LUTHER BURBANK 



different varieties. It is possible to increase the 

 sugar content and otherwise to vary the chemical 

 composition of the fruit by breeding and selec- 

 tion, just as can be done with the apple, the peach, 

 the plum, the sugar beet, and most other fruits 

 and vegetables. 



The cactus fruits developed at Santa Rosa are 

 of exceptional size and superior quality, but of 

 course they do not constitute an absolutely new 

 departure, for it is well-known that there are 

 many varieties of spiny cactus that bear edible 

 fruit. 



Indeed, in certain arid regions, and in partic- 

 ular about the Mediterranean, the fruit of the cac- 

 tus has long been recognized as a valuable food 

 product. Professor Leotsakos of the Greek Uni- 

 versity at Athens, who visited my groimds one 

 summer recently, tells me that the cactus fruit is 

 a very important part of the dietary of millions 

 of people around the Mediterranean for about 

 three months of the year. He declared that he 

 himself would prefer a half dozen good cactus 

 fruits for breakfast to the best beefsteak. 



He considers the fruit both nutritious and 

 healthful, and this estimate is universal in coim- 

 tries where it is largely eaten. 



It is the custom in Greece, especially along the 

 seashore, to collect the cactus fruits in the morn- ^ 



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