LUTHER BURBANK 



Aforetime it placed the seeds on the very out- 

 side, where they would necessarily be eaten by 

 any bird or animal that tasted the fruit, because 

 it was imperative that the seeds should find means 

 of transportation in order that the race of straw- 

 berries might spread and inhabit the earth. 



The plant that cowers close to the ground can- 

 not depend in the least degree on the wind or any 

 other inanimate agency to transport its seeds. It 

 must look to birds and animals to aid in this 

 direction. 



So the strawberry sprinkled its seeds on the 

 outside of the fruit, having first taken the precau- 

 tion to cover the inconspicuous seeds themselves 

 with an altogether indigestible shell of cellulose. 



The subterfuge served the little plant extremely 

 well, as its wide range of wanderings and secure 

 foothold in diverse soils and varied climates 

 sufiiciently attests. 



The Seeds No Longer Needed 



But now, as was said, this expedient is no 

 longer necessary. Men will take good pains to see 

 that the strawberry is abundantly propagated. 

 And as such propagation may most advantageously 

 be made through the agency of roots and runners 

 rather than with the seed, there is no longer any 

 necessity whatever that the seed should be re- 

 tained. There are a good many scores of them 



[78] 



