LUTHER BURBANK 



reference to making its fruit attractive to the 

 palate as well as to the eye. 



This is a member of a rather large company of 

 plants that combine decorative appearance with 

 the capacity to bear valuable fruit. But it is well 

 known that the possibilities of the barberry in the 

 latter regard have never been developed beyond 

 the initial stages. 



Beautiful as the fruit is, it is altogether inedible 

 (except when it is utilized for jelly) or was at the 

 time when my experiments with the plant began. 



When I say that my work with the barberry 

 was taken up more than twenty-five years ago, and 

 that I have not as yet produced a variety that 

 seemed worthy of introduction as a fruit producer, 

 it will be understood that this plant is not among 

 those that are responsive to the efforts of the plant 

 developer. 



It should be explained, however, that the work 

 with the barberries, although it has involved the 

 growing of thousands of seedlings of various 

 species, has been carried out purely along the lines 

 of selection, without the aid of hybridizing. It is 

 almost certain that crossing the different species ' 

 would have resulted in carrying the work forward 

 more rapidly. But the pressure of other work has 

 kept me from undertaking this, and I have been 

 content to select the best specimens of the various 



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