PLANNING A NEW PLANT 



"But how do you begin? What is the very first 

 thing?" a visitor insists. 



The "very first thing" I have already described 

 — it is the conception of an ideal, a mental picture 

 of the new plant form desired. 



Clues to Be Followed 



It has occurred to me, for instance, that the 

 cherry crop is not what it might be. I have 

 learned that there is a steady market for early 

 cherries and that a difference of a few days in 

 the time of marketing may make a difference of 

 more than one hundred per cent, in the price. 



And so I ask myself, why not create a new 

 cherry that shall be ready for shipping at least 

 two or three weeks earlier than any cherry now 

 in the market? 



Of course, I reflect that my early cherry must 

 have a number of other desirable qualities — ^large 

 size, rich color, lusciousness of flavor. I know at 

 the outset, or I presently learn, that it is desirable 

 also, from the standpoint of the shipper, that my 

 cherries shall grow on short stems. I know that 

 the tree producing them must be hardy, capable 

 of withstanding both cold winters and dry sum- 

 mers, and that it must have an inherent vitality 

 that will make it resistant to the attacks of insects 

 and fungoid pests. 



Next I ask myself what warrant there is for 



[13] 



