LUTHER BURBANK 



But might we not by careful selection fix the 

 Shasta as a form that would breed true from the 

 seed? 



Could the Shasta Be Fixed? 



The question is one that is not without practical 

 interest. For there is obvious convenience in being 

 able to grow an ornamental plant from the seed, 

 even though it be possible to propagate it indefi- 

 nitely by division. A small package of seeds may 

 be shipped far more readily than roots or entire 

 plants, and no doubt a large number of people 

 will grow a plant from the seed who will not take 

 the trouble to transplant roots or work from 

 cuttings. 



So, as I say, the question as to the possibility 

 of fixing the Shasta is not without practical impor- 

 tance. But the question also has a theoretical in- 

 terest in connection with the general problems of 

 the plant developer as applied not merely to this 

 species but to many others. 



Our studies of many forms of plant life have 

 taught us that the cultivated varieties of flowers, 

 and of fruits and of vegetables as well, are so 

 complex as to their heredities that — except in the 

 case of certain annuals — they do not breed true 

 from the seed, and are not habitually propagated 

 in that way. Yet, on the other hand, we have seen 

 that it is possible to fix new races by careful selec- 



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