LUTHER BURBANK 



Yet it is known to the residents of some country 

 districts, particularly in the Mississippi Valley, 

 that the little black berries of the nightshade, if 

 thoroughly ripe, may be made into pies and eaten 

 with at least relative impunity. It is only in lieu 

 of any fruit of more acceptable character that any 

 one would be likely to make the experiment, how- 

 ever, as the distant relationship of the plant to the 

 deadly nightshade, Atropa belladonna, and the 

 henbane, Hyoscyamus niger, from which well- 

 known poisonous drugs are obtained, is at least 

 vaguely recognized, and the plants are very gen- 

 erally held under suspicion. 



Nevertheless the potato, the tomato, and the 

 eggplant may be cited as affording a convincing 

 demonstration that there is merit in the family, 

 even though one were to dispute that the tobacco 

 could legitimately be put in evidence in the same 

 connection. And, for me at any rate, there was 

 interest in the knowledge that at least two species 

 of Solanum were available for experimental pur- 

 poses that were hardly under suspicion as to the 

 production of poisonous fruit, however lacking 

 in attractive qualities their products might be. 

 Progenitors of the Sunberry 



One of the nightshades in question is a rather 

 large plant known botanically as Solanum 

 guinense, which found its original home in Africa, 



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