LUTHER BURBANK 
A good many years ago while traveling in the 
east I found a candle berry bush that was of com- 
pact growth and that produced a large crop of 
waxy berries. I collected seed and brought it to 
California, and for several years worked on the 
shrub until, by selection, I had developed a variety 
that produced at least ten times as many berries 
and ten times as much wax as the average wild 
plant. At the same time I experimented with a 
Japanese member of the genus known as M. nagi 
or M. rubra, and also with the California species 
which is a tree growing fifty or sixty feet in height. 
I endeavored to cross the three Myricas in the 
hope of producing new varieties of value, but did 
not succeed, no doubt because the attempt was not 
carried out with sufficient pertinacity. The Cali- 
fornia species produces a wax of much darker 
color than the eastern one, but of about the same 
degree of hardiness. I still have several fine blocks 
of wax that were produced from these shrubs and 
trees during the time of the experiment. Although 
not successful in hybridizing the different candle 
berry shrubs, the experiments were carried far 
enough to show the possibility of great improve- 
ment by mere selection. If there were a market 
for the wax, the plant might be well worth 
improving. 
Even as it was, I advertised my improved 
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