LUTHER BURBANK 
any circumstances, even when fresh. This seems 
to be especially true of seeds collected from the 
younger trees—a fact that accentuates the already 
sufficient difficulties that confront the plant devel- 
oper who cares to undertake the rather discour- 
aging task of experimental breeding with these 
antique giants. 
Nevertheless, it should be recorded that a cer- 
tain amount of work has been done with the red- 
wood, particularly in the way of selecting trees 
that bear weeping branches. It has been observed 
that seedlings usually show the characteristic 
drooping branches of the parent form. In my 
experience there is less variation among seedlings 
of this type than among the normal ones. The 
latter show a rather wide range of variation of 
foliage, particularly where seed from different 
localities is sown. Some are much lighter in color 
than others, and there are various interesting char- 
acteristics that may be noted by a close observer, 
leaving no doubt that there is sufficient material 
for the purposes of the plant developer. 
Doubtless anyone who has patience to under- 
take the task will be able to produce various types 
of redwoods that will reveal interesting character- 
istics of the remote racial strains that now are so 
blended in the existing representatives of the 
family as to be scarcely observable. 
[280] 
