ON INEDIBLE FRUITS 



are planted there is a marked tendency on the 

 part of most of the progeny to revert toward the 

 wild state rather than to go forward, according to 

 man's interpretation of progress. So it is only the 

 exceptional plant that can be saved with any pros- 

 pect of producing valuable fruit. Nevertheless, as 

 already noted, there has been marked progress 

 and it is always to be remembered that such 

 progress tends to be cumulative and that there 

 may come a time when the plant may vary sud- 

 denly and give opportunity for much more rapid 

 development, a critical point having been reached 

 by previous generations of culture. 



It is probable that the final development 

 through which the barberry is inade to bear a 

 really valuable fruit will come about through 

 hybridizing the familiar species with somewhat 

 different relatives from other lands. 



Material for such hybridizations are now in 

 hand, as I have large quantities of seedlings of six 

 or seven different species. 



Two of these species came from the Patagonia 

 and Chili regions. One is a plant called Berberis 

 biixifolia, and known to the natives as Calafate. 

 Like many of the barberries the plants are quite 

 thorny. The berry is blue-black in color and the 

 natives of Chili use it to make a liquor said not to 

 be unlike gin. 



[243] 



