THE SHASTA DAISY 
In the scheme laid out for the new daisy 
there were certain well-defined characteristics 
to be developed; a fact that illustrates how 
systematic and precise his work. He wished a 
daisy that should have grace, beauty, hardi- 
ness. He wanted a s!ender but firm stem at 
least two feet in length, free from all branches; 
a blossom larger than any daisy ever before 
seen ; petals of the purest white. And so seeds 
from these plants from distant quarters of the 
globe were sown, and when they came to 
blossom he crossed them, combining each with 
the other, joining them in a union as intimate 
as life, as powerful as death. For he was 
compelled to put to death their old selves; 
—their life-long habits, their manner of 
life,— even their form and texture, all must 
give way;—and from this death he would 
bring forth a resurrection. 
So completely was the pollinating done 
that after the merging was ended the strain of 
blood, so to call it, of each plant now flowed 
in the veins of one. And yet this act of 
fertilization or hybridization or new birth, call 
it what you will, was but an incident in the 
creation—the great struggle was ahead. 
135 
