LUTHER BURBANK 



ing his way, and has no very clear notion of what 

 to expect. 



It might be said that he is looking for surprises 

 rather than for anything definite; and in that event 

 he is pretty sure to find what he is looking for. 



Such at least was my experience in the early 

 experiments with the tomato that led ultimately 

 to the production of the particular hybrid at the 

 moment under discussion. These experiments had 

 their origin at the very beginning of the period of 

 my investigations in the field of plant develop- 

 ment, a good while before 1 came to California. 



But in those days, notwithstanding one or two 

 successes, I was only laying the foundation for my 

 future work — ^learning how to handle the tools of 

 my trade. So although there may have been inter- 

 esting discoveries within reach, I did not always 

 know how to grasp them. 



I had not learned, for example, the all-impor- 

 tant lesson that the second-generation hybrid, 

 rather than that of the first generation, is the one 

 that must be looked to, in a large number of cases, 

 for important development. 



The Story of a Fruit-Like Tomato 



But when I came to California and found 

 opportunity for expanding the work, I from time 

 to time took up the old New England experiments 

 where they had been left. 



[112] 



