FINAL SELECTION 



meager clusters of small fruit of poor quality. So 

 the wise experimenter will root out such vines 

 without letting them come to maturity. 



Among plums and peaches the correlation of 

 characters is exceedingly valuable. 



The case of the plum seedlings already cited 

 suggests the possibility of pre-judgment of fruit 

 from observation of small seedlings. There are 

 a good many characters of leaf and twig that are 

 almost too intangible for description, like the 

 changing expressions of the human face, or like 

 delicately graded colors, yet which to the practiced 

 eye are full of meaning. 



Color of Foliage a Guide 



A broad general distinction that is fairly 

 obvious to any observer is found in the color of 

 the foliage. It may be expected that a plum or 

 peach seedling having foliage of a reddish purple 

 color will produce fruit dark-colored not only in 

 skin but in flesh. And of course the selection 

 made from any given lot of seedlings will depend 

 largely upon the particular qualities that one 

 desires to develop. 



But, as repeatedly pointed out, in practical 

 work one is usually looking for a combination of 

 qualities; and, by the same token, one usually 

 inspects his seedlings for the combination of 

 characteristics of stem and leaf and color. He 



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