LUTHER BURBANK 



ing large quantities of poppies, and having the aid 

 of four or five men in scrutinizing all the flowers 

 in the field for an hour or two each morning dur- 

 ing the blooming time, that no specimens showing 

 favorable variation should be overlooked. 



At first the progress was very slow. It was easy 

 to find specimens that were semi-double and those 

 that showed the black spots. But there was very 

 slight tendency to crimping of the petals. 



As usual in such cases, however, there came a 

 time when progress seemed much more rapid. 



Thenceforward the work was encouraging and 

 full of interest, and in a few years more a most 

 beautiful strain of poppies had been produced 

 vvhich presented almost in ideal combination the 

 various qualities for which I had been selecting. 

 Those that were not pure white showed an aston- 

 ishing variety and a beautiful blending of the more 

 delicate shades of red and pink. 



The plants were graceful in form and of uni- 

 form height, and, most important of all, the petals 

 of the flowers were of the thinness and almost of 

 the texture of tissue paper, yet of firm texture, 

 and artistically waved and crinkled, in strong con- 

 trast with the smooth petals of the original 

 varieties. 



This plant was introduced through a prominent 

 seedsman as an "Improved Strain of Shirley 



[114] 



