course of unconscious selec- 

 tion that falls to the lot of every useful plant. The 

 biggest tomatoes were saved, the better tomatoes 

 were cultivated. 



In the environment of the tropics, the tomato 

 fruit of hickory nut size was ideal; it cost less 

 effort to produce than a larger tomato; it contained 

 sufficient seeds to insure reproduction. 



But with the advent of man into its environ- 

 ment, its seed chambers increased in number, the 



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