LUTHER BURBANK 



If not pruned, the vines of the Himalaya will 

 grow to a length of one hundred feet or more, 

 like grape vines. They appear to be absolutely 

 resistant to disease, and they have recently shown 

 the ability to resist the extreme cold of Michigan 

 and the far northern states. It should be known 

 that the Himalaya takes a year or so more to come 

 to its best bearing condition than ordinary black- 

 berries, but when in full bearing a single plant 

 will produce as much as a dozen ordinary black- 

 berries. 



The elimination of the thorns is a matter to 

 which suflQcient reference has already been made. 

 As to abundant bearing, nothing more is to be 

 desired. The Himalaya at present produces all 

 the berries that a vine can possibly support. 

 Development Through Hybridization 



As the experiments in the development of the 

 blackberries continued, I quickly passed from the 

 stage of mere selection to that of crossbreeding 

 and hybridization. 



The plants utilized in these experiments in- 

 cluded not only all types of native blackberries 

 proper, and numerous foreign species, but plants 

 of the allied race of dewberries. 



The dewberry, to be sure, is closely related to 

 the blackberry; it is, indeed, a blackberry that 

 has assumed a trailing habit. Or possibly the case 



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