LUTHER BURBANK 



bright red of the apricot, nor the pale yellow of 

 the plum, but was of an intermediate shade. 



Of the thousands of cliaracteristics of the 

 parent species as they were subjected to examina- 

 tion and analysis, the most startling was found in 

 the surface texture of the fruit itself — one of the 

 most novel effects, in fact, to be seen in all Nature. 



The apricot has a fine velvety skin which serves 

 not only as a protection to the fruit from insects 

 and from the sun's withering rays, but which adds 

 greatly to its attractive appearance. 



Plums, usually, are overspread with a delicate 

 white or bluish bloom, powdery in form, easily 

 defaced by the slightest handling. This bloom 

 adds a touch of delicacy and beauty to the fruit, 

 suggests its freshness, and intensifies the attrac- 

 tiveness of the colors underneath. 



In the early plumcots it was noticed that many 

 had a softer, more velvety skin than the apricot, 

 and that this persisted after much handling. 

 Then, as the characteristics began to settle, after 

 several generations of plumcots had appeared, it 

 was noticed that the new fruit not only had the 

 attractive velvety skin of the apricot, but that 

 this velvet overspread and protected a bloom like 

 that of the plum, giving the plumcot the plum's 

 delicacy of appearance, with the apricot's hardi- 

 ness to handling. 



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