LUTHER BURBANK 



especially the Brodiaea lactea, are relished by the 

 Indians, and are often dug and eaten by children. 

 The bulbs of some species contain a very high per- 

 centage of starch, probably greater than that of 

 the potato. 



I have worked on the Brodiaea lactea to in- 

 crease the size of the bulbs. When growing wild 

 the bulbs are only about half an inch in diameter. 

 By selective breeding, varieties have been orig- 

 inated that will produce bulbs two inches or more 

 in diameter. The plants can be grown almost as 

 thickly as lawn grass, and it is probable that the 

 yield per acre of the bulbs could be made to equal 

 a good crop of potatoes. 



In developing the brodiaea for this purpose, it 

 would be well to search carefully for bulbs that 

 grow to unusual size in the wild state — there is 

 considerable variation in this regard. 



The brodiaea is well worth cultivating for its 

 flowers alone, and it would appear that the plant 

 offers possibilities of combining flower-production 

 with the production of a valuable food. Unfor- 

 tunately, however, there is a complementary rela- 

 tion between the seed and the bulbs, and in order 

 to secure bulbs of the largest size, it is necessary 

 to remove the seed stalk before blossoming time. 



Whether cultivated for flowers or for bulbs, 

 the brodiaeas are very interesting plants that give 



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