LUTHER BURBANK 



In its native haunts of New England, the 

 ox-eye, as everyone knows, is a very hardy plant 

 and a persistent bloomer. Its very abundance 

 has denied it general recognition, yet it is not 

 without its claims to beauty. But it did not greatly 

 improve or very notably change its appearance 

 during the first few seasons of its cultivation at 

 Santa Rosa; nor indeed until after I had given it 

 a new impetus by hybridizing it with an allied 

 species. 



Mating the Ox-Eyes 



The plant with which the cross was made was 

 a much larger and more robust species of daisy 

 which I imported from Europe, where it is known 

 colloquially as the ox-eye daisy, although the 

 botanist gives it a distinct name, in recognition of 

 its dissimilar appearance, calling it Chrysanthe- 

 mum maximum. There is also a Continental 

 daisy, by some botanists considered as a distinct 

 species and named Chrysanthem.um. lacustre, 

 which is closely similar to the British species, and 

 of this seeds were secured from a German firm. 



Both these plants have larger flowers than the 

 American daisy, but are inferior to it in grace of 

 form and abundance of bloom. The plants have 

 a coarse, weedy appearance, with numerous un- 

 sightly leaves upon their flower stalks, whereas 

 the stalk of the American daisy is usually leafless. 



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