LUTHER BURBANK 



Thus we have produced, as the offspring of 

 the slow-growing English walnut and the not very 

 rapidly growing California species, a tree that 

 grows so rapidly as presently to tower far above 

 either of its parents. 



As to form of leaf and fruit the hybrid may 

 resemble one parent in one direction and the 

 other parent in another. The leaf of the Paradox 

 walnut, for instance, more closely resembles the 

 leaf of the English parent. The outside appear- 

 ance of the Paradox nut is also similar to that of 

 the English walnut. But on breaking the shell 

 we find that it is thick and strong like the 

 shell of the American species, and the kernel is 

 relatively small, quite different in form as well as 

 in flavor from that of the English walnut. 



It cannot be said that any one has a very clear 

 notion as to precisely what the changes are that 

 give to a hybrid race this enhanced vitality. But 

 this mystery is after all only part of the great all- 

 pervading mystery of heredity, which in turn is 

 merged with the mysteries of life processes in 

 general. 



Why Some Are Dwarfs 



What I shall consider a little more at length 

 here, however, is the conduct of the seedlings 

 of the second generation grown from either the 

 Royal or the Paradox hybrids. 



[156] 



