LUTHER BURBANK 



of the flowers — ^for I had in mind a plant that 

 would have not only great valu© as a fruit bearer, 

 but also a recognized place among ornamental 

 vines. 



The passion flowers show wide range of varia- 

 tion, and thus furnished at the outset abundant 

 material for the operations of the plant developer. 



But in addition to this I found it easy to hybrid- 

 ize the diiferent species, thus ensuring further 

 variation. The pollen sacs and the pistils are very 

 prominent, and it is easy to efTect pollenization 

 by removing the prominent bright colored stamens 

 from the flowers of one and dusting the yellow 

 pollen on the prominent pistils of the other. 



I have given particular attention to hybridizing 

 the Maypop with the Australian species, Passiflora 

 edulus, already referred to. I thought it would 

 be possible to combine the good fruiting qualities 

 of the Australian species with the hardiness of 

 the American species. The fruit of the former has 

 a thick, hard, shell-like covering over the pulp, 

 and a fragrant and highly flavored interior. That 

 of the latter has a thin, husk-like covering, with a 

 minimum amount of edible matter. 



Cross-fertilization was readily effected, and the 

 experiment gives every promise of a successful 

 issue. 



Several hundred hybrids that have not yet 



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