LUTHER BURBANK 
abortive stone of the little French plum from 
which my race of stoneless plums was developed. 
By selection among the seedlings of this almost 
shell-less walnut, I discovered that a walnut with- 
out any shell, bearing simply a husk, could readily 
be produced. But, as I have just related, the birds 
were soon aware of my secret, and they taught me 
that, except for its scientific interest, the shell-less 
walnut had no value. 
After that the experiment in walnut breeding 
was carried on in a different direction, a shell 
being obviously desirable. In due time I devel- 
oped two varieties that had the shell of just the 
right consistency; combining this trait with the 
habit of early and abundant bearing and excellent 
quality of the nuts themselves. 
Cions from these trees, grafted and regrafted, 
make up the race of true Santa Rosa Soft-Shells, 
I am informed, however, that trees grown from 
the seed have been extensively sold as Santa Rosa 
Soft-Shells, although they may depart very widely 
from the characteristics of the parent form. In 
point of fact, the name cannot be applied with 
propriety to any trees except those that are grown 
from cuttings, for the walnut is a variable tree and 
cannot be depended upon to come true from the 
seed. 
The original Santa Rosa Soft-Shell, however, 
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