LUTHfeR BURBANK 



There are several native species or varieties of this 

 family that are hard to differentiate, especially as 

 they vary widely in different localities. All have 

 seeds or roots with a characteristic pungent odor, 

 but the quality of the odor varies throughout the 

 widest range, from the most fragrant and 

 attractive to the most disagreeable. 



Undoubtedly some of these wild species offer 

 opportunities for development through cultivation 

 and selective breeding. My ovm work in this 

 regard has scarcely passed the experimental stage, 

 however, even though it has involved a large 

 number of species and varieties. There is oppor- 

 tunity for interesting and valuable work in the 

 development of the possibilities of these bearers 

 of flavors that appeal to the palate. 

 Mints and Their Allies 

 I think I have grown all the mints and pot herbs 

 that have been under cultivation, and have found 

 them without exception variable in quality when 

 grown from the seed. 



Indeed, to the persons who taste them with 

 care, it will appear that variation is the universal 

 rule. Each individual plant when grown from 

 seed has a slight difference in fragrance, and in 

 the amount of essential oil that it contains; this 

 oil being, of course, the source of the fragrance. 

 It is not difficult by selection alone to obtain varie- 



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