BJES OF

LUTHER
URBA

UC-NRLF

*

GIFT OF

Luther Burbank

STORIES OF

LUTHER BURBANK

AND

HIS PLANT SCHOOL

BY

EFFIE YOUNG SLUSSER, MARY BELLE WILLIAMS
EMMA BURBANK BEESON

EDITED BY

LILLIAN MCLEAN WALDO

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY LUTHER BURBANK

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON

COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

DEDICATED

TO LUTHER BURBANK, LOVER OF PLANTS
AND LOVER OF CHILDREN

429458

INTRODUCTION

Educational methods have changed. Fifty years ago
the education of children was on the theory that they were
all naturally bad, while to-day it has dawned upon teachers
and also the public that there are both good and bad ten-
dencies in every child, and that education should not at-
tempt to make children over according to rule. They should
be led to love and cherish and cultivate the best tendencies,
while the undesirable ones will fade from neglect and lack
of encouragement. Mother Nature teaches many a lesson
not to be learned in school. True education should pro-
mote a happy development along the natural tendencies
rather than provide punishments for not bending to arbi-
trary rules to be obeyed. To be sure, discipline is needed,
but it should be along natural lines of development, rather
than by the too arbitrary "Thou shalt, and thou shalt
not." A child should fully realize that greatly upon his own
actions and character depend his own happiness or punish-
ment, thus fewer laws and rules would be necessary. Mod-
ern educational methods rely more upon a fundamental
love of nature and of our fellow-travellers through life than
upon force, punishment, and the ability to lean? certain
generally accepted forms of words and phrases.

All teachers who are such from love of their work have

vi INTRODUCTION

felt the need of some pleasing yet practical reader which
while providing everyday work should be at the same time
so constructed as to be in kindly sympathy and accord with
the child's mind. The three prominent educators of long
experience who have collaborated with the publishers of
this work, while quite faithfully delineating the methods
employed in producing newer and far more valuable plants,
trees, fruits, and flowers, have confined themselves strictly
to the facts, and have described the methods in a most
pleasing form for the child. .

With the sincere hope that this book will help teachers
and pupils to admire each other in their mutual love of
nature, I give it my welcome, being fully assured of its
abundant success.

CONTENTS

THE CHILD

CHAPTER . PAGE

I. THE HOME i

II. THE FLOWER GARDEN 4

III. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 6

IV. WHERE THE BROWN NUTS FALL 12

V. SCHOOL DAYS 15

THE MAN

VI. THE NEW POTATO 22

VII. THE HOME IN CALIFORNIA 28

VIII. JUMBO 31

IX. THE NEW HOME 38

THE SCHOOL

X. THE PLANT SCHOOL . 41

„ XI. How NEW PLANTS ARE MADE 49

/ XII. THE SHASTA DAISY 54

XIII. MlSS ESCHSCHOLTZIA HAS A NEW DRESS 60

XIV. THE FIRE POPPY 64

XV. THE LILY PUPILS 68

, XVI. THE CALLA'S STORY ..." 73

XVII. THE AMARYLLIS PUPILS 76

XVIII. THE RAINBOW CLASS 80

vii

viii CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

XIX. THE WILDING 84

XX. THE ROSE AND HER PART 87

XXI. FRAGRANCE 92

"XXII. THE LITTLE IMMIGRANTS 98

XXIII. BRAMBLE'S STORY 102

XXIV. THE TRAINING or THORNLESS 107

XXXV. THE NEW STRAWBERRY no

XXVI. THE FLOWERING CURRANT 114

XXVII. THE EARLIEST GRAPE 119

XXVIII. OPUNTIA, THE CACTUS CHILD 123

XXIX. OPUNTIA'S TRAINING 129

XXX. OPUNTIA, ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS PUPILS . 134

„. XXXI. THE WAIF OF THE SCHOOL . 140

XXXII. THE CLIMAX PLUM 143

, XXXIII. THE PLUMCOT 147

XXXIV. THE ENNOBLING OF LITTLE BEACH 151

, XXXV. CHERRIES 155

XXXVI. USEFUL AND BEAUTIFUL 160

XXXVII. THE FIRESIDE FRUIT 164

XXXVIII. THE BIRDS' FEAST 169

XXXIX. THE ATHLETES 173

XL. THE SEED ROOM 181

XLI. ARBOR DAY PROGRAMME 187

QUOTATIONS FROM LUTHER BURBANK 189

INDEX 193

ILLUSTRATIONS

Luther Burbank Frontispiece

PAGE

Pussy willows 2

Burbank's childhood home in New England 3

Chestnut blossom 14

The little brick schoolhouse 16

The Nashua River, Lancaster, Mass 19

Burbank potatoes 26

The vine-covered cottage in Santa Rosa 28

Baby plants 29

Conservatory at the old home of Luther Burbank 30

Japanese spaniel 32

Luther Burbank's present home 38

Children from a public school at Luther Burbank's home on Bur-
bank Day (Arbor Day in California) 39

View of one corner of the Sebastopol grounds 44

The "O. K." mark 47

How new plants are made . 49

White bleeding heart 51

Two Shasta daisies 56

The Shasta daisy Facing page 58

Miss Eschscholtzia 60

x ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

The crimson Eschscholtzia Facing page 62

See their "little white ties" 63

Poppy 66

The fire poppy Facing page 68

A native Pacific coast lily 69

A field of lilies, showing heights and styles 71

One of the fragrant new lilies 72

The lemon calla Facing page 76

Giant amaryllis 79

Gladioli 82

The wilding in training 84

Burbank rose plant 89

Santa Rosa rose 90

A Burbank rose 91

New single dahlias 94

Verbenas 96

Crimson winter rhubarb 100

A native bramble 103

Hybrid blackberry leaves. Both from seeds of the same plant . . 106

The thornless blackberry 109

Strawberries 112

California grape 120

One of the new seedling grapes 121

Baby cactus in boxes and hotbeds 125

ILLUSTRATIONS xi

PAGE

Cactus in training 129

Cactus fruit 134

Spineless cactus 135

Spineless cactus slab Facing page 136

Fruiting spineless cactus 139

Stoneless prunes 140

Climax plum 143

A good little plum 145

A tomato-shaped plumcot 148

A trio of plumcots 149

The Rutland plumcot Facing page 150

The ennobling of the beach plum 153

One of the "little beaches" that bears some . 154

The Burbank cherry 157

The Gold Ridge apple 164

Grafting fruit trees 166

The Gold Ridge apple Facing page 168

Santa Rosa walnut 171

Four new peaches Facing page 174

Royal hybrid walnut tree 177

Two-year-old chestnut tree with its second crop 179

In the bulb room 183

Mr. Burbank in his library.

"And Nature, the old nurse, took

The child upon her knee,
Saying, 'Here is a story book

Thy Father has written for thee/

'Come, wander with me,' she said,

'Into regions yet untrod;
And read what is still unread

In the manuscript of God.'

And he wandered away and away

With Nature, the dear old nurse,
Who sang to him night and day

The rhymes of the \miverse.

And whenever the way seemed long,

Or his heart began to fail,
She would sing a more wonderful song,

Or tell a more wonderful tale."

— LONGFELLOW.

STORIES OF LUTHER BURBANK
AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

PART I— THE CHILD

CHAPTER I
THE HOME

When, on the yth of March, 1849, a tiny boy baby came
to a happy family in the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts,
nobody knew that a great naturalist's life had just begun.
The snow was beginning to melt on the New England
hillsides, and under the ground millions of flowers were
awakening.

Only the pretty pussy willows, however, were brave
enough to venture out. Quickly they put on their soft
gray fur coats, pulled soft gray fur caps over their tiny
heads, and hurried up into the chilly spring air to be the
first to welcome their dear friend, little Luther Burbank.

The Burbank family lived in a large brick house, set
some distance back from the road. Over it swayed the
graceful branches of a great elm tree, in which every year
the golden orioles hung their swinging cradles and poured
out their notes of joy.

BURBANK

In the summer time the yard was aglow with bright
flowers; and during the winter months geraniums, fuchsias,
and pinks bloomed in the windows of the cheery living

room. Even as a baby
the child loved these
flowers, and nothing
pleased him more than
one of these bright blos-
soms placed in his hand.
He never destroyed it;
but if a petal fell, the
baby hands tried to re-
place it, that again the
flower might be perfect.
Once, when he was
beginning to toddle
about, he was found in

the yard patiently en-
Pussy willows. -,

deavonng to reset a

little plant in the ground. At first it was thought that he
had pulled it up and was trying to undo the mischief; but
it was soon learned that the uprooting of the plant was
the work of another, and that it was only his grief at its
destruction which led to his efforts to make it grow again.
Soon the wild flowers around the home became his com-
panions and playmates. On the hillside, under the elm
tree in front of the house, grew some wild daisies. These

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

Burbank's childhood home in New England.

he watered and cherished when he was so small that he
could scarcely carry the little pail of water up the steep hill.
The daisy faces became brighter because of his love and
care.

Luther was a timid child, shrinking from strangers.
When there were guests at the home that he thought
might be at the dinner table, he would count the plates,
before he learned the numerals, by designating them as
"papa's," "mama's/' and so on through the family. If
more places were found than he could count thus, he
would say, "I don't want any dinner," and quietly slip

4 LUTHER BURBANK

away with his old maltese cat, whose sympathy he sought
in all his troubles.

The work of caring for the bantam chickens, guinea-
pigs, white rabbits, and other pets of the household was
early assigned to him; for each member of the family was
given some task suited to his age and strength. He was
fond of these animals, but even then the stronger love for
growing plants was noticeable. No flower was common-
place to him. The lupine, the goldenrod, and the butter-
cup growing by the wayside charmed him.

Near the home was a bank of clean white sand, where
the boy Luther spent many happy hours, playing with the
other children. He laid out villages with streets, houses,
mills, and stores; but always with orchards and gardens,
for even his play was constructive, tending to increased
beauty by means of plants.

CHAPTER II
THE FLOWER GARDEN

One of the first joys that came into Luther Burbank's
life was his mother's flower garden. Here the bright
butterfly wing and the flashing rose petal caught his
childish eye, and he was quickly drawn into sympathy
with the flower world. The mother used to tell this story
of his babyhood:

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 5

"One morning, as his attention was directed to an
especially beautiful blossom, a humming bird, on busy
wing, began sipping its nectar from the fuchsia. In an
instant the baby hands had caught and were holding the
bird, while in a distressed tone he was crying, ' Birdie eat
flower ! Birdie eat flower ! ' '

When it was explained that the bird was not injuring
the flower but only taking the food that Nature had placed
there for its use, Luther quickly allowed it to go unharmed,
and ever afterward the visits of birds, bees, and butter-
flies became to him an added pleasure.

As months and years passed, flowers were more and
more his companions. In early spring he saw the bulbs,
which had lain all winter apparently lifeless in the cellar,
placed in the ground; then he watched the first tiny green
shoots as they appeared above the surface. With eager
eye he followed their growth each day until iris, golden
daffodil, and scarlet tulip gladdened his heart.

He learned that the tiny seeds of phlox, heliotrope,
snapdragons, petunias, musk plants, pinks, and other ten-
der annuals* were often sown in boxes and carefully
shielded from storm and cold until the soil had been
warmed by the summer sun and the little plant had become
strong enough to be transplanted into the ground, while the
seeds of the hardier sweet peas, candytuft, foxgloves, four-
o'clocks, and pansies were early planted in the open garden.

* Annual — living only a year.

6 LUTHER BURBANK

The potted plants, which had bloomed in the deep
window seat all winter, were also set in the garden. At
the same time he observed the swelling buds of the lilac,
rose, and jasmine, that had so bravely withstood the cold
of the New England winter. Much care and work were
expended upon the garden, but the labor was well repaid,
for all summer the harvest of blossoms continued.

Purple morning-glories smiled a sweet good morning,
great golden sunflowers followed the sun all day in his
course across the sky, and tiny blue-eyed forget-me-nots
peeped up shyly at the passer-by. Bright-faced pansies,
stately lilies, velvety roses, fragrant pinks, poppies, pe-
onies, and many, many other beautiful flowers welcomed
the guests to the home.

In this garden, no doubt, more seeds of industry, pa-
tience, and love of Nature were sown in the mind of the
child than were scattered flower seeds in fertile soil.

CHAPTER III
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

In the vegetable garden, too, Luther spent much time,
planning and dreaming of his life-work. He learned that
the gardener has the power to change the forms, sizes, and
shapes of plants, to make them appear early or late in
season, to make tender ones frost-proof, to mould fruits

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL . 7

and vegetables to almost any size, form, color, or flavor
desired, to make corn, grain, and grasses tall or short, and
richer in production. In fact he discovered that man
could guide plant forces exactly as he did mechanical and
chemical forces.

Pulling weeds and hoeing corn tired the muscles, but
the growing plants formed a wonderful moving picture
that taught beautiful lessons not to be learned in books.

When in early spring the sun warmed the soft, damp,
earth and it was made mellow and smooth by deep plow-
ing and thorough cultivation, peas, beans, beets, carrots,
turnips, and onions were planted. The little tomato, cab-
bage, pepper, and cauliflower plants were carefully removed
from boxes or hotbeds, where the seed had been sown
even before the snow had disappeared, and were placed
in the ground now ready for them. How eagerly was their
growth watched, each tiny new leaf being greeted with joy !

With exultant pride the first bright crimson radishes
were pulled from the plot, where the lettuce as it peeped
forth from the brown earth spelled in brightest green
L-u-t-h-e-r. When, a little later in the season, the sweet
corn was planted, the boy, like Hiawatha, would

"Go to wait and watch beside it;
Kept the dark mould soft beside it,
Kept it clean from weeds and insects.

8 LUTHER BURBANK

Till at length a small green feather
From the earth shot slowly upward,
Then another and another,
And before the summer ended
Stood the maize in all its beauty
With its shining robes about it,
And its long, soft yellow tresses;

And still later, when the Autumn
Changed the long green leaves to yellow
And the soft and juicy kernels
Grew like wampum hard and yellow
Then the ripened ears he gathered."

Once when a large cucumber was found growing in a
glass bottle, which had a neck barely large enough to admit
the stem, no one inquired, for every one knew, who it was
that had placed it in the bottle when the great yellow
petals were falling and the tiny cucumber was just begin-
ning its growth, and had, day after day, watched its de-
velopment in its prison house of glass, as it lay hidden
beneath a tangle of vines.

In the garden grew curious gourds from which were ob-
tained nest eggs, water bottles, and drinking cups. And
the melons ! Great, juicy, pink-fleshed watermelons ! Was
there ever a boy who did not like watermelons? The

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 9

muskmelons and squashes grew here also; but the great
golden pumpkins were not allowed in this garden. They
grew among the corn in the larger field.

Luther was fond of tracing his initials, with the point
of a penknife, on the little pumpkins and of watching the
letters increase in size as the pumpkins did. A circus
parade passed by the field one day, and, as the pumpkins
grew to maturity, on them were seen in outline elephants,
lions, tigers, and other circus attractions.

These pictured pumpkins caused much merriment and
comment when exhibited at the county fair that fall.
This, however, did not save them from serving as Jack-o'-
lanterns at Hallowe'en. Those which escaped that ex-
perience were ready to be made into pie for Thanksgiving
dinner. It was of such pumpkins as these that Whittier
sang:

"O fruit loved of boyhood the old days recalling,
When woodgrapes were purpling and brown nuts were

falling,

When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!
When we laughed around the corn heap with hearts all

atune,

Our chair a broad pumpkin — our lantern the moon,
Telling tales of the fairy that traveled like steam,
In a pumpkin-shell coach, with two rats for her team."

io LUTHER BURBANK

In the garden grew rhubarb with broad green leaves,
asparagus and celery, spicy peppergrass and various herbs
used in seasoning — thyme, ' sage, and summer savory. It
was also the source of the old-fashioned boiled dinner,
once so famous in New England. A large kettle was
placed on the fire and in it pieces of salted pork or beef.
Later the various vegetables were added according to the
time each required for cooking — beets, parsnips, carrots,
cabbage, corn, potatoes, beans, peas, and squash, the
last three being placed in cloth bags so as not to become
mingled with the other vegetables. All were served on a
large platter or side dishes. The children coming from
school never forgot to seek the cold roasting ears laid away
from the noonday meal for their lunch.

Many of the vegetables were stored in the cellar for
winter use ; crimson beets, yellow and white turnips, silver-
skinned onions, great heads of cabbage, yellow pumpkins,
and plenty of potatoes. Then there were jars of pickles
and cans of tomatoes, and a store of popcorn for the merry
evenings around the winter fireside.

Reliable seed houses, with attractive catalogues, from
which seeds can be readily obtained, were not as numerous
fifty years ago as now; so each year seeds were saved from
this garden for the next year's planting. Seeds from the
first large ripe tomato, the finest melon, the most perfect
ear of corn, and a few of the earliest and best peas were
selected. In that way the quality of the vegetables was

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL n

not only maintained but much improved; and something
of the principle of selection — the first great principle of
all plant improvement — was learned by the boy.

Perhaps, however, the most important lesson learned
was that a plant makes stronger and better seeds when
it can get pollen dust from another plant of the same
kind than when it has to use that which grows in the
same flower. He saw that the plants depended upon the
wind and the insects to carry the pollen from flower to
flower. A bee reaching far into a blossom to get the
honey rubbed its back against the little pollen boxes.
When it came out it carried away the precious yellow
dust on its back and legs, ready to give it to the next
flower.

He found that when the flower of a squash received pol-
len from a flower of a similar plant such as the pumpkin,
instead of forming another perfect squash, the fruit which
grew was not a finely flavored squash, but was somewhat
tasteless like a pumpkin. This experience taught him
the wisdom of planting such plants some distance apart,
that their pollen might not mix, and thus the quality be
impaired.

One does not become a great naturalist all at once.
There is much to learn, and the knowledge must be ac-
quired very slowly and patiently by careful study. All
these facts about plants, and many more as wonderful,
were learned by the boy Luther in the home vegetable

12 LUTHER BURBANK

garden. He needed to know about flowers and pollen, for
the time was to come when he would direct plants and
they would obey.

CHAPTER IV
WHERE THE BROWN NUTS FALL

Luther's father, Samuel Walton Burbank, was engaged
in the manufacture of brick, and owned not only his cul-
tivated farm but also a large acreage of woodlands.

In these woodlands men were employed during the
winter months felling trees and preparing wood which was
used the following summer in burning great kilns of brick.
Many times each winter, in the large wood sled drawn by
Chub, the faithful family horse, the father visited the
woodlands. He was often accompanied by his two little
sons and their baby sister, all in warm coats, mufflers, and
mittens, and snugly tucked in with a big buffalo robe.

Even before the open fields and pasture lands had been
crossed, shouts of childish glee fell upon the father's ear,
and perchance each boy was seen scudding the roadway
holding to the back of the sled with one hand and in the
other flourishing a ball of snow; while Trip, the pet dog,
barked and frolicked as he joined in the winter's sport.

The way led across the ice-covered meadow brook,
through the now leafless huckleberry and blueberry bushes,
where so often during the summer pails had been filled

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 13

to the brim with sweet, plump berries; then up the gentle
slope of Pine Hill the sled moved slowly on, cutting its
way almost to the frozen ground, through fleecy flakes of
snow, under the overlapping branches of oak and chestnut.

Again in springtime the children, with their father, vis-
ited the woodlands. The spruce and pine had early put
on their new spring trimming tips of light green. The
oaks and birches on the hillsides had awakened from their
winter's sleep and were joyously waving their beautiful
fringelike pollen blossoms in the breeze.

But the time ever to be remembered by these New
England children was purple, hazy days of Indian sum-
mer, when autumn robed the trees with richest tints.
Days when after the first frosts Chub was harnessed to
the cart and with baskets in hand in which to gather the
fallen chestnuts and hickory nuts the children climbed in
beside the father, calling Trip to follow.

Occasionally a gentle breeze caused a shower of glisten-
ing nuts from the opening burrs, which were hailed with
delight by the children. Trip ran to and fro, now and
then halting at the foot of a tall tree to make known in
his own expressive language the presence of a bushy-
tailed squirrel among its branches. Then Chub, as if
understanding it all, slackened his pace, and three happy
children were soon seen scrambling among fallen leaves
searching for the little brown nuts. Sometimes the burr
itself with its three nuts snugly encased lay beneath the

LUTHER BURBANK

\

rustling coverlet, and busy fingers were pricked by the

protecting spines.

On these excursions the father told stories of plant and

animal life, directing the
children's attention, not
only to flowers and trees,
but also to the wood-
chuck in his burrow, to
nests of birds, and to
squirrels with their store
of nuts and acorns in
hollow trees.

Luther, the older boy,
was ever anxious to learn
more of Nature's ways.
He carefully observed

Chestnut blossom.

bud and branch. The pollen blossoms of oak and chest-
nut were to him the pages of an open book; these he studied,
and mused long on the lessons they taught. The slow
growth of walnut and chestnut trees was noted. Watching
the woodchoppers making axe handles from hickory wood,
he saw that they chose the "pig walnut" because of its
superior strength, although the "shagbark," the nuts of
which were larger and better, was also valued for tim-
ber. He learned to distinguish the varieties of timber
by the wood fibre, and habits of growth, as well as by the
nuts. Thus the mind of the boy was storing knowledge
that was to ripen into golden fruit in after years.

CHAPTER V
SCHOOL DAYS

School life for Luther Burbank began in the district
school near his home. In a small brick building, nestling
among pine trees, fifty or more boys and girls of varying
ages and grades were under the charge of one teacher.
With trees to climb, hills to coast, a pond near by for
swimming in summer and for skating in winter, the hours
of play were as full as the hours of study.

His first teacher in this school was an older brother,
Herbert, who used to take the little fellow with him. Some-
times when the snow was too deep for little feet, after
the mother had put on his coat, cap, and mittens, tied a
warm scarf over his ears and kissed him good-bye, this
brother would draw him to school on his hand sled. He
was, at that time, too young for school life, and being a
sensitive child, shrank from the fun and laughter of the
older boys; but the sled ride was heartily enjoyed.

It happened that the next teacher in this school was
his sister Jane; and, although she was very proud of Luther,
she found it very difficult to induce him to recite the les-
sons, which she knew he had mastered perfectly.

Soon, however, he was at ease with his little school-
mates, and with them blew the dandelion heads to "know

if mother wants you," held the shining buttercups under

15

i6

LUTHER BURBANK

The little brick schoolhouse.

one another's chin to "see if you love butter," and whistled
with blades of grass. He made pop guns from elderwood,
whistles from willows, bows and arrows from beech and
hazel, and toy canoes from the bark of the white birch.
He knew the spruce trees in the swamp where the best
chewing gum could be found. He knew the sweet birch
and sassafras trees with spicy bark, the ferns and sweet-
flags with edible roots; and mNlearning the uses of the
various trees, plants, and herbs that grew near his home,
he formed habits of observation which have proved of the
greatest value in his life-work.

It was he, also, who led the little band of barefoot boys
and rosy-cheeked girls where the sweetest strawberries hid
in the meadow grasses, the biggest blueberries grew in

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 17

the woodland pasture, and where the finest hickory nuts
and chestnuts might be sought among the rustling leaves.
Thus, as he turned the leaves of the great book of Nature,
over and over, the timid boy developed into a leader;
and in this close intimacy and harmony with out-of-door
life learned to read much of the finer and more delicate
tracing of the hand of God.

"Knowledge never learned of schools,
Of the wild bee's morning chase,
Of the wild-flower's time and place,

Where the whitest lilies blow,
Where the freshest berries grow,
Where the groundnut trails its vine,
Where the woodgrape's clusters shine;

For, eschewing books and tasks,
Nature answers all he asks;
Hand in hand with her he walks,
Face to face with her he talks,
Part and parcel of her joy, —
Blessings on thee, barefoot boy!"

WHITTIER.

At home he had the cows to drive to pasture, the chick-
ens to feed, wood to bring, weeds to pull, and a thousand
tasks so well known to a boy on a farm; for a wise father

i8 LUTHER BURBANK

kept him busy, yet he had time to build windmills, water
wheels, and to repair broken sleds and skates. With the
song of the robin and thrush to awaken him in the morn-
ing and a chorus of green-coated frogs to lull him to slum-
ber at night, life was rich in the wealth of Nature's gifts
to a country boy.

Through the meadow ran a rippling stream. There
his bark canoes were floated, his water wheels placed,
as he waded in its clear waters among the nodding heads
of golden cowslips; and on its banks he gathered the cran-
berries reddening in the sunshine, questioning why those
hiding in mossy places were of paler hue.

Sometimes with older brothers he strolled over Pine
Hill for a swim in the smoothly flowing Nashua River,
coming home with pockets rilled with "shagbark" nuts;
nor did he forget to gather from the rushes an armful of
cat- tails to place with wild roses in the large living room.
Then there was boating on the quiet wood-encircled
Cumberry Pond. While the others fished, the boy gathered
the buds of the beautiful white pond lilies resting on its
surface, and which, opening the next morning, filled the
rooms with their fragrance.

But always dearest to him were the autumn days, when
trees and vines were robed in russet, scarlet, and gold;
and when the flowers began, one by one, to close their
eyes, making ready to lie down to sleep beneath a cover-
let of snow.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

The Nashua River, Lancaster, Mass.

One of his first treasures purchased with his own earn-
ings was a good microscope, with which he studied the
tiny mosses (and lichens) on the old stone walls, and which
revealed to him some of the beauty of the flower hidden
to the unaided eye.

He early formed a taste for reading, for the home was
well supplied with books. The weekly visits of the Youttis
Companion (then a much smaller paper than now) were
welcomed by him, as by so many boys and girls since

20 LUTHER BURBANK

that time. The town of Lancaster had an excellent pub-
lic library, and no one appreciated it more than did Lu-
ther. / He read books of natural science, entering eagerly
into the study of each. For a time geology and the study
of rocks occupied all his leisure moments. A slate quarry
near by, the clay banks with vari-colored strata,* and the
great granite boulders of Rollstone Hill were examined
with care.

Books descriptive of plant life were read and re-read,
ever with the desire to know more of the life and habits
of the plant companions. A cousin, who was a student
of science (&nd a personal friend of the great Agassiz, be-
came interested in the questioning young mind, and al-
though several years older than the lad, the two became
fast friends.

Chemistry and physics, each in turn, held his thought,
while he experimented with an old teakettle in the back
yard, making steam whistles and toy engines. A study
of the heavenly bodies and evenings with the stars fol-
lowed. Falling meteors (shooting stars), the milky way
— that broad bright path in the sky supposed to be the
light of countless stars — and the aurora borealis, or northern
lights, which appeared like a brilliant electric arch in the
night sky, all were of the most intense interest to him.
He excelled in free-hand drawing and in painting in oil
colors, for into each study he threw his whole soul, and

* Beds or layers of rock.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 21

whether work or play occupied his attention, he had the
habit of putting all his energy into one thing at a time.

When fifteen years of age Luther entered Lancaster
Academy, becoming a general favorite with teachers and
classmates; and there he studied several winters. Each
day he walked to the academy, which was three miles
from his home, often retracing his steps in the evening to
enjoy an hour's practice in the gymnasium, as he was
extremely fond of athletics.

The summer months were spent in the city of Worcester,
learning the mechanic's trade. He was faithful in the
work in the great noisy plow shops, even excelling in it,
yet letters written at that time to the loved ones at home
speak more of the beauty of the earth and sky, of the
music of the birds and frogs, than of city life and the
sound of machinery.

/ After leaving the academy, for a time Luther studied
medicine and hygiene. This, as well as the other sciences,
he endeavored to put into practice, and by so doing, no
doubt, built up and strengthened a naturally frail body.

Notwithstanding all these interests, the message to
the plant world must be given, and at the age of twenty-
one he had begun his great life-work, the training of plants
to greater usefulness and beauty.

PART II— THE MAN

LUTHER BURBANK

"He took a little jostled wayside weed —
His intuition keen without a peer —
And read each wound and every weakness clear;
Then struck his finger gently on the seed,
And touched the slender starving wind-blown reed,
And to it said, 'Thou ailest here and here,
Thou needest only food and loving cheer
To gladden any garden, glen or mead.'
He walked with Patience many a tedious hour,
With Genius' glowing lamp aflame in hand;
Or sat with her in Wisdom's citadel,
And heard the watchman calling, 'All is well';
Then saw the shrunken, blighted bloom expand
Into a graceful, snowy, starry flower."

MARY BELLE WILLIAMS.

CHAPTER VI

THE NEW POTATO

While Luther Burbank was yet a young man in New
England he purchased land and devoted a few years to
Market gardening. In this garden there was a plot of
Early Rose potatoes, which, as is the habit of this variety,
seldom bore fruit from the blossom, as did most other
kinds of potatoes at that time. Most grown folks now,
who were children then, remember that this fruit was

LUTHER BURBANK AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 23

called the potato ball, and many were the children who
picked the fruits and played with them.

In the summer of 1871 as the young man was walking
through his garden one morning, he saw among the leaves
of one of the potato plants a seed ball. He had early
formed the habit of close observation, else he would have
passed this by unnoticed, for it was the only fruit on the
whole acre of potatoes.

He had known from childhood that when seeds are
planted, either from the potato or almost any of our best
orchard fruits, one is likely to get a better or poorer vari-
ety than that planted; for seeds from these plants seldom
come true.

V He determined to save this lone fruit and plant the
seeds, hoping he might succeed in raising a new and better
kind of potato, so he watched with impatient eye its ripen-
ing. But when the vine turned brown and the fruit was
almost ready to break from the mother plant, he missed
this treasure. He searched day after day, and when he
had almost given up the seed as lost, he found it some
distance from the vine. It had probably been broken
off by a dog running through the patch.

This seed ball contained just twenty-six seeds so small
that ten of them were not as large as an ordinary pin-head.
Burbank carefully saved them until the following spring.
He planted them, but had to wait through the long sum-
mer months for the vines to grow and the tubers to form.

24 LUTHER BURBANK

When they peeped through the soil there were just
twenty-three young potato plants. They were often vis-
ited, and accurate observations regarding rapidity of
growth, height and size of stalk, shade of color, shape
and number of leaves, etc., were made. Each plant was
carefully labelled and numbered.

When it was time to dig the potatoes he found a few
tubers in each hill. They were of different sizes, colors,
and shapes. Some were about the size of a hen's egg,
others as large as an ordinary potato. The potatoes in
hills numbered fifteen and seventeen were much better
than the rest. The tubers of number fifteen were the
largest, of uniform size, and were pure white, and together
weighed three and one-fourth pounds. There were twenty-
three new varieties, but only seven of these were saved
for future planting; all the others have been lost to culti-
vation. Some of these, by further trial, might have pro-
duced potatoes of importance. One that was discarded
was bright red, one was pink, another pink with white
eyebrows, while in another the eyes reached nearly to the
centre of the potato. To-day the master would save all
for further training.

An agricultural fair was held in the neighborhood, and
Burbank decided to exhibit his products. A long table
was reserved on which he placed some of the finest beets,
carrots, cabbages, pumpkins, squashes, tomatoes, and
watermelons that had been produced in the Bay State,

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 25

and the tall stalks of corn bearing great ears and tower-
ing above the table were far better than those raised by
the Pilgrim fathers under the direction of Massasoit.

The mother, from whom Burbank inherited much of
his love for Nature, brought bouquets of beautiful flowers
and placed them on the table among the vegetables.
Glasses of transparent jellies, jellies of crystal white and
ruby red, also jams of various kinds from the mother's
winter store, were arranged in pyramids among the gar-
dener's displays. But the exhibit that most attracted
the curious as well as the scientific observer was seven
plates, each containing the product of one of the seedling
potato plants that Burbank had so carefully tended.

One of the greatest seedsmen of the United States was
invited to visit the fair and to deliver the opening ad-
dress. In the course of his remarks he referred to the
seven plates of seedling potatoes and to the possibility of
their development, predicting a brilliant future for the
producer.

At the close of the programme Burbank was introduced
to this man of note. The seedsman inquired how he
produced the potatoes, and offered to buy number fifteen
if, after further trial, it proved as good as it then promised.

Cultivation for testing and to increase the stock con-
tinued until the fall of 1875, when Burbank sent to the
seedsman the potatoes he had raised from number fifteen,
and received for his new product $150. The seedsman

26 LUTHER BURBANK

christened the new potato "Burbank" in honor of the
originator, and kindly allowed the young man to keep
ten of the tubers.

Burbank did not get rich from the sale of his potato,
but let us see what the habit of observation and the dili-

Burbank potatoes.

gence of one young man has meant to the world. From
one tiny seed that young Burbank planted in the spring of
1872 the "Burbank" potato came. More than five hun-
dred million bushels of this potato have been raised during
the past forty years; enough to make one million six hun-
dred and sixty thousand car loads, which would make up a
solid train of potatoes to reach more than half around this
planet. A gentleman connected with the United States
Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C., many
years ago made the following statement:

"The Burbank potato has added to the productivity of
the country $17,000,000, and some one has calculated

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 27

that if all the Burbank potatoes raised in one year were
placed in a row, end to end, touching one another, the
line would be long enough to make three rows of potatoes
from the earth to the moon.51

After selling his potato, Burbank decided to leave his
home in New England and seek a climate more favorable
to the work he most enjoyed — plant experimentation.
With the $150 received from his potato he purchased a
ticket for the Golden State and brought with him the ten
new potatoes for trial in the West.

He engaged in the nursery business for a few years,
but through these years he did not forget the precious
seed ball nor its descendants; indeed by this time people
over the greater part of the United States were eating
Burbank potatoes and the name "Burbank'7 was becom-
ing a household word in other lands.

It was early discovered that this potato would with-
stand the blight better than other kinds, and as this dis-
ease had been at various times prevalent in Ireland since
the great famine in 1846, this variety of potato was hailed
with delight in the Emerald Isle; for the potato is one of
the principal foods of the Irish peasants.

The people of Massachusetts in the neighborhood of
the market garden of so long ago are now preparing to
erect a monument to the Burbank of Science on the spot
where originated the potato that has so largely increased
the food supply of the world.

The vine-covered cottage in Santa Rosa.

CHAPTER VII
THE HOME IN CALIFORNIA

Here is the vine-covered cottage in Santa Rosa where
for many years the mother who gave the master his first
lessons in plant culture lived with him, while her hair be-
came white and her steps slower as she neared the land
where flowers never fade. Over the cottage gently sway

the graceful boughs of an elm tree brought by Burbank

28

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

29

Baby plants.

many years ago from the Massachusetts home; and near
it among rare trees and shrubs from foreign lands grows a
beautiful white birch, also from the childhood home.

Near the house is a conservatory where the seeds are
sown in boxes, and the baby plants break through the
carefully prepared soil to meet the light of day, sometimes
many thousands in one box. Often, as one enters, a little
brown tree toad jumps upon the door knob and awaits
recognition. The very valuable work of toads in destroy-
ing insects is understood, and this is an especial pet. Its
tiny beadlike eyes note every movement, and the little

LUTHER BURBANK

Conservatory at the old home of Luther Burbank.

fellow jumps upon Burbank's hand and curls down to
be softly stroked by him.

When a few weeks old the little plants are given more
room by transplanting into other boxes; later these boxes
are placed outside and protected by large wooden frames,
until the plants become hardened so that they are able
to withstand sun and wind, then they are set in beds,
where the soil has been made ready for them.

Not far from the conservatory are the packing sheds,
where trees, plants, and bulbs are made ready for ship-
ment, and are started, often on very long journeys, in
exchange for other seeds and plants.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 31

The grounds, consisting of eight acres, are under the
most intense cultivation. Here, no doubt, are grow-
ing more new, rare, and curious plants than elsewhere,
in the same space, on the globe. The enclosing fence is
so low that passers-by may see and enjoy the beauty of
the flowers without entering and thus interrupting the
work. Entering at the gate one meets bright, happy
flowers on every side. Narrow paths separate the beds of
growing plants, which are arranged, not like a park for
the enjoyment of visitors, but like a workshop; for here,
to those who understand, the real skill of a master hand
is most in evidence.

The little pollen-carriers, the humming birds, the bees
and butterflies, revel in this wonderful garden; and some-
times become bewildered when some strange flower from
a distant land first opens. Its form and color being un-
familiar, they do not know just how to approach and
extract its sweetness.

CHAPTER VIII
JUMBO

One time Burbank brought home a tiny, cunning Japa-
nese dog, which he named Jumbo. The little dog cost
almost his weight in silver, but never during the thirteen
years of Jumbo's happy life would the master have parted
with him for his weight in gold.

32 LUTHER BURBANK

Jumbo, like his namesake, the big elephant, was very
wise, and when his master said, "Be careful never to step
on the flowers or dig them up," his beautiful large eyes
shone with intelligence. He understood every word, and

Japanese spaniel.

was not known to disobey. He learned to love the same
things his master loved, and walks with him in the garden
were Jumbo's delight, although he chose other places for
his frolics. He really seemed to know and admire the
plants. He knew always when a plant was removed and
another took its place. He appeared, too, to know by in-
stinct just where the master was going, running on ahead,
and waiting at the particular plant or tree upon which the
great gardener's attention was at the time directed.
The greatest joy of Jumbo's life was, however, the day

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 33

that Burbank spent twice each week at the Gold Ridge
farm, near Sebastopol, about eight miles from his home.
The evening before the master would say: "Jumbo, you
must get up early to-morrow morning, and eat a good
breakfast — we are going to Sebastopol."

Now Jumbo was an aristocratic dog, and usually stayed
in his warm bed until breakfast was announced, but on
these mornings he was up early, and so eager was he to
be off that he very impatiently waited for the family to
breakfast first; and when given his own was almost too
impatient to eat. When his master would say, "Yes,
Jumbo, eat a good breakfast, so you can go with me,"
his efforts to eat quietly were really amusing.

Then in his own language Jumbo would ask to have his
coat strapped about him, for the little body was very sen-
sitive to the cold of the early morning. With barks of
joy he ran to the gate, and was placed in the wagon on
the seat beside his master. How proud he felt, barking
at the big dogs they met on the road, no doubt thinking
that he was the biggest of all !

Arriving at the farm, he followed his master in the
warm sunshine all the morning hours up and down the
long rows of beautiful flowers. He lingered in the shade
of the trees, becoming acquainted and making friends with
every growing plant, and all the time ants, bugs, and
toads were also receiving their share of attention from
him. It was hard work following the master; so, after

34 LUTHER BURBANK

lunch he was usually contented to take a nap, lying quietly
beside his master's coat until he saw Black Belle har-
nessed, and a tired but happy dog knew it was time to
return to Santa Rosa.

Jumbo's bed was a small box with an opening in one
side as well as at the top. When it was bedtime he
would jump into the box and wait for his master's "good
night." Then, kissing his hand, Jumbo would curl down and
have his blanket placed over him. He did not crawl out
from under the cover until morning, but sometimes a
little brown nose might be seen at the opening in the side
of the box.

One day soon after he came to the Burbank home
Jumbo stood watching Tortoise, the cat — an older and
larger member of the household — eating from a small
dish. Evidently he had noticed that Tortoise had always
the same dish, and that he was not allowed to eat from
it. Probably he did not understand that his tongue
lapped up the milk so fast that the cat, with her daintier
way of eating, would have had little chance to get her
breakfast had he been allowed, to eat from the same plate.

Jumbo stood still for some time, an act which was
quite unusual for such a lively little animal, as if trying
to solve a hard problem. Suddenly he ran out into the
field where some soil was being prepared for use in plant-
ing. Among the ashes brought from town were some
broken and discarded dishes. Jumbo carefully dug the

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 35

ashes over, and from the rubbish selected a small plate.
With his delicate little paws he pushed it aside, and after
much hard work succeeded in bringing it in his mouth
to the house.

Placing it beside the cat's dish he looked around with
a satisfied expression, as if to say, "I, too, now have a
dish of my own." That was ever after Jumbo's own per-
sonal dinner plate, and he did not allow the cat to even
look at it.

Jumbo was a very fastidious little fellow. Once an ant
ventured to climb up over the edge of his plate toward
the food. Jumbo stepped back, gave two or three sharp
barks, then, with a look of disgust, walked away, leaving
his dinner untouched.

When Burbank came in at night, tired from a long
day's work preparing the soil or caring for the plants,
he would say: "Now, Jumbo, you must make me laugh."
Then the dog would stand perfectly still, drop his long
soft ears, shut his eyes, and would not move until he
thought of something to do. Suddenly he would become
a clown, always with a new trick. Sometimes in walking
across the room he would in the most awkward manner
stub his nose on the carpet and tumble down, looking so
surprised that no one could doubt that he understood the
joke. At another time his repeated and unsuccessful at-
tempts to jump upon a chair or the lounge (a very easy
task for him) would win the applause he anticipated.

36 LUTHER BURBANK

Again, he would take fright at a fly, or some imaginary
object, pretending it was a great monster striking terror
to his very being, then suddenly look around, as if to say,
"Did I fool you?" He never failed to produce the laugh
and receive the applause of his audience, whether it con-
sisted of his master alone or of other friends.

Because no member of the household ever deceived
him, Jumbo believed just what was told him. He made
friends readily, and was quite fond of his master's book-
keeper, who highly prized the little dog's friendship.
Unfortunately, one morning the bookkeeper thought to
play a joke on Jumbo. He told him to watch at the
window for an absent member of the family, saying that
she would return that day. Poor little Jumbo believed
him, and watched patiently all day at the window. When
the shades were drawn in the evening he actually cried,
feeling no doubt that he was the victim of an unkind
joke. Never afterward would Jumbo pay the least atten-
tion to the bookkeeper, except to look reproachfully at
him, as if to say, "You are no longer my friend."

The one great sorrow came into Jumbo's life when
Burbank decided to visit his friends and old home in
Massachusetts. Jumbo seemed to understand all the
preparations made for the journey, closely following his
master's steps for several days before his departure, in
every way showing unusual affection for Jiim. Burbank
patiently endeavored to make him understand that he

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 37

would return in a few weeks, and that the best of care
would be given to his little pet while he was away. Jumbo
could not be reconciled, and after his master left refused
to eat. Everything possible was done to comfort him.
Something of his master's — a coat, a shoe, or hat — was
given him each day, beside which he would lie and moan.

Very touching were the efforts he made to swallow a
few bits of food, when told he must eat; but day after
day he became thinner, until a letter was sent to Massa-
chusetts, telling the master to return at once, or the little
dog would not live.

And when Burbank came Jumbo almost died of joy.
Although he had been told of his master's coming, the
shock was almost more than the little wasted frame could
bear; but he was carefully nursed, and in a short time
he was again the happy little Jumbo, with his usual good,
dog appetite.

After a while Jumbo's days were numbered and he
closed his eyes. Very tenderly was1 the little body wrapped
in his blanket and placed in the earth in the shade of a
beautiful palm tree near the master's home.

Luther Burbank's present home.

CHAPTER IX
THE NEW HOME

Beautiful vines climb over the Burbank home in the
"City of Roses." It is a large square house, somewhat
resembling his childhood home. Around it the flowers
bloom, and trees and shrubs grow with so much of their
native air and grace that it has become a favorite haunt

of the birds. Even the shy quail run across the lawn, and,

38

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

39

Children from a public school at Luther Burbank's home on
Burbank Day (Arbor Day in California).

unmolested, rear their little ones in the quiet shade. A
narrow, winding footpath under the trees leads to the
Santa Rosa creek, whose banks are lined with trees and
vines. Among these every morning the wood thrush sings
with the same sweet, clear, bell-like tones that charmed
Burbank when a boy in his New England home.

No less lovely than the plants surrounding the home
are the eager, happy faces of the school children as they
peep through the fence at the master and his flowers. That

40 LUTHER BURBANK AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

the boys and girls know and appreciate his love for trees
and birds is shown by the following pledge, signed by the
four hundred children of one of the Santa Rosa schools,
and presented to him on his sixty-second birthday:

"To-day, as a part of our Arbor Day exercises and in
honor of one, who is, we know, a sincere friend of birds
and trees, we pledge ourselves to befriend all of God's
creatures, to protect the birds, and not to maliciously de-
stroy trees or any of the other beauties of Nature."

PART III— THE SCHOOL

"Who kneels to learn the lily's shining creed
Grows like the lilies, liker Christ indeed,
Thou, of all these, whom God has set apart,
High priest of nature in the shrine of art,
Thine are the secrets of the inner shrine:
To litt the veil from Nature's face to thine;
To speak with reverent awe the magic spell
That bids the wonder be a miracle;
To break the tyrant chains of red and blue
That binds the flower to its ancestral hue;
To bid the royal purple to unfold;
Upon the native pansy's gown of gold.
To touch her velvet robes and bid them be
All colors that the rainbow held in fee,
These are the highest, holiest deeds of man,
Completing what the soul of God began,
A gracious gift that from a golden store
Enriches beauty grown from more to more."

SAMUEL J. ALEXANDER.

CHAPTER X
THE PLANT SCHOOL

Many, many thousands of plant pupils are each year
enrolled in the Burbank plant school at Santa Rosa, Cali-
fornia. They are not there to produce fruit, nuts, and
vegetables for food, or flowers for beauty alone, but to be
developed, educated, trained, and thus to gain new habits

41

42 LUTHER BURBANK

and qualities that they may be of greater worth to the
world.

Pupils come from every land seeking admission, many
of them having very interesting histories. Some are from
the gardens of the King of Italy, others from the royal
gardens of Japan, and some have been sent from far-away
Siberia and India. There are pupils from Australia and
New Zealand, from Alaska and Patagonia, from Europe
and South America.

To secure rare and strange plants men have climbed
mountain precipices, forded overflowing streams, and
crossed barren plains, many times meeting discomfort and
danger in the work. Always, however, the trees and
plants of our own land form the largest groups. Not
only are those which are commonly cultivated given a
place, but often a despised or neglected weed has become
a prize pupil in the school.

Not always because of apparent good qualities do plants
obtain a place. Some have hidden properties of great
value; others are simply lazy members of a good family,
and, by patient care, may be corrected and reformed, so
as to become useful citizens of the plant kingdom. Still
others are chosen because, under the direction of the mas-
ter, they are likely to form new habits and characters.

Luther Burbank, the teacher, sees wonderful possibili-
ties in plant life; but he knows that each desired shade and
tint, form and grace, perfume and flavor, must be devel-

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 43

oped in the character of a plant by slow and repeated effort
just as a child is trained and directed year after year by
loving parents and teachers. He works patiently, and
when the least sign of improvement is seen, continues his
work with the plant; otherwise it must be rejected and
the place given to another. As plants are not so easy to
teach as children, in this school ten thousand in one class
may fail and only one meet the requirements. Yet the
work goes on, for, like the master, plants seem never to
become disheartened. Usually from six to eight years are
required to complete the education of a pupil, but some
have remained in the school for thirty or more years.

The Gold Ridge proving-grounds, where the more ex-
tensive work is done, are eight miles west of Santa Rosa,
near Sebastopol. On an eastern sloping hillside sixteen
acres are devoted to the growing trees and plants. Just
inside the enclosure is the pretty cottage occupied by the
superintendent of the grounds, and in which has been
furnished an office and rest room.

The view from the place is very picturesque, overlook-
ing the beautiful Santa Rosa valley, with its wooded hills
and low mountains as a background, and Mount St. Helena
in the far distance.

Narrowing bands of deepest crimson, delicate pink, and
many other shades and tints extend from the entrance
up and over the hillside. These magnificent flowers are
the new gladioli.* Wonderful new Shasta daisies glisten

* See illustration on page 82.

44

LUTHER BURBANK

in the sunlight like banks of snow, and scores of other
flowering plants form lines of exquisite beauty.

The location of each variety is shown by a small, neatly

View of one corner of the Sebastopol grounds.

painted stake; and all are arranged with reference to their
needs in regard to soil, moisture, cultivation, and test,
rather than for artistic effect.

Berry and other vines, and many kinds of native and
foreign shrubs, are also growing in long rows, marked by
similar wooden stakes. So familiar is the master with his

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 45

pupils that were all these stakes 'removed he would at once
recognize each. But that all the work be scientifically
accurate, plan books are also kept, having plots and maps
showing the exact location of each class, and giving its
record.

Farther back are fruit trees, together with nut, timber,
and ornamental trees. Whether robed in simple green,
bright with pink and white blossoms, rich with many
colored fruits, dull with the russet of autumn, or with their
bare branches reaching upward, the trees are always
beautiful. Native and foreign trees seem to form close
friendships. The trees from the southern hemisphere
often experience considerable difficulty in adjusting them-
selves to the new conditions. It was very amusing to
watch some apple trees sent from South America. The
first fall they were in California they put out tender
green leaves and opened pink and white blossoms just as
the other trees were preparing for the winter's rest. They
seemed conscious of having made a blunder, and soon
dropped these signs of springtime, yet were confused; and
it was two or three years before they learned the proper
time to array themselves in the beautiful garment of
spring.

Birds build nests, chatter and sing in the trees, feasting
upon fruit, nuts, berries, and seeds so abundant here; no
doubt earning an honest living, as they destroy many
injurious insects. Yes, little birdies, you know the earli-

46 LUTHER BURBANK

est and sweetest cherries, and are quite welcome to your
share. But why persist in the wasteful habit of taking
only a bite from each one, and spoiling so many that the
master is compelled to protect any especially choice fruit
by covering the tree with netting?

Here is a ripening seed pod, very precious; for it the
master has waited years; along comes an inquisitive little
bird, who wishes to try the flavor of those very seeds.
Ah, ha, little bird, your habits are known, and a paper
bag has been snugly tied over the seed pod. Sometimes
an enterprising squirrel or rabbit comes in from a neigh-
boring field for a meal of nuts or vegetables. The most
unwelcome guests, however, are the little brown gophers.
More than once have they destroyed priceless bulbs,
which could not be replaced. Yet no enmity is felt by the
master toward them, for upon roots and bulbs must they
depend for their food.

The young trees and those plants which require a long
time for testing are brought from the Santa Rosa experi-
ment grounds, as much of the work begun there is com-
pleted here. Many workmen are constantly busy pre-
paring and cultivating the soil, planting, trimming and
training plants, seeing that sufficient food and water are
provided, and that each plant is kept healthy.

Although only reliable men are employed, yet each
plant has Burbank's personal attention, as he alone is
able to recognize the slight differences in growth or habit.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 47

Passing by a class, he often stops to tie a little white string
around the stem of a plant in which a certain quality has
attracted his notice, and with which he wishes to become

The "O. K." mark.

better acquainted. Or, perhaps, he places on a stake or
a label a double cross (#). This is his "O.K." mark,
and whether upon a new fruit, an important manuscript,
or a piece of pie, which pleases his taste, it signifies work
well done.

At the testing season, during the long summer days,

48 LUTHER BURBANK

Burbank spends much time at Gold Ridge. As each
fruit under test ripens, photographs are taken, and a com-
plete record is made and compared with that of previous
years. The size, shape, quality, flavor, color, general ap-
pearance, keeping quality, hardiness, amount of fruit to
the tree, and many other points are noted. Each year
many badges of honor are awarded, and each year some
new fruits and flowers are graduated. Many more are
kept for further education and training, while some must
be rejected.

Some of the pupils when they enter the school have
only family names, but as they assume new forms of
beauty, or of usefulness, they receive an added name —
a baptismal name, retaining, of course, their original
family name. And just as they have come from all parts
of the world, so in their new and improved forms they
go back to distant lands. So widely have these fruits
and flowers been distributed that it is true that, "The sun
never sets on the Burbank productions."

How new plants are made.

CHAPTER XI

HOW NEW PLANTS ARE MADE

It is a good thing to make friends with Mother Nature
and learn to know her trees and flowers well. They all
have messages of love and cheer; then, too, we have so
many things for which to thank the plant people — food,
clothing, shelter, cooling shade, and many more. And
they are delightful companions. Books are the best of
indoor friends, and trees and plants the best of outdoor
friends.

49

50 LUTHER BURBANK

Luther Burbank has learned to appreciate all this, for
he says: "What occupation could be more delightful than
adopting the most promising individual from among a
race of neglected orphan weeds, downtrodden and de-
spised by all, and lifting it up by breeding and education
to a higher place? To see it gradually change its sprawl-
ing habits, its coarse, ill-smelling foliage, its insignificant
blossoms of a dull color, to an upright plant with hand-
some, glossy, fragrant leaves, and blossoms of every hue,
and with a fragrance as pure and lasting as could be de-
sired?"

Try to put yourself in the place of a plant. Perhaps
it is wild and would be made tame; or it has an unpleas-
ant odor and desires a sweet fragrance. It may have an
unattractive flower which it wishes bright and beautiful.

FIf a fruit, it is sour and may wish to be made sweet. It
might be a berry full of hard seeds that hurt its feelings
and it would like them removed; or a nut that would be
useful but for its puckery bitterness. Burbank has changed
all of these things, and many more. He says: "I have no
magic or secrets to impart. I simply learn and follow
Nature's laws."

New plants are produced by selecting or choosing, year

after year, the one plant among many of its kind which

• has an especial quality that you desire, and saving the

seeds from this one plant only, instead of planting seeds

from every one. In this way by selection alone you can

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 51

make the blooms larger, change their color, lengthen or
shorten the stem, and make many other changes. Did you
ever see a bleeding heart that was not a pink red? Prob-
ably not, but Burbank
has produced one that
is white.

This changing process
can sometimes be great-
ly hastened by crossing
two plants which are
closely related but have
different qualities, un-
like in size or color.
To understand what is
meant by crossing, you
must understand some-
thing about the parts

of a flower and the uses

r , _ White bleeding heart,

of these parts. Every

complete flower has sepals, petals, stamens, and a pistil,
and several pollen-bearing anthers.

Each outer leaf is called a sepal. Sepals are more com-
monly green or greenish, but not always.

Each inner leaf is called a petal. Petals are usually of
some other color than green, and form the showy part of
the flower.

The stamen bears on its stalk a little powder box filled

52 LUTHER BURBANK

with precious golden dust. The tiny case is called the
anther and the golden dust is the pollen. Here is an
anther discharging its pollen.

At the tip of the pistil is the stigma upon which the
pollen falls. The pistil thinks itself the most important
part of the flower, for the stamen furnishes pollen to help

Flower of a common
weed.

Two parts of each kind of the same
flower, enlarged.

4— Sepals.

B— Petals.

C — Stamen and anthas.

D — Pistil and stigma.

Stamen.

Pista.

it make the seeds and the sepals and petals form coverings
to protect it. No plant can produce . seed unless pollen
falls upon its stigma. It seldom happens that the pollen
of a blossom fertilizes its own seed. Nature has many
pollen-carriers — the bees, the wind, and many more — to
bring the golden dust from other flowers, when the flower
is ready to receive it. The pollen is what gives life to
the seed.

If you should plant white corn near a field of yellow
corn, many ears would be found to have both yellow and

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 53

white kernels, for the wind has carried pollen from the
yellow corn tassel to that of the white corn, and so the
seeds become crossed or mixed. This crossing is con-
tinually going on everywhere in Nature, and thus each
plant has an individuality, no two being exactly alike.
Although to most persons all buttercups or daisies look
alike, they differ in many ways. There is an endless
variety in flowers as there is in human faces.

Usually when we speak of crossing, we refer to the work /
of man in combining two plants. An apple blossom will
illustrate how this crossing is done. The only tools you
will need are a good microscope, a tiny saucer to hold the
pollen, and a small, sharp knife. Some morning when the
flowers are about to open, gather the anthers of several
blossoms from one tree and place them upon your saucer
to dry. The pollen will soon shake out. The blossoms of
the other tree to which you wish to carry the gathered
pollen must not be open or in full bloom, lest some pollen-
carrier has been there first. Carefully cut away the petals
and anthers, leaving the pistil uninjured. Then dip the
tip of your finger into the pollen in your saucer and place
it gently upon the stigma of the flower, which you have
prepared to receive it. It will hold the yellow dust fast.
There is nothing now left to attract a pollen-carrier to the
fertilized blossom, for its bright petals are gone, and there
is no footing left for an insect to light upon. It would be
well to place a tag upon this bloom so that you can watch

54 LUTHER BURBANK

it closely, and carefully save the seeds when they ripen.
These seeds will be a combination of the two varieties
crossed. Plants from them will, no doubt, vary greatly,
giving an opportunity for selection of the best from the
seedlings.

y This process of selection of the best plants should be
carried on faithfully for several years in order to fix any
quality in either fruit or flowers. Some of the seedlings
may be better than either parent, or they may be valueless.
One of the main objects of crossing is to produce this varia-
tion, from which selections may be made.

The work of plant improvement is beyond comparison
with any other chosen occupation, owing to the delight it
gives one and the happiness it adds to the human race.

CHAPTER XII
THE SHASTA DAISY

The little wild field daisy, that grew around Luther
Burbank's childhood home, was considered by the farmers
an evil thing, a harmful weed. Burbank's loving heart
seemed to go out to this little forsaken thing, which, to
most persons, was an intruder, not deserving even a place
to live. He singled it out from the attractive flowers,
that appealed to every one — the violet, the aster, the
pansy, the trailing arbutus, the lily, the rose — not for lack
of love for these, but they had friends a-plenty, the daisy

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 55

scarcely one. He would show it friendship, and give it
a chance in the world to be something.

It was like taking a little neglected orphan child, who
had never been rocked in a fond mother's arms, or kissed
to make it well. He would teach it new ways of which it
had never known. He would give it love and make it a
queen among its kind — this little waif.

So Luther Burbank took his little childhood friend, the
moon-penny daisy, from its home within sound of the
Atlantic's roar, and placed it in his plant school on the
Pacific coast, among his rare and most choice flowers.
Though his every hour was crowded with work, he made
time to plan a glorious future for it, and his interest in it
held throughout the years of patient attention he gave to
its education.

In England there grew a daisy similar, but somewhat
larger in size, whose coarseness excluded it from the royal
flowers. And over in Japan still another, quite small,
but dazzling in pure whiteness. Neither of these, however,
was as hardy as their American cousin nor as productive
of bloom. But in the three Burbank saw an outcome
most wonderful.

The three little daisy cousins were brought together in
the plant school, and their education began. The American
daisy furnished a strong constitution; the English daisy gave
size; while the Japanese daisy contributed purity. These,
when united, would give strength, beauty, and importance.

LUTHER BURBANK

Soon they blossomed , nodding and beckoning to each
other, and growing to know each other as neighbor children
do. Then Burbank visited them, and called upon them

for some of their golden
pollen. First, he took
it from the English
daisy and, carrying it
upon his watch crystal,
gave it to the American
daisy. He then waited
until the seeds from the
two united flowers rip-
ened, which were only
a few in number. These
he treasured carefully
until the time to plant
them. He then bade
farewell to these two
little pupils, the English
and the moon-penny
daisy, for their life-work
was done.

He came again when the little plant children from these
few seeds were dressed in their white gowns. This time
the Japanese daisy gave her golden pollen, and he carried
it to the new seedling pupils. Then the Japanese daisy
passed, for her work was done, also. Again he must wait

Two Shasta daisies.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 57

for the new pupils to ripen their seeds, and still longer,
until they were planted, grew up, and were white with
bloom.

Then with loving eyes he viewed the daisy class, and
chose those which gave promise of the qualities; strength,
size, and whiteness, combined with grace of form and
profusion of flowers. The others must all give way for
their growth. The seeds from the best of these were
gathered, and the next season the finest plant pupils were
selected from the number.

This training went on for several years, until a hun-
dred thousand seeds were saved and planted in a space
about ten feet square. When large enough, they were
transported to the Gold Ridge grounds, where they were
given about an acre to insure plenty of room for further
development.

All these years Luther Burbank protected his little pupils
from worms, gophers, and plant lice, giving them the
tender care of his own hands — not trusting it to others,
whose sympathy might be less than his — for it is a known
fact that love calls out response in the growth of plant
life as it does the best there is in human life. So love
rules in the plant world as it does in our own world.

When the hundred thousand plants were started another
important step in the upward life of the daisy was reached. .
For six months they blossomed. Twice a week the teacher
examined bloom, stem, and leaf of each plant. One would

X

58 LUTHER BURBANK

have a wonderful blossom on a scrubby stem, one a grace-
ful long stem, but its flower would not be perfect in white-
ness; another would have strength and grace but lack
beauty. Out of this large number only those that came
nearest Burbank's ideal were allowed to live and bear
seeds.

For eight years he patiently worked with his daisy.
Sometimes a blossom would measure two feet in circum-
ference, seven inches from tip to tip of petal. But this
was not selected. It would not stand in every climate
and grow under every condition. It lacked sturdiness of
petal and would not be able to withstand the bright sun
and the storms. He wanted a daisy that would gladden
the heart of a flower lover in Alaska the same as it could
in Florida, Norway, or Italy — one that would flourish in
all soils and all climates.

So from the medium-sized daisies pupils were grown
and regrown, the flowers being, from three to six inches in
diameter, for sturdy plants only would be hardy and give
good keeping quality to cut flowers.

We have from these years of patient toil and constant
care a daisy that will thrive north of the arctic circle or
under the equator, and will give, on long graceful stems,
in abundance, flowers of snowy whiteness, from three to
six inches in diameter, with a large golden centre, and when
cut, will remain fresh from ten days to two weeks.

This beautiful flower Burbank named the Shasta daisy,

THE SHASTA DAISY

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 59

from the snow-capped peak of northern California, Shasta,
meaning white, or whiteness.

One of the peculiar habits of this wonderful new daisy
is, that, unlike its ancestors, it never seeds itself, producing
only a few large seeds; therefore it never has, and never
will, become the pest that it was in the wild. A self-sown
daisy has never been found in the plant school. The mas-
ter's work there is not only to teach good qualities but to
expel bad ones. The daisy was induced to drop her one
bad habit of spreading.

To this stately daisy Burbank has added a double daisy,
by selection alone; choosing each year those that show a
tendency to become double. The petals crowded closer
and closer together as the selections were made each year,
until a pure white, perfectly formed blossom was obtained;
a more than rival of the chrysanthemum, as the daisy
blooms from five to seven months in the year. Three
strains of this daisy were perfected — the Alaska, the Cali-
fornia, and the Westralia. Another, newer still, is a beau-
tiful fringed daisy, far finer even than any of the others.

6o

LUTHER BURBANK

Miss Eschscholtzia.

CHAPTER XIII
MISS ESCHSCHOLTZIA* HAS A NEW DRESS

Luther Burbank stood in the open near his home one
bright spring morning admiring the beauties of Nature
around him. There were wild flowers everywhere — deli-
cate nestling baby blue-eyes, fragrant white forget-me-nots,
purple larkspurs, snowy meadow foam, all woven and in-
terwoven into one great rug. The upland ran one sea of
gold— California poppies, lifting their shining yellow cups

*S-sholt's*-a.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 61

to the sun, smiled upon him. He stooped to examine some
of the golden petals near his feet, saying:

"This beautiful dress of bright golden hue which you
have worn so long is very becoming to you and exceed-
ingly appropriate to this land of perpetual sunshine. But,
Miss Golden Cup, if you would sometimes wear a dress of
white, pale cream, pink, or crimson, we would love you
still better than we do."

Suddenly his practised eye caught a crimson hairlike
ray on one golden petal, as if Mother Nature had made a
mistake in using her crimson dye. He immediately re-
solved to form a poppy class in the plant school. He pro-
tected this plant from danger and shielded it until the
seeds ripened. . He knew that he must be watchful if he
would get the seeds, so he placed a paper bag over the
ripening pod.

All the Eschscholtzia family have taught their pods to
pop suddenly open when thoroughly ripe, thus scattering
the seeds so that the young plants may have more room
and fertile soil for homes. When the seed pod bursts it
makes a loud noise, and the California children say, "Miss
Poppy is firing her pistol."

The Eschscholtzia is intensely bitter, therefore has few
foes to war upon it. It is said to be more avoided by
slugs than any other plant.

The seeds from the poppy with crimson ray were sown
in the plant school. Soon young Eschscholtzia pupils

62 LUTHER BURBANK

peeped through the soil. Leaves and buds appeared,
which were soon followed by the golden flower cups.

Little Miss Eschscholtzia is a quaint maiden who wears
a queer green pointed cap like a brownie's toboggan.
This is trimmed with a delicate frill which has a rose-
colored edge. She doffs this cap before making her bow to
the world, then spreads out her yellow satin gown and
dances in the sunshine. She is not only quaint but wise
as well, for when the fog blows in, or the rain approaches,
she folds her garments tightly about her, lest her beautiful
sheen be spoiled or her golden dust injured.

These little Eschscholtzia maidens were being taught to
change the color of their gowns, so when examination day
came the master put white ties around the stem, close
up to the blossom of those who seemed to be trying to
obey his instructions.

How proud these plant pupils surely felt as they stood
erect with snowy ties around their little necks. They
had seen this reward of merit given to other plants —
only yesterday to a class belonging to the lily family —
but never before had such a prize been awarded to one
of their kind.

The workmen knew when they saw these ties that
plants wearing them must be carefully watched and their
seeds saved, while their sisters with the accustomed golden
dresses must be rejected.

The second year thousands of Eschscholtzia pupils were
in the school. Soon they spread their bright petals to the

•

THE CRIMSON ESCHSCHOLTZIA
(Red California Poppy)

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

See their "little white ties."

breeze, and to most people were not unlike their brothers
and sisters in the field. The master came again with the
badge of honor, white neckties. Many of the pupils were
like their ancestors and waved their saucy yellow heads
as if to say: "The Spanish fathers called me Copa de oro.*
I represent the great gold fields of California. I am the
State's adopted flower. I have stood for centuries weav-
ing the golden sunshine into the meshes of my gown.
I'm not going to change my beautiful dress of gold.''
Burbank, however, passed these saucy ones by and found
some more obedient; they had crimson in their petals.
These were chosen and promoted.

* Copa de oro — Cup of gold.

64 LUTHER BURBANK

For eight years this selection went on, and a beautiful
crimson poppy is the result. Since this time, through
selection, other varieties have been grown, until now we
find little Eschscholtzia maidens in all kinds of beautiful
dresses. Some are snow white, others range from light
cream to straw color. Many are a deep-purplish crimson,
while others have decided to wear pure crimson with golden
yellow for trimmings.

Eschscholtzias of these colors and shades are now being
graduated from the plant school and enjoyed by people
throughout the world, while the golden blossoms continue,
as before, to brighten the hills and valleys of California.

CHAPTER XIV
THE FIRE POPPY

One day two little poppy pupils, Opium and Oriental,
came to the plant school from far-away Asia. They were
not at all alike in their habits. Oriental was a perennial,
that is it grew from year to year, while Opium was an
annual, and must be raised from seed each season. It did
not seem possible to combine the two plants and make
an entirely new poppy, but the master said, "Wait! Let
us see about it!"

Opium had for a long time borne a bad reputation be-
cause of its furnishing a poisonous juice. Strange to say,

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 65

some people form the habit of taking opium, a drug made
from this juice. It makes them sleep a great deal, and in
time they seem to care for nothing else, so they are failures
as human beings.

The master's work is not only to train good into his
plant pupils but to train out the bad; and he was certain
that he should not have the charge of being poisonous, hang
over the life of the new poppy, for with this flower he had
planned to brighten homes everywhere. So he instructed
Opium to cultivate only the good qualities which he wished
the new poppy to possess.

When these two poppies, Opium and Oriental, were
placed in their class, right across from a group of snowy
lilies, that continually suggested purity in their sweet,
spotless robes, they seemed to forget much of the scenes
and work of their former lives in China and India, and to
think only of the lessons to be learned in the plant school.
Oriental missed Opium all through the long summer and
autumn, and, indeed, most of the year, for Opium was only
a short-lived spring flower.

Oriental's leisure time was spent in making new ac-
quaintances among the many plant people who were there
from every land, also learning all it could and amusing it-
self as well.

The plant people are not deep thinkers, but none of
them are without some wisdom. The tulip poppy did
some very cunning things that caused them all to rustle

66

LUTHER BURBANK

their leaves in laughter, as if they were tittering and clap-
ping their hands. The wind always enters into their en-
joyment, and can tell some of the most beautiful stories

of 'all.

This was the trick of
the tulip poppy. When
a bee lit upon her bright
blossom, she closed her
two inner petals tightly
together and held him

^ast> as y°u would catch
a butterfly with your
two hands. Mr. Bee
then set up a furious
buzzing, which grew
louder and louder, call-
Poppy, ing for help. If the mas-
ter chanced to be where

the cry reached his ear, he sometimes unclasped Miss Tulip's
hands and gave Mr. Bee his freedom, otherwise he must
remain a prisoner until she chose to let him go. This was
a funny way to send her golden pollen to other poppies,
but it was a good way, for when Mr. Bee escaped he was
laden with the yellow dust, and, lighting upon another
poppy, he left much of it there. Mr. Bee never seemed
to understand this trick of paying for the honey he sipped,
for bees are always heard humming in the poppy class

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 67

When the plum trees blossomed in a burst, Opium awoke
from the long, long nap to greet Oriental with a wealth of
blossoms of many colors. Oriental was dressed in scarlet,
the large single flowers looking very attractive. Burbank
chose .one of the finest blooms and shook it gently over
Opium's head, so that the pollen from Oriental's anthers
fell upon the stigma of Opium. In this way the two
poppies combined, and the teacher looked with great in-
terest to some wonderful poppies as the result.

The next season the plants from these mixed seeds were
of great variety in both form and color, and especially so
was their foliage, no two being alike. Some had woolly
leaves, some hairy ones, while others were quite smooth.
Some were a light green, others were quite dark. The
flowers were scarlet, crimson, white, purple, and yellow. '
The seed pods or vases differed greatly. Some of them
were from four to six times larger than those of either of
the original poppies, others were scarcely larger than the
stem that bore them, while in some the pod was entirely
absent.

The seed pod of the poppy is much like a pepperbox,
with holes not on top but under the brim. In this way the
seeds are safely housed from the weather until they are
ripe, when you can shake them out as you would pepper
from a box. If left to itself, the pod will bend over and
sway to and fro for the wind to scatter the seeds. Surely
Mother Nature has been very thoughtful in providing so

68 LUTHER BURBANK

comfortable and so beautiful a cradle for the poppy's seed
babies.

For many years the offsprings of Opium and Oriental
were patiently trained, until at last their education was
completed. Each joyous graduate wore a glowing gown
of fiery red with a purplish spot at the base of each petal,
so it was christened by the master "Fire" poppy.

CHAPTER XV
THE LILY PUPILS

What a time they must have had getting acquainted
— those fifty pupils ! Some of them had come from the
tropics, and some from the frigid zone. There were the
tigers, the Alpines, the auratums, and I could not tell you
all, for some were great strangers. But there were tall
lilies and tiny lilies of every shade and color.

It had been thought such a difficult task to train a lily,
that no one before Burbank had given the subject much
attention. Indeed, some had said, "It is no use — the lily
cannot be taught." But he had faith in the intelligence
of this favorite flower, and believed it would respond to
his love and care and reward his efforts, even if it should
require a great deal of his valuable time to teach it. The
idea of the lily, of all flowers, not desiring a higher educa-
tion!

THE FIRE POPPY

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

69

So here they found themselves in the plant school, in a
most delightful California climate, where they could all
be together in the open,
and enjoy the fragrant
breeze and the glorious
sunshine, and just grow
and grow.

Some of them had
known little of outdoor
life before, having been
shut up in the stuffy
air of a hothouse. Some
had grown in the cold
North. What a joy to
breathe in the balmy air
and to drink the dew,
with no fear of being
withered by heat or
pinched with cold.

Sweetest perfume was A native Pacific coast

sent forth by some of them, while most of them had no
odor at all.

They were an odd-looking lot in form and color — no
two alike. The California lilies felt their importance, we
are sure, for they were at home, and all the others were
their guests. Then, too, they were to assist their teacher
largely in training the strangers to new ways. Little

70 LUTHER BURBANK

Miss Washington, eourtcsying low, was very proud of her
fragrant white dress. Mr. Tiger in his speckled brown
coat tried to be very entertaining, while the graceful brown
lily chimed her mission bells. Miss Ruby, the tall, stately
mountain lily, in her shell-pink gown, bowed to each in
turn, swinging her censer of perfume, which is said to
be the finest in the whole world. Each tried to outdo
the other in the reception of their guests, for but one thought
was there, and it was this, "We will make them happy in
their new home."

They all remained at Santa Rosa until each had received
its first supply of pollen, then the Gold Ridge grounds
became their home. Two acres were given to the lilies in
which to receive their higher training.

In June when the blooming season came, a rare mingling
of perfumes filled the air — thousands of odors blended into
one. Nothing like it had ever been known before in the
whole world. The people of the Gold Ridge section won-
dered and wondered what it could be; and they came from
all around to investigate the cause. As they came nearer
and nearer, such a mass of beautiful colors spread out be-
fore them as they had never before even dreamed of.
When they came close the lilies nodded and nodded, and
swung their censers, bidding them to behold their exquisite
colorings and quaint forms, for nothing in the world could
compare with them. Each lily seemed to do its best in
appreciation of what the teacher had done for it.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

A field of lilies, showing heights and styles.

Some had only one petal tightly rolled up; some had two
petals like the wings of a gorgeous butterfly; others had
three, four, or five petals; while most of them had six, as
the other lilies have.

There were all colors, shading from white, or palest
straw color, to the deepest yellow, orange, crimson, or
brown; and there were spotted and speckled ones — all
mingling with the different shades of the green foliage.
Their stems were from six inches to eight feet in height,
some having a single stem, others branching ones. A few
bore as many as fifty flowers on one stalk; and there was

72

LUTHER BURBANK

one that seemed to outdo all the rest in its profusion of
blooms, for it carried ninety-one flowers on a four-foot
stalk. The bulbs were as great a study as were the blooms,

differing greatly in
color, form, and size.

Out of that large class
of two hundred and fifty
thousand new lilies,
Burbank selected fifty
that came up to his
ideal — that had re-
warded his tireless ef-
forts by being obedient
to his requests.

" Can my thoughts be
imagined," said Bur-
bank, "after twenty-
six years of care and
labor, as I walked
among them on a dewy
morning, and looked
upon these new forms

of beauty upon which other eyes had never gazed? Here
is a plant six feet high with bright yellow blooms; beside
it one only six inches high with darkest red flowers; farther
on one pale straw, or snowy white, or with curious dots or
shadings. Some deliciously fragrant, others faintly so;

One of the fragrant new lilies.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 73

some with upright flowers, others with nodding ones;
some with dark green woolly leaves, others with polished
light green ones.

"As the fresh, dew-laden petals of these new creations,
which had never been spread out to the light of day, were
unrolled before me, a new world of beauty seemed to have
been found, and I was fully rewarded for all the care I
had bestowed upon them."

CHAPTER XVI
THE CALLA'S STORY

This is the story of the calla. She told it one day to
her friends as they rested in the shade of the trees. It
was near Eastertide, and the whole circle of flower students
was interested, for they knew that it is at Easter time
the callas are most sought.

"We were not always so graceful as we are to-day,"
the story-teller began, in a low, soft voice. "Ages and
ages ago, when our ancestors lived in the wilds of Africa,
we had only a long yellow spike to make us beautiful.
This was surrounded by a number of broad green leaves.
After a while one of these leaves grew larger and grad-
ually folded around the spike, forming a flower cup. It
took many, many years to make this change, for Mother
Nature, who is our teacher in the wilds, works slowly.

74 LUTHER BURBANK

Then we wanted to attract the insects so they would
carry our pollen to other spikes.

"Nature taught us to change the color of the green to
white. Some of my relatives, however, chose pale yellow
as their color, while others preferred dark yellow or orange.

"I was the first calla to enter the school/' continued
the speaker. "I am known here as * White Calla,' but by
many people I am incorrectly called 'The Lily of the Nile.'
You see I am not a lily at all, for lilies have six petals,
which bend gracefully from a central stem.

"The master has trained many of his calla class to bear
very large blossoms. This he does by selecting, year after
year, the largest of our number for promotion. As a
reward for his labors one of our class succeeded in pro-
ducing a blossom ten inches across on a stem six feet high.
So far as we know, this is the largest calla that ever graced
a stalk so tall, and we are proud of our class record. We
feel like challenging the world, having size, grace, and
beauty, the points at issue.

"In another class of white callas, which we call 'the
little gems/ the master trained for small flowers and short
stems, so that there might be a calla suitable for bouquets.
Each year he chose as the graduates the very smallest and
most perfect callas. At last a regular Tom Thumb was
obtained. A perfect white blossom less than two inches
across grew on a stem about ten inches high.

"But by far the largest number of callas to enter our

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 75

school were the wild tribes from southern and central
Africa. They were a curious group when they arrived.
Calla Hastata, Pride of the Congo, was adorned with pale
yellow blossoms having dark yellow spots. Ellitiana, from
Cape Good Hope, had large golden yellow flower cups and
green foliage spotted white.

"The blossom of the pupil from Natal might be com-
pared to a coat of many colors, the outside being a delicate
pink, the lining a rose purple with crimson shadings.

"One of the smallest foreign pupils bore flowers of a
greenish yellow with a spot of dark crimson at the base.

"A calla from Cape Town had a small yellow flower
shaded with purple, and its foliage was sprinkled with yel-
low dots.

"Our master placed all these in one large class, and
began their training by pollination* and selection. f

"A few years passed rapidly by, then a gorgeous array
of callas was seen at the Gold Ridge school. They were
of many forms and sizes; some were tall and large, others
short and small, some strong, others delicate. In color
they ran from nearly pure white or light yellow through
all the shades to dark yellow; also purplish and crimson.
The foliage was even more varied than the blossoms.
There were large leaves and small leaves, hairy leaves and
smooth leaves, green leaves striped with white, spotted

* Pollination — conveying pollen from anther to stigma.

t Selection — choosing the best specimens for further development.

76 LUTHER BURBANK

and mottled in brown or purple. The master walked
among them sometimes in almost speechless admiration.

"Our school is justly proud of this class, for from these
wild African plants have been graduated many callas that
are strong and will flourish in the open in any semitropical
climate. The blossom of each calla graduate is indeed
beautiful. The foliage of some is a bright green with golden
spots, others have green foliage spotted with white, while
still others have only the rich green of the white calla.

"Lemon Giant, one of the noted graduates, and
Fragrance, a beautiful white calla, have attracted the
attention of florists all over the world.

"I beg your pardon," said modest Calla as the story
was finished; "I did not mean to talk so long and to give
so much praise to the great calla class, but I do want you
to understand the training we have received in the plant
school."

CHAPTER XVII
THE AMARYLLIS PUPILS

When Amaryllis entered the school all her family who
could live in the open wore simple, unattractive colors.
Those who did live indoors in conservatories were larger
and more beautiful, but were very delicate, and when
taken into the sunshine they seemed famished, failing to
be revived even when moistened with refreshing dewdrops.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 77

The most beautiful blossoms were only four or five
inches across. The bulbs, ordinarily, were about the size
of small apples, usually having one stalk to a bulb, and
two or three flowers to a stalk. A plant seldom produced
more than one new bulb a season. Choice conservatory
bulbs were sold at from one to five dollars each; conse-
quently, only the wealthier people could enjoy the blossoms.
Seeds were not commonly planted, as it required from four
to five years for a plantlet to mature, bloom, and prove its
quality. The blooming period extended over a few weeks
in the spring.

Some of the pupils came from South Africa, a large
number from Central and South America, while those from
the conservatories were grown in different parts of Europe
and the United States of America, but from whatever land,
they were known by unpronounceable Latin names.

These amaryllis pupils were patiently trained. It was
eight or ten years before the master could see much im-
provement, but when he fully understood their habits, large
quantities of seeds resulted. These were planted, and
frequently there were many thousand amaryllis pupils in
the school at one time. The delicate hothouse plants
combined with those more hardy, and those with beauti-
ful blossoms mingled with the dull, unattractive ones.

When the master succeeded in producing a beautiful,
sturdy class, he continued to train for an earlier, larger,
and more abundant bloom, and to lengthen the blooming

78 LUTHER BURBANK

period. The earliest bloomers were promoted. Those
that were the first, and continued to bloom the longest,
won the prize. Still the teacher was not satisfied; his
pupils must resist disease and ill-treatment, and must pro-
duce many bulbs. The master's desire is that every one
may enjoy all beautiful flowers, so the work went on until
many young bulbs were found on one amaryllis plant.
Each of these new bulbs when planted produced two or
three strong stalks, and each stalk bore from three to six
beautiful flowers, which often measured from six to nine
inches across, and amaryllis blossoms were enjoyed from
early spring to midsummer.

Training for beauty of dress and for variety of colors,
shades, flakes, and trimmings was considered throughout
the course.

The master of the plant school prefers simple English
names for his graduates, but there were so many in the
amaryllis class for 1909 that he decided not to give them
separate names, but to number them, and to call them
"The New Giant Amaryllis."

The farewell reception tendered the amaryllis class will
be long remembered in the history of the plant school.
The color scheme in the gowns worn by the one hundred
thirty-six graduates was beautiful beyond description.
One wore fiery scarlet with narrow white bands at the
base of the robe; another, white overspread with shadings
of pink, crimson, and scarlet. There was a snow white

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

79

dress lightly lined with crimson, also a dress of brilliant
red. One was fiery crimson with bands of white, and
another, clear velvety carmine with broad white bands.

Giant amaryllis.

One scarlet gown had deep crimson and rose shadings with
crimson and white bands, and there was a beautiful flame
red costume with blendings of faint pink and white. One
costume was pure red, flaked with white; another was
flame scarlet with short white bands.

A tall, graceful graduate wore a rich vermilion with
bands of greenish white, while a shorter pupil chose white
and pink, almost evenly divided. A general favorite was

8o LUTHER BURBANK

beautiful in a unique gown, striped and shaded with rosy
crimson, purple, and white. Another almost as popular
was gorgeous in crimson, slightly tinged with pink, heavily
banded, dotted, and flaked with white.

It would be impossible to describe all the magnificent
gowns of the lovely graduates. Queen Rose attended the
reception clad in all her beauty, but even she was equalled
in gorgeousness of dress, for since the establishment of the
plant school no class had left its corridors in such splendid
array.

When beholding a gorgeous sunset with its varied deli-
cate shades and brilliant colorings one may catch a glimpse
of that splendor which was woven into the gowns of the
sunset class.

CHAPTER XVIII
THE RAINBOW CLASS

In the little New England garden of Burbank's child-
hood home grew the old-fashioned gladiolus. It had a
tall stalk with a number of small, brownish crimson, lily-
shaped flowers. The flowers were all on one side of the
stem, and bloomed irregularly; those that first opened
were faded and dying before the slower ones greeted the
summer sunshine.- Thus the flower stalk was never per-
fect, and the faded blossoms had to be removed else the
plant presented a ragged, untidy appearance.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 81

Another unhappy feature of the gladiolus was its awk-
ward stooping habit, as if it were about to fall over, or did
not care whether it stood straight or not. Often it might
be seen with a soft cord passed around it and on around a
stake, but in spite of every suggestion gladiolus would not
stand erect.

When the plant school was established, Burbank chose,
among the many other flower friends of his childhood, the
gladiolus as a pupil. He loved his old friend, and wished
to teach it to overcome its imperfections. He admitted
many cultivated varieties from Europe, but these, like their
American cousins, had weak stems and petals too delicate
to withstand exposure to wind and bright sunshine. Large
classes of European and American gladioli were formed,
and at the close of the term the assistants put white ties
on those the master wished promoted.

In southern Africa other kinds of gladioli grew; although
these were wildings their brilliant colorings and markings
were needed to blend with their American relatives. These
African plants were brought into the school. Many were
grown that the most beautiful and most perfect might lend
their assistance to the master in training the stooping gladi-
olus to become more graceful and to produce larger and
more lasting flowers of brilliant colors.

Season after season selections of the best were made,
until at last the long slender stalk disappeared, and in its
place was a short stem, so closely set with large beautiful

82

LUTHER BURBANK

flowers as to be entirely hidden from view. In cool, pleas-
ant weather the first blossoms on the stem remained to say

"Good-morning" to the
last flower that bloomed.
There were blossoms of
distinct colors and blos-
soms of many hues and
shades with brilliant
markings.

For ten years gladi-
oli remained in the
school, and during that

time nearly a million

• J^fl
MM! young plants were

grown from seeds. But
plants have enemies as
well as people, and these
enemies visited the plant

school as elsewhere.
Gladioli.

Gophers became so nu-
merous and destroyed so many bulbs that the master de-
cided to graduate the entire gladiolus class.

He was very sorry to part with his pupils, but the sacri-
fice was necessary that the enemy be overcome. He gave
his most beautiful graduates distinct names. One was
almost double and wore a gown of deep pink, shading to
white. This he named California. Another, white shaded

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 83

with purple, was called Shasta; others received the names
Santa Rosa, Yolo, Mariposa, and other California names.

Although surrounded with beautiful flowers from all
parts of the world, and busy with fruits from every clime,
the master did not forget his gladioli pupils. So, when at
last the enemy was exterminated, he decided to admit
another gladiolus class.

Training at once began. He crossed and selected from
thousands of seedlings until the members of the gladiolus
class became almost countless. Still promotions continued.

In the Gold Ridge school may be seen numerous long
rows of gladioli. The plants, standing close together,
present one solid line of foliage and flowers reaching from
the roadway over the sloping hillside. They do not now
need the stake of the New England garden for a support,
for the strong, straight stem stands erect entirely sur-
rounded by blossoms. The gladiolus pupils have been
taught to stand like soldiers.

To describe the dresses of these thousands of gladioli
would take too long, for there are all the exquisite inter-
mingling colors, shades, and tints one often sees at evening
in the Eastern skies after the passing of an April shower.

The wilding in training.

CHAPTER XIX
THE WILDING

She was hanging over a mossy bank above a mountain
stream near the geysers, about fifty miles north of Santa
Rosa, when the master found her. The flowers, which
remain beautiful a long time if placed in water, were all
dried up, and the leaves had turned very red. She seemed
to be getting more and more impatient because she could

not reach the clear, sparkling water below. There is a law in

84 '

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 85

the plant world that chains them to the soil, and this is
one of their greatest difficulties, for it makes them so help-
less. Perhaps hanging there a long time had affected her,
for you know if you hang with your head down, you get
very red in the face. Still, she might have been only em-
barrassed. At any rate, it was a real kindness for the
master to rescue her from her dangerous position.

" Almost perished for want of a good drink, that you
have tried so hard to reach but could not, you poor thing,"
he said. "Not even strong enough to make your wants
known. You shall have a drink right now, and plenty
of refreshing showers when we get home. Then we will
see what you are good for. You must have been very
beautiful at one time. You are a child of the early sum-
mer, I see." And he, who believes a weed is but an un-
loved flower, carefully disentangled the rootlets from the
mossy bed, and examined the one crisp leaf that showed
something yet of its delicate tracings and former richness.

That was how Miss Wilding came to be in the big sack
with a currant and other wildings. She was too weak and
timid to tell this to them, and, although she was greatly
refreshed by the cool drink, she had neither strength nor
courage yet to hold up her head.

But it was not long before this strange little wild beauty
was wide awake and cheerful, growing thriftily to show
her gratitude for the gentle mist that was sprayed upon
her daily. The exquisite colorings of her gown, light

86 LUTHER BURBANK

green, red, and brown, were the next season in all their
fulness; and she proved to be a healthy, hardy child of
the wildwood, one that was quite sturdy and willing to
learn.

Her flowers were dainty and graceful. They were often
given pet names by the country children, such as " coral
bells" and "rosy morn," when they gathered them in the
shady woods on the way to and from school. Once a year
a "wild flower day" is held in many of the schools, when
the children strive to excel in the number of kinds they
can gather for the exhibit. These dainty bells are gen-
erally found at that festival.

The master knew there was a bright future for little
Heuchera (for that was Miss Wilding's proper name) as
an ornamental or foliage plant. With her richly colored,
finely veined leaves, he was sure she would excel, so he
placed her in that department, and her training for that
purpose began.

Seeds were sown and the best of the thousands of plant
children were chosen. At each visit of the master Heu-
chera was encouraged to deepen the tints of her gown, and
especially to adorn it with more frills, and each time he
found her increasing in loveliness, showing her to be obedi-
ent and studious.

Nature is never in a hurry, but at last she gave Heu-
chera the most exquisite and most highly colored foliage
of all flowers. In this humble little plant Burbank saw the

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 87

poetry and beauty of floral wealth and wrought it, as no
poet with pen or artist with brush could, into a new life.

CHAPTER XX
THE ROSE AND HER PART

aOh, the rose, the rose, the queen of the garden, has
come!" chimed on the soft June air. Every flower child
danced for joy and every fruit child waved its arms in a
welcome greeting.

Yes, the queen was there, the dear queen, Hermosa,
still wearing her pink gown, looking a wee bit old-fash-
ioned, to be sure, but as sweet and profuse in her offerings
as ever she was.

People learned to love Hermosa long ago, and even
now, with such a wealth of roses of all shades and colors,
no garden seems complete without her. True, her blos-
soms are quite small sometimes, but there are always so
many of them to make up for their lack in size. But
you do as Burbank does, and watch the effect. He is
always mindful that the plant people have plenty of room,
plenty of rich soil, and all the sunshine they need, so that
they can grow as children do who have a good, big play-
ground and plenty- of wholesome food.

Hermosa came into the school for a special purpose —
a new rose had been planned by the master, a rose for

88 LUTHER BURBANK

everybody. Her ever-blooming quality was one of the
leading elements needed in this new creation. Hermosa
is probably the best known of any one in the entire rose
world; but, as she rarely produced seeds, no one up to that
time had tried to improve her.

The rose family is a very distinguished old family, and
also a very large one. We cannot tell you where the
first grandmother rose came from, but a great many of
the roses of to-day came from the Far East. So the first
rose may have lived in the Garden of Eden, though whether
she was a tiny little plant, a vine, a shrub, or a great big
tree, we do not know, or whether she grew thorns or not,
for it was so long ago. Some believe firmly that a cousin
of the rose, the apple, was a resident of that garden.

We are told that to be an aristocrat in the plant world
is to be a descendant from a long line of plants that have
kept on improving; so the rose, it seems to us, must be an
aristocrat. This we know: the rose is the emblem of
beauty and delight and the rosebud a sign of innocence
and purity. The school was greatly honored by the com-
ing of the rose, and it is no wonder that a quiver of ex-
citement went through the garden when she entered.

After Hermosa other roses came to assist. Among them
was Bon Silene, noted for the beautiful form of her buds
and for the profusion of her blossoms, Which were a deep
rose color shading to rich crimson.

Hermosa, like all plants, wanted to grow and bear seeds;

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 89

and, like them, all she asked was to be made comforta-
ble. Roses are especially fond of rich loam, and you
may be sure that they received this. They were not

Burbank rose plant.

crowded in the least, nor choked by greedy plants. They
are rather fond of small flowers at their feet, but nothing
must shoulder them.

The few seeds which Hermosa gave as her first offering
to the master were planted with great care, and when
they felt their coverings becoming moist, the seed babies
began to think of awakening and stretching their limbs,
and perhaps smiling and yawning and cooing, as real
babies do.

9o

LUTHER BURBANK

It was not a great while before a flush of pink ran along
the row, for each of Hermosa's babies wore the pretty
pink gown. The master could tell which of the little

pink princesses should
remain with him to as-
sist in the making of
the new rose. When
the second generation
of princesses were in
full bloom, Bon Silene
came into use, uniting
its beautiful form with
*^ ? ^-,^ the fine qualities of
Jm ^;?ls|t;V Hermosa's healthy off-

| , springs, by giving gold-

en dust to apply to
them.

After this many thou-
sands of rose plants
Santa Rosa rose. were seen growing in

the plant school at one

time. When these were all blooming, we think, must have
been the time when Burbank heard them say to the other
children:

"See what we have to offer you, beautiful roses! Help
yourselves; but we are frail bushes, so do not be too rough,
else you may feel the stings of our armor, which we still

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

91

have to wear." At least
the master tells the chil-
dren that rosebushes
say this.

From the third gen-
eration of pink prin-
cesses crossed with Bon
Silene came two fine
new roses, the Santa
Rosa, which had been
planned, and another
that was christened
"Burbank." The Santa
Rosa is a wonderful
rose in brilliancy of col-
or, size, and habit of

growth. Each little one commences to bloom as soon as
it starts from a cutting, and grows freely and easily, bloom-
ing right along. Its flowers are a rich shell-pink, inclining
to crimson, full and double. It is truly a rose for every-
body.

The Burbank rose, like its creator, has energy and en-
thusiasm. It begins to bloom when quite small, and
continues to bloom throughout the year, if the climate is
not too severe. In cold climates it rests during the whiter
and comes forth at the first call of spring. It is double
and of fine form. Its color is deep rose-pink, and it is

A Burbank rose.

92 LUTHER BURBANK

so delightfully fragrant that it would do you good to bury
your nose in its sweetness. The Burbank is the freest
bloomer in the rose world; and it was awarded the gold
medal at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904.
This it won over all competitors as being the best bedding
rose in existence.

Burbank is exceedingly fond of the rose, and has sent
other noted ones from the school to gladden rose lovers.
One of these, the Corona, is indeed a rare and charming
flower. It is a climber, produced from seedlings of the
crimson rambler. Its flowers resemble Chinese primroses
more than they do real roses, and they grow in very large
clusters. It is a fine bloomer and forms a bower of rare
loveliness throughout the season. Its blossoms possess a
quality entirely new in the rose, which causes the flowers
to remain fresh on the bush for weeks, where others fade
and drop their petals in a few days.

CHAPTER XXI
FRAGRANCE

There was in the plant school a society of flower pupils
who sympathized with one another because they lacked
the sweet odor which appeals to every one, and which
many of -the more favored flowers possessed.

Now, the fragrance is the spirit of the flower; and with-
out spirit, you must know, one can accomplish little.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 93

One of these, the dahlia, seemed to shrink from con-
tact with others, and did not care to be touched; for it had
long since learned that it lacked the one crowning quality,
fragrance.

In fact, it had often heard remarks like this: "What a
pity the dahlia has no perfume !" "What a delightful
fragrance the violet has!" "How refreshing these sweet
peas are !"

Naturally, it was a little jealous and envious; but it
was seemingly so helpless that it must be pardoned this
weakness.

Year by year Burbank had noted its development in
becoming more beautiful and hardy; and from time to
time dahlias from other lands had been introduced to
assist in improving the style of dress and its rich colorings.

One day she heard the teacher say: "The dahlia is such
a fascinating child to teach. I wish I could persuade her
to become fragrant. She is very obedient, so I am still
hoping that she will follow my instruction in this."

Then this little discouraged pupil took courage, and
began to do all she could to help herself. She was surely
a delight to look upon. Her dress, fine and rich, was
neatly made, and its colors were always pleasing. Single
dahlias were too fine in appearance to be compared to any-
thing. So she was known as a coarse flower only because
she lacked fragrance. She would be so happy and useful
if this fault could be corrected. You know the bee is the

94

LUTHER BURBANK

New single dahlias.

happy guest of most flowers, but the dahlia was not at-
tractive to them, though she waved her bright banners
as they hummed by.

There was a touch of pride in the single dahlia, for it
had heard Burbank say to a visitor one day, "I like single
dahlias better," and touching the long, graceful stem, he
added: "See this stem; it is three feet long. I have worked

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 95

a long time to give it this long and strong but slender
stem."

Some time after this, as he was passing the dahlia class,
there came to him a faint fragrance, which was very sweet.
He felt quite sure his hopes were coming true — that the
dahlia would attain the perfume she so much desired,
and be promoted to the class of fragrant flowers.

He sought out the one flower that gave forth the fra-
grance, and guarded it until the seeds should ripen, which
in due time were carefully planted.

Some of the little seedlings gave from their first flowers
a hint of perfume like the rich magnolia blossoms. These
were carefully protected and cared for by the master.
For several years he gave them special attention, selecting
and planting only the seeds from the fragrant flowers.
Finally the full reward came — the prayer of the dahlia
was answered, for one had the full, sweet fragrance of the
magnolia.

The dahlia was thus given a rare and lasting perfume
by selection alone, under the direction of a great, under-
standing mind. *

The verbena, which was scentless most often, but some-
times had an unpleasant odor, pleaded for fragrance, also.
It was a lovable child otherwise, always clothed in dainty,
delicate colors.

At the close of a summer day, as Burbank was walking
among his plant pupils, he paused by the verbena plot,

96

LUTHER BURBANK

Verbenas.

for there came to him a faint, sweet perfume. He eagerly
examined every blossom, hoping to find the dear little one
that had greeted him with a response to his oft-made re-
quest. But no — the shy maiden had hidden herself, and
with a feeling of great disappointment he moved slowly on.

A whole year passed, and on just such a balmy evening,
in the dusk, the fragrance came to him again as he neared
the plot.

This time the search should be more thorough. He

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 97

would see to it that she did not hide from him. Stooping
closely, he plucked bloom after bloom, for you must know
that they are lowly in their ways.

At last he came upon the one that breathed a faint,
sweet fragrance — a suggestion of the arbutus when it first
opens its spicy blossoms. You may be sure that he marked
well his treasure, and encouraged it to put forth stronger
efforts, and when its seeds were ripe they were labelled
and placed in security until the season for planting came.

From that time, for several years a selection of the
most fragrant flowers from the offspring of this verbena
pupil was made, closely watched, and tenderly cared for.
The fragrance became more and more pronounced with
each year's selection; and finally one was found to have
the full sweet fragrance of the trailing arbutus firmly fixed,
and was given the name "Mayflower," which is the com-
mon name of the trailing arbutus. This little maiden wore
the same dainty pink dress that has always adorned the
arbutus, and was well named for both fragrance and color.

The next one in this society to have its prayers for
fragrance answered was a calla, or richardia. It had no
odor, but was otherwise a great favorite. It had already
been a pupil of the school for several years, and during that
time had changed its size, and the color of its dress had
assumed many tints and shades. She patiently awaited
the gift of perfume. At last it was granted her, and she
was ready to go forth into the world. This calla now lifts

98 LUTHER BURBANK

her head with stately pride to those who love her, and
gladdens them with refreshing perfume.

This docile child Burbank calls " Fragrance," and de-
lights in the great profusion of her blooms.

This society is now a happy company, shedding refining
and elevating influence everywhere. And oh, how gently
the work of training was done ! No harsh treatment, but
kindly care and earnest sympathy, guiding Nature into
right paths, as a tender parent guides the footsteps of a
little child.

CHAPTER XXII
THE LITTLE IMMIGRANTS

Six little immigrants from across the wide ocean com-
ing to

"The land of the free
And the home of the brave."

They came on the long journey, half around the globe,
to be educated in the plant school.

Oh, how tired, thirsty, and cramped they were after
such a long journey, closely packed in a tightly sealed tin
box. It was hoped that they would sleep all the way,
just as many plants do during the cold winter months;
so probably they knew little of the experiences of the
journey.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 99

They were brave little fellows to come at the master's
request, for once before some members of their family
made the attempt and perished on the way. Although
the climate of Australia is not greatly different from that
of Santa Rosa, yet the travellers had to pass through the
tropical regions and to remain more than a month in close
confinement.

The master, who was awaiting the coming of the new
pupils, eagerly broke the seal and opened their prison
house, then tenderly examining each, placed it in damp,
mellow earth.

Soon these six little rhubarb plants began to expand.
By degrees they became very wide awake, and sent up
green leaves on beautiful crimson stalks. Once established
in the plant school, they proved to be very promising pupils.
Although the crimson stalks were scarcely larger than a
pencil, they were ready for use months before the larger
varieties with green stalks made their appearance.

The master determined to combine this little crimson
rhubarb with the then commonly grown rhubarb, which is
larger and has a very sharp acid, hoping thus to obtain
something superior. So when • blossoms appeared — tiny,
greenish-crimson, feathery flowers on tall stems — he made
the experiment, but none of these seedling plants were
up to the desired standard.

Then selection alone was continued from year to year;
the one plant having the qualities he sought was chosen

TOO

LUTHER BURBANK

from among thousands of seedlings, until the Crimson
Winter Rhubarb, which has made fortunes for so many
small farmers, was obtained.
There are many points to be considered in the process

Crimson Winter Rhubarb.

of testing for selection. In this case stalks from several
of what appeared to be the most promising plants were
numbered, cut, labelled, and taken to the kitchen. Each
was cooked separately that its flavor might be tested and
compared, also the time required in cooking, the amount
of sugar needed, and so forth, was carefully noted. Each
was served separately on the master's table. Fruits and

AND HIS PLANT SCCOE 101

vegetables are often thus tested at the Burbank home;
sometimes each potato on the dinner table will be of a
different kind, or corn or peas of a certain variety are
served one day and another kind the following day that
accurate comparison may be made. Every hour of the
master's is made to count in the service of humanity;
even guests as well as members of the family often have a
part in deciding what fruit or vegetable shall be given to
the world.

This test at regular meals is much pleasanter than the
testing of fruit on vines or trees. Perhaps you think it
would be great fun to accompany the master as with a
helper he goes rapidly along a row of vines laden with
luscious ripe berries, taking a berry from each plant and
noting its flavor and quality. But you would soon become
very tired of tasting and would wish you had brought a
cracker or a few nuts in your pocket. Very few persons
can stand this tasting of fruit for more than a few min-
utes at a time. Burbank, who is as keen in appreciation
of flavors as in his observation of forms and colors, tastes
rapidly, and will continue the process for a considerable
time. The process of testing fruits in the field is quite
different, as you can see, from eating it at your leisure and
for your pleasure.

Although the Crimson Winter Rhubarb was so superior
in beauty and quality, a plant of greater size was desired,
and selection was continued for several years, until the

io5 LfJFHER BURBANK

New Giant Crimson Winter Rhubarb was developed. This
has been often called "the mortgage-lifter." No vegetable
of equal value has been introduced for many years. It is
welcomed as a winter and spring dainty, coming early in
the season, when a mild acid is craved and fruit is scarce.
Its beauty of appearance, its delightful flavor, and its
health-giving quality make it a general favorite. It will
not stand the extreme cold of the North, but is readily
grown in any mild climate. Car loads are each year
shipped into the markets of the Northern and Eastern
States in the early winter and spring from California and
Florida.

The Crimson Winter Rhubarb in its new and improved
form has returned to Australia to be grown in large quan-
tities. It now flourishes in the royal gardens of England
and Japan, and has made its way around the world.

CHAPTER XXIII
BRAMBLE'S STORY

One evening in summer, after lessons were over, the
pupils were seated around the warm, glowing fire of the
great setting sun. They were tired, and to rest them-
selves began to tell, one by one, the stories of their lives.
Some related very interesting tales, then Bramble began.

" I was the first bramble to enter the school," said he,

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

103

gracefully bending a long, slender body as if to salute his
classmates. "My home, and the home of all brambles,
was for ages in the forest. We had a hard struggle to
live, for the mighty
oaks, pines, and red-
woods crowded us and
stole our food, until
we were driven into the
thicket. We greatly
enjoyed trailing over
the banks of the wood-
land streams, but when
forced to leave these
cool places we sought
the open, and if a friend-
ly fence kindly offered
support, our slender
arms clung to the long,
rough rails thankfully,
for our ripening fruit
could there enjoy the
sunshine.

"All the boys and girls liked us and eagerly looked for
us; for they said we were much better at heart than our
aristocratic cultivated relatives, the blackberries. My !
how those girls scolded at our little needles when they
took our fruit. I know our thorns are sharp like daggers,

A native bramble.

104 LUTHER BURBANK

but we have, for a long time, been obliged to carry them
for protection, for great bands of cattle and sheep used to
lay waste our homes. Crowds of men, too, used to fall
upon us and trample us under foot. Had not my people
carried many short, sharp swords, I am sure we should have
all perished.

"One flowery, dewy morning in spring a strange man
called on us. I never saw any one like him; he was in
sympathy with us, for he looked us all over carefully, and
did not scowl at our stickers; then he took hold of me and
carried me off bodily. I did not know where I was going
but I felt very safe. His kind touch gave me courage
and confidence. Playmates, you may be surprised that
the strange man was our present teacher, who has trained
us so long.

"Now, Siberia," said Bramble, who had made this long
speech, "tell us your story."

In a low, whispering voice, like a gentle south wind,
Siberia began. "My old home is in far-away Asia. I
love my native land, let me tell you, but there we Siberian
brambles had to fight for our lives, just as you American
brambles have done. The people of my country did not
care for me; they called me ' seedy.' I was so very small
they banished me from their gardens. I am glad to find
in my new home one who makes me welcome."

Early the next morning the air was so pure, the sun-
shine so refreshing, the birds sang and called so merrily

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 105

to their mates, that all the brambles decided to put on
their white summer-blossom trimmings. Soon fairy-
winged butterflies fluttered and humming bees crooned
around them. Then the master came. He visited wild
Siberia first and got some of the golden pollen. This he
took on a watch crystal and put on the blossoms of the
bramble.

When the plants which grew from the seeds of these
blossoms were old enough, hundreds of snowy petals flut-
tered in the breeze; but when the master came to examine
them he found that they had dropped their snowy blos-
soms, and there was no fruit to reward his labors. It
seemed as if the brambles were useless, after all, and should
have been left in their forest homes.

The master decided, however, to give them a second
trial the next season. Again in fruiting time every young
berry pupil in the school was carefully examined, and as
there were many thousands, it required much valuable
time. Just as the patient teacher was about to give up,
he found one berry pupil that was worthy of promotion.

Boys and girls ought to be glad that in their schools so
many are sure of promotion, for in the plant school many
hundreds, yes, even thousands, of plants try and fail.
Only one little bramble passed the final in this severe
work. But never a plant pupil was discouraged.

The new berry which resulted from the cultivation of
the bramble was large and juicy and very dark in color.

io6

LUTHER BURBANK

Vines were grown from seeds of these new berries that
gave fruit earlier than any other known berry; and, still

Hybrid blackberry leaves. Both from seeds of the same plant.

more, they continued to bear throughout the summer
and were very productive.

This proved to be an entirely new species of bramble.
None like it ever existed before, so Burbank named it
"Primus," which means the first. It usually takes many
generations of plants to fix a new fruit, but his new berry
from the wild Siberian raspberry and the wild dewberry of
California, sometimes called the trailing blackberry, was an
exception. Many thousands of seeds were planted, and
every one came true, bearing Primus berries, proving that
the species was fixed.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 107

Thus through skilful training two wild brambles, with
uninviting qualities, have been made useful, and another
creation has been brought into the world.

CHAPTER XXIV
THE TRAINING OF THORNLESS

"Let us out! Please let us out!" pleaded a chorus of
wee, wee voices from the envelope, "we are so dry that
we feel as if the life within us were perishing."

The seal was broken and the tiny berry seeds were
poured into the palm of the scientist's hand. Just a few
seeds from a peculiar blackberry, sent by an unknown
friend in the East! The letter was short, only a few
words, but the master knew that the seeds might contain
a prize, so he folded the letter carefully and placed it
among his choice messages. The berry seeds were taken
to the kindergarten department of the plant school.

Here they were given a warm bed of earth in which
to lie. The master knew they would be happy in the
lap of Mother Nature, for she gives light, moisture, air,
and plant food needed to strengthen her children.

Summer with her glow of warmth and mellow sunshine
was fast approaching, when the teacher decided to give his
new pupils their first test. To his surprise and delight he
found that some had small, slender arms that were almost

io8 LUTHER BURBANK

smooth. These were allowed to remain in the school.
The next year, when they were clad in white, they looked
very beautiful. Soon small, green, gnarly berries took the
place of the snowy blooms, and later, when the fruit was
ripe, it was nearly as hard, knotty, and tasteless as when
it was green. The master now understood well that the
task of making his pupils of the envelope perfect would
be a difficult one, still he persevered.

Seeds were saved, and the following spring the kinder-
garten was crowded with more young berry pupils. Their
promotions were made on their willingness to leave off
their weapons of defense, so the little fellows had to un-
dergo the test. When one was found that appeared to be
making a desperate struggle to free himself from thorns,
he was given a place in the Gold Ridge school.

Year after year for several years thornless vines were
promoted from the kindergarten, until finally twenty
thousand or more berry scouts had lain down their arms
and stood in great ranks in the Gold Ridge school, an
honor to their teacher and a blessing to all boys and
girls who had received the stab of the sharp thorns on the
blackberry vines.

Thornless surely felt proud when the world's great
scientists, who visited the school, took his long, slender,
smooth arms in their hands, placed them against their
cheeks, stroked his glossy coat, and praised him for his
beauty and for the delight he is to bring to the world.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

109

To their words of encouragement the master always re-
plied, "He is not perfect yet; more time is needed."
Thornless was in the school for twelve years, under the

The thornless blackberry.

constant care of the master, who, no doubt, could have
trained Thornless to produce good fruit by constantly se-
lecting the best, but where there is a shorter road to the
goal, Burbank always chooses that road.

The choicest blackberries have been chosen, pollen has
been taken from these, and with it the blossoms of the
best thornless have been crossed. Selections of the best

no LUTHER BURBANK

are again made, until now the berries of thornless vines
have attained a superior flavor, and in size equal the other
cultivated varieties.

Thornless has at last graduated. He never shows a
sign of a thorn and is as smooth as a willow twig. All
children will hail his advent with delight.

How much of the future profit and pleasure would have
been lost to mankind had Burbank destroyed the few
seeds of the envelope cannot be estimated. The work of
changing all our berries to thornlessness is progressing,
but it' is still in its infancy.

CHAPTER XXV
THE NEW STRAWBERRY

About thirty-five years ago a number of strawberry
pupils from different lands entered the plant school. One
came from New England, where, no doubt, many Puritan
children had feasted on the fruit of its ancestors. Another
came from Alaska, the home of the little brown Eskimo;
while still another sailed over the broad Atlantic, then
travelled by rail across the United States until it was so
near the mighty Pacific that the moistened breezes re-
vived its drooping stalk and withered leaves. Its home
was in Norway, "the land of the midnight sun."

These plant pupils were a long way from home, still
they were content, for they received the best of care from

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL in

their teacher. They were plaeed very near each other
and soon learned the ways of the California berry pupils,
which had been brought from the hills and valleys border-
ing the Pacific. There were also many varieties of culti-
vated berries, varying in color from the brightest scarlet
to white. They trailed their slender forms along the
ground, their polished or downy leaves spread upward to
take in the pure air and to catch the bright rays of sun-
shine, without which the food could not be digested for the
use of the plants.

For many years cross-pollination and selection of the
best continued. When scarlet berries peeped from be-
neath green leaves, badges of honor were awarded those
plants that excelled in any particular. Still the ideal
berry was not produced, and it was finally decided to dis-
continue the task undertaken and give these berry pupils
a vacation. Most of them were allowed to remain in the
school, however, for they had become very dear to their
teacher. In a plant school, as in a school for children, it
is necessary for some pupils to remain longer than others.

After twenty years had passed, a plant collector sent to
the school some seeds of a wild strawberry that grew on
the high mountains of South America. These tiny seeds
were sown in the kindergarten department of the plant
school, and after being promoted to Gold Ridge they were
soon ready for a fruit test. They were found to bear
very small berries, but of excellent flavor.

112

LUTHER BURBANK

In the school were strawberry pupils brought from the
sand-hills near the coast. In their native home they are
wise little plants, for they learned to protect their fruit
by growing close to the ground. They sometimes even

Strawberries.

hide their red berries in the sand or under their leaves, so
that the children have difficulty in finding them; and
only those who have learned their habits return from a
berry hunt with baskets filled with the sweet, juicy fruit.

A blending of these two new plants was undertaken,
and the master soon had a class of berry pupils ready for
Gold Ridge. The day for final examinations came all too
soon. The teacher was disappointed, for out of the
thousands of plants under training, not one had the de-
sired qualities. So more education must be given.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 113

Again the kindergarten was crowded, and again the work-
men were kept busy for many days during promotion season.

Gentle, merry, laughing 'spring hastened rapidly by,
but before she vanished smiling, white-petaled faces looked
out from beneath the green canopies of thousands of berry
pupils. The day of selection finally arrived. Such a
variety of red-cheeked berries had seldom been seen.
The master moved among his plant pupils with anxious
anticipation. For more than thirty years his great heart
had longed to produce a berry that would gladden the
homes of rich and poor alike.

The search continued. Finally one was found. The
ideal was at last attained. A plant bearing a most unique
berry was seen among the thousands around him. The
leaves of this new plant were thick and firm and covered
with silky down, well protecting the ripening berries from
the hot rays of the sun. The stalks on which the berries
grew were large and branching. The berries were large,
firm, and luscious, sometimes weighing an ounce each.
They were a pale scarlet outside and a delicate yellow in-
side. The seeds, which grow on the outside of all berries,
were so small on this new berry that they could scarcely
be noticed.

John Burroughs, the naturalist and writer, visited the
plant school, and when invited to taste the new berry, he
exclaimed: "A most delicious berry; the best I have ever
tasted!"

ii4 LUTHER BURBANK

This berry has been named the Patagonia, after its
original home in South America. Its long and excellent
training has developed it into one of the best strawberry
pupils ever graduated from the plant school.

CHAPTER XXVI
THE FLOWERING CURRANT

"I am bitter; please take me and make me sweet/'
pleaded a small voice almost choked with dust, as Bur-
bank drove by one lovely autumn day.

The little currant held out its small blue berries covered
with dense bloom, as if to show him what it had tried to
do for itself.

His eye ever alert, his ear ever at the heart of Nature,
and his sympathies never failing, he heard the call of this
little country child. He saw its helpless condition and
understood its longing for different surroundings.

Springing out of his buggy, he came close up to it, say-
ing: "Ah, ha! so you would like to go to school and have
me teach you with these other wildings I have here, would
you ? Come along, then, and we'll see what we can do for
you; but, remember, you must be obedient and willing to
help others as well as to help yourself if you wish to be
made sweet."

He tenderly lifted her up, and little Hopeful soon found

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 115

herself in the back of his buggy jogging along toward
Santa Rosa. The wood folk soon grew very sociable,^ for
they were all together in one great gunny sack(^

One said in rather an important way: "I'm going in
for purity. I'm going to have my dress made white, for
I heard him say so."

"I'm going to help train the Eastern lilies," put in the
spotted tiger lily.

"Well, all I want is to get rid of this puckery bitter-
ness," ventured Hopeful, "for people turn away from me
in disgust; and I can never do any good in my present
condition. I would try to grow more pulp but for that.
What is the use?"

"It seems strange you speak of being so bitter when
you carry such a delightful fragrance with you," remarked
the wild geranium.

"Oh, that's just it. They call me the incense shrub
because of my spicy odor; but when they taste my fruit
they cast it away quickly with, 'Bah, but it's bitter!"

The currant did not see the speakers for a long time
/ after this, for its class in the school was far removed from
them. But she held her fellow travellers in loving remem- \
brance, hoping to meet with them again some day.

The next morning after her arrival, as she was admiring
the pupil$ near her whoLseemed to be in her class, her eye
fell upon one quite close that was wonderfully like herself
in many ways. Upon inquiry she learned that it had been

n6 LUTHER BURBANK

brought down from British Columbia, and was, no doubt,
a blood relative of hers. ^ This caused her heart to grow
lighter, a feeling of contentment stole over her, and she
began to enjoy her beautiful situation more and more./

When she put her mind upon her advancement she /
J learned many things about herself and her family that x
*\ had never reached her in the open, for gossip is not com-
/ mon there as it is in the thickly settled places.

An English visitor to the school coming upon her one
day exclaimed to the teacher: "Why, you have here our
flowering currant. We prize it highly in Europe as an
ornamental shrub on account of its bright, graceful blooms.
What are you doing with it?"

"You probably know that it is a native of the Pacific
coast," said Burbank. "I hope to persuade it to leave of!
its bad habits of bitterness and seedy little pulp and train
it to grow good, sweet, luscious fruit for your tarts and
jellies. It will then become useful to you as well as
ornamental."

Little Hopeful was listening, and you should have seen
the long clusters of bright pink flowers with which she
decked her clear, brilliant green foliage. Every one stopped
to admire her, and some one exclaimed: "How refresh-
ing this dear little thing is in her native grace ! Her
simple ways are so charming, and what a delightful per-
fume!"
( Now, there were in the primary near at hand, a number

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 117

of little pupils grown from the seeds of the currant from
British Columbia, some of which showed great promise.
Their foliage was fine, and their deep pink — almost scarlet
— blooms were very attractive. Many of the flowers were
larger, and there were a greater number of blossoms in a
cluster than their parent had produced. S

The teacher came one morning with some yellow dust,
which was given him by one of the little Britishers, and
placed it upon Hopeful's bright bloom, telling her to nour-
ish it, and to make a great big effort to throw off her bit-
terness and to become juicy and sweet.

She heard a whisper as the Dollen touched her stigma.
It said, "Wake up and grow."J Then she realized that she
was learning her lesson. She^ad never had any one take
an interest in her before, and^no one had seemed to care
whether she advanced or not.^

The next season little pupils of her own were blooming
all around her, and as she compared them with the others
she had seen, it appeared to her that many of them were
in every way superior. She was sure she was right when
she saw the master placing tags upon some of them. And
again, when he came at fruiting time, he selected those
that had long clusters of fat, ripe fruit. By the way he
looked when he tasted them she knew her longing was to
be satisfied.

Another year passed and the seeds from the chosen ones
were planted in large numbers. Selections were in time

n8 LUTHER BURBANK

made from these, and a few proved worthy to be pro-
moted for higher culture in flavor and lusciousness.

A new kind of currant is-soon to go out from the plant
school. It promised to have a finer perfume than any of
its kind and it vis* quite hardy. Burbank is extremely
careful never to present to the world any production un-
less it is equal in all points, and superior in some way to
anything of the kind ever before produced. So when he
sKall present-^this Jjew currant — Hopeful, in her gradua-
tion gown — she will make quite a stir in the currant world,
you may be sure, for she has- learned well her lesson of
obedience, and made good in the plant school.

CHAPTER XXVII
THE EARLIEST GRAPE

The great vines of wild grapes clinging to the trees and
swaying in the wind were no doubt enjoyed by the little
Indian boys and girls of North America hundreds of years
ago with the same pleasure that the white children to-day
feel when vacation time brings camping by th'e river's
bank and swinging on the hanging grapevines.

The beauty of the grape has been sung for ages. Even
Greek mythology is enriched by stories of the vine.
Through cultivation the fruit was improved and devel-
oped by the ancients until it early became renowned in
the Far East.

One would think that the grape, being so old, would not
need further training, but plant pupils of all kinds are
admitted to the school.

As a child Luther Burbank learned to love the grape,
as he did many other plants, not for the fruit alone, but
for the grace of vine, delicacy of tendril, and beauty of
leaf.

Clinging close to the south wall of his father's house in
Massachusetts was a vine of Isabella grapes. From the
time it was planted Luther watched it and studied its
growth. He learned that the buds appeared in early

spring, then the leaves, after them the blossoms, and finally,

119

I2O

LUTHER BURBANK

if sly Jack Frost found the south side of the house too
warm for his icy fingers, large bunches of purple grapes
were gathered, and some were carefully placed in a cool,

California grape.

dry room, where they remained as fresh as the apples of
the orchard into the early spring months.

When Burbank came to California this friend of his
childhood was not forgotten. He studied grapes grown
on the coast, but found few among them which had come
from New England. Many varieties from Europe and
Asia were raised, and the Missions brought to the State

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

121

by the early Mission fathers were found on almost every
homestead. The grape industry flourished throughout the
beautiful valley wherein the scientist chose his home.

One of the new seedling grapes.

In the plant school seeds were planted from Western
and Eastern grapes as well as from numerous wild varieties
of South America and China; but none worthy of gradua-
tion were produced, although thousands were raised.

Peculiar and as yet unexplained conditions often occur
in plant growth. In Santa Clara valley among an acreage
of Isabella grapes one vine was found on which was a
branch of extraordinary size and great rapidity of growth.

122 LUTHER BURBANK

This branch bore leaves unusual in size and grapes much
larger than those on the surrounding branches or vines.
The berry was also superior in quality to the others.

This new grape, which Nature caused to spring from the
Isabella vine, was properly named " Pierce," from the man
on whose farm the grape originated. Burbank procured
some cuttings from the Pierce and raised some fruit for
the purpose of getting seeds of this new bud variation.
Among the very numerous seedlings all had some faint
resemblance to the Isabella in both vine and fruit, but
there were peculiar traits among them also.

On some of the vines the bunches were long and slen-
der; on others they were short and thick. The berries
varied in size, color, flavor, and time of ripening. Some
were large and luscious, others were small, sour, and seedy.
The colors were white, light cream, amber, and rich royal
purple.

There was as great a variety of leaves as of fruit; on
some vines the leaves were small and shaped like the Eng-
lish ivy leaf; on others unusually large and of different
forms.

Among these many peculiar seedlings about a half-dozen
bear yellowish- white fruit. One kind has a delightful
aroma, and a flavor not found in any other grape; more
like the European varieties than the Isabella, but much
finer in quality. Another, an extremely late and un-
usually large grape, is very delicious, and in the mild cli-

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 123

mate of California it will keep on the vines until Christmas
and New Year, if protected from heavy rains.

Thus we see how strangely plants vary when taken un-
der training and grown from seed. From this experiment
by selection alone, one of the earliest grapes ever known
is produced, and also one of the latest.

"This is not a wine grape," said Luther Burbank, when
asked if any of the new varieties excelled as a wine product.
Then looking at the questioner with eyes full of thought-
ful emotion, as if penetrating far into the future, he added:
"The continued use of wine destroys the finer qualities
of both body and mind. Tell the children I have never
produced a superior wine grape, and that if I ever do
produce one, it shall be at once destroyed. No wine grape
will ever be sent into the world from my plant school."

CHAPTER XXVIII
OPUNTIA, THE CACTUS CHILD

There was a smile on the fruit, and a smile on the flowers,
and a suppressed titter ran through the chestnuts when
Opuntia, the cactus child, came into school. He was so
very green and such a homely fellow to look upon that it
must have been hard for them to keep their faces straight.
But most of the plant children had long since caught the

i24 LUTHER BURBANK

spirit of the school, and learned to know that appearances
do not count for everything, and that nothing is entirely
useless.

So, instead of passing this odd little urchin coldly by,
they greeted him kindly and showed a willingness to have
him one of them in all things. Plants, you must know,
are sociable in their dispositions, and are often more or
less dependent one upon another. They are seldom
quarrelsome, and most of them live peacefully together,
for it is their nature to be cheerful and happy. That is
why they add so much to our happiness.

Of course the school plants were anxious to know where
Opuntia came from and something of his family history,
for plant children are much like other children in this re-
spect. To know them you must know something of their
ancestors. Then, too, the school plants were anxious to
know about the training he was going to take to fit him
for his life-work. They were all there for improvement,
to be helped, and to help others. No place in the plant
school for the lazy!

Opuntia was very clumsy and awkward among so many
graceful children, and feared lest he should injure some
one with the sharp thorns he was compelled to wear in his
old home as an armor of defense. So he drew back a little,
and this made him appear timid. He felt the gaze of all
eyes upon him, and that made him nervous, as it would
any one.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

125

"Oh," he thought, "if they would not look at me so I
should feel lots better."

But so many disagreeable things had come to him in
his lean little life upon the desert that he soon recovered

Baby cactus in boxes and hotbeds.

from his embarrassment and forgot himself in the beauties
about him. What a contrast to the poor dwarfed hungry
ones with whom he had always associated were these
well-fed, beautifully clothed plant children !

When Opuntia became better acquainted, however, he
felt more at ease, and soon he talked freely with his new

126 LUTHER BURBANK

companions, and finally told them his story, as his old
grandfather had often told it to him and his little prickly
companions.

"I have many relatives in America," he began, "and
several in other lands whom I have never seen. Some
call us ' prickly pear/ because of our needles and our pear-
like fruit; but our real name is Opuntia. Our blooms are
either red, yellow, or purple, and, unlike our bodies, they
are very frail and beautiful.

"We had leaves once, as well as you," he informed
them, "and were as thornless as Gold Ridge apple over
there."

"Impossible!" came from the plant pupils on every
side.

"Oh, no. I am quite sure it is true, for grandfather
told me. When I tell you how it came about that we lost
them, you can see for yourselves I am right.

"See these little leaflets I wear still, where the old true
leaves used to be."

The cactus child was greatly strengthened by the nour-
ishing food given him in such liberal quantities, and his
spirit was rising.

"Long, long ago," he went on, "our people were stranded
in a place where they had to hustle alone. They tried to
help each other, but it seemed no use, and they became
helpless and hopeless. The less hardy ones perished. The
water gradually dried up as fine sand drifted in and filled

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 127

the low meadow that was once our beautiful home, and
which in ages past had been an inland sea. Then our
people talked the matter over, and it was the opinion of
the wisest ones that, in order to keep any moisture at all
in their bodies, they must have smaller leaves or drop their
leaves entirely. In this way there would be less surface
for the hot sun and scorching winds to draw it out. They
had to learn this, of course, from Mother Nature. And,
do you know, I heard the master say the other day, 'Nature
never lies.7

"As the years went by, my people's home became dryer
and dryer; gradually the water disappeared, and finally it
was a desert. Then a still greater struggle began. Leaf
after leaf was dropped, until all were gone and thick stems
alone remained. The sun grew hotter and hotter. It
became more and more difficult to get food from the dry
plain, and the thirsty and hungry animals tormented them
constantly.

"Finally a great convention was called to discuss the
sad condition, for no one had come to rescue them or to
offer help of any kind. It was decided then and there
to grow thorns with which to protect themselves, for with-
out some means of defense, even after shedding their
leaves, they would be driven from off the earth. Mother
Nature, the friend of every living thing in the world, had
already told them that this was their only hope, now that
they were so hard pressed, and they believed her.

128 LUTHER BURBANK

"They grew sharp, needlelike thorns at first and placed
them at just the right angles to ward off meddlesome
tongues and teeth. They also placed bundles of very
tiny needles, more than ten thousand to each stem, be-
low and at the surface, where they were partially em-
bedded in the flesh. These were even more dangerous to
animals than were the larger needles, for they not only
produced great pain and inflammation, but often caused
death to the animals who ate the stems for food.

"Wearing thorns had a tendency to change the disposi-
tion of my forefathers. They took on a fighting spirit,
and much of their former sweetness left them."

Opuntia's tone grew serious, as he added, "Oh, if I could
only be as beautiful and useful as my people once were!"

"No plant child can long remain here without becoming
both beautiful and useful," spoke the once bitter elder-
berry, that had been a long time in training, but was now
white and delicious as a grape.

"We know that," came from a passion flower over the
way, as she waved her arms and nodded her starry crown.
"We know that; see the fine fruit we shall soon offer to
the world."

The master came on his regular round to note what the
dear plant children had accomplished, and they all turned
to smile upon him, leaving the cactus child alone and
thoughtful.

Cactus in training.

CHAPTER XXIX
OPUNTIA'S TRAINING

The master of the plant school saw what a great work
could be done to reclaim the desert regions of the earth if
he could but rid Opuntia of thorns and prickles. The vast
dry plains, now barren and useless, would yield a new food
for both man and beast, for the cactus is nearly all food
and drink. Burbank's quick eye saw beneath the rough

exterior, behind the thorns, a tender heart, and not only

129

130 LUTHER BURBANK

a tender but a juicy one as well. And, although Opuntia,
the cactus child, stood there before him with his needles
thrust out defiantly in every direction, seeming to say,
"Touch me, if you dare!" the master knew that this un-
friendly child possessed many good qualities, which recom-
mended him for training in the plant school.

Opuntia had a strong, hardy constitution and grew
rapidly. He did not shrink from the blistering sun, like
most plant children. He could thrive on any soil, for he
was used to small rations, and he did not care in the least
if his home was changed from the barren plain where he
was so hunted, for animals, both small and large, sought
him there eagerly, though the thorns often pierced them
severely.

Opuntia, thought the wise one, will doubtless prove a
stubborn child and need strict training. It will require a
steady hand to guide him, and great patience will need to
be exercised for years and years. But no matter about
that. No matter how wild or defiant a plant seemed, if
Burbank saw in it something good and useful, the pupil
was received even joyously, as in this case, "in to the school.

Luther Burbank had long been acquainted with many
varieties of the cactus. Indeed, as a little child, when he
first began to toddle, a lobster cactus in a little pot was
his plaything. He hugged the treasure close and carried it
carefully; but one day he stumbled and fell, breaking both
pot and plant. You can well imagine how sorry he felt.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 131

Who can say but that this first love of the plant was the
beginning of the great work with Opuntias he was to do
in the world — the child love for that little cactus plant.

The great work of training the cactus child began in
earnest when the master brought Opuntia from Mexico.
First the cactus thorns must be gotten rid of, for no other
advancement would fit Opuntia for usefulness as long as
he wore them. So the master gave the cactus child to
understand that he would look much better and become
more useful and lovable if he would drop those ugly thorns
and put on a civilized suit of clothes, and, furthermore, that
he would save himself the great effort which he had to
make to produce those thorns. He taught Opuntia that
obedience would bring him into a beautiful life, and prom-
ised all the help and care needed. He assured the plant
child that nothing should harm him, and that good, nourish-
ing food would be his in abundance. Plants, as well as
human beings, know when we are kind to them, and little
Opuntia felt all this kind-hearted attention of the teacher.

Soon many of Opuntia' s relations were brought in to aid
in the great plan of improvement for the cactus child.
Opuntia was greatly pleased, but when they tried to be-
come acquainted, he was somewhat confused, for there was
talking in so many languages. Some had come from Africa,
some from Hawaii, others from Japan, Australia, and the
South Sea Islands, while there were those from France,
Sicily, Italy, and from many parts of the United States.

132 LUTHER BURBANK

Thousands were in one plot in rows only a few inches
apart.

One thing that especially caused Opuntia to wonder was
that he had fewer thorns than they, and he could not un-
derstand, as yet, how they could assist him in improve-
ment. But later on he learned that each one possessed
some good quality that was needed in his development for
usefulness. One was more hardy than he, one produced
more and better fruit, another had less of the tough fibre and
more flesh, and so on.

A few of them had already been quite useful. A neigh-
bor of his from Mexico served as a home for the cochineal
bug, which, when dried, makes a famous red dye. One
from Italy produced a fruit known as the Indian fig, which
was relished by many as a food. Others were used in Aus-
tralia, Mexico, and in the southern part of the United States
as a food for cattle, after singeing off the thorns.

When this great company of cactus people blossomed,
the work of pollination, or crossing them, began. This must
be done in order to combine good qualities, to break up old
habits, and to produce variation. It was then that little
Opuntia, the cactus child from Mexico, who was now grow-
ing thriftily, came into fullest notice, for he was to have
special aid in his advancement.

The cactus differs greatly from other plants. Its flowers
are in full bloom only from one-half to two and one-half
hours in the hottest time of the day, during the hottest

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 133

summer months. All arrangements for pollination must
be ready when the blossoms first open and wave their
bright banners, and breathe their perfume to attract the
bee or some other pollen-carrier, for no trace of pollen car-
ried otherwise than by the master must be on the flower
before the pollen be selected and applied to it. The work,
therefore, demands careful preparation and haste.

In gathering the golden dust from Opuntia's blossoms
and placing it upon the stigmas of the other cactus flowers,
the teacher's fingers were often pierced by the sharp needles,
and the tiny ones sometimes worked their way into the
flesh, causing great pain. Every step in combining the
thousands of plants must be carefully guarded. Only
skilled workmen could aid in this, so the master endured
the ordeal year after year, during all the time he was train-
ing the cactus child.

Most of the baby cacti grown from the seeds thus fertil-
ized showed great stubbornness in their old habits of growing
thorns and needles. Thousands showed no improvement.
Some were even more defiant, bearing uglier thorns and more
of them. A small number showed a great change by pro-
ducing fewer spines or needles. These were placed by them-
selves. They alone had obeyed the master's instructions
and would be allowed to go on to still higher advancement.

Year after year, for nearly ten years, this selection went
on; sometimes only one out of ten thousand was saved.
At last there were seven or eight of all the thousands which

134

LUTHER BURBANK

had been in the school that were not only free from thorns
but had the growing and feeding qualities for which he had
so long striven. They were children no longer now, but

giant cacti, as tall as
full-grown men. Their
leaves were from ten
to twenty inches long,
from six to twelve
inches wide, and from
one to two inches
thick, and bearing
delicious fruit. There
Cactus fruit. was not a spine or a

needle in all their rich

meat. The woody fibre had partly disappeared and the
surface was as smooth as a watermelon.

Little Opuntia, the cactus child, was justly proud of
these finely developed plant children, who were on the
honor roll, and were now ready to go on to a higher educa-
tion for usefulness.

CHAPTER XXX
OPUNTIA, ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS PUPILS

Just as all eyes of the plant pupils were turned upon
the cactus child when he entered the school, so are the
eyes of real people now centred upon its offspring, the

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 135

spineless edible cactus, which is among the greatest, the
most wonderful, and the most useful of all Burbank's
plant children.

Sixteen years crowded with patience, endless patience;

Spineless cactus

and waiting, anxious waiting ! No one but a genius with
deep faith could have accomplished this great task. No
one has ever equalled it in plant improvement.

Not only are agriculturists everywhere interested in
these useful plants, but governments of all countries, where

136 LUTHER BURBANK

they can be grown, are taking measures to secure supplies
of stock to provide against the possibility of all too fre-
quent famines. For they can be planted and remain un-
cultivated and undisturbed, constantly increasing in size
and weight, until needed; then each acre would preserve
the lives of hundreds of animals or even human beings
for months, until other food could be obtained. No
class of plants is easier grown. Quality of soil is of
little importance. Cultivation is almost or quite unneces-
sary.

The old prickly pears produced as much as eighteen
thousand pounds of fruit to the acre, and this was a com-
mon crop on the poorest soil. The best of the new Opun-
tias will sometimes produce more than one hundred eighty
thousand pounds of delicious fruit on the same space. It
is the only forage* plant that furnishes such an abundance
of juicy, green feed the year round. Its big leaves can be
cut at any time, summer or winter, and they furnish water
as well as food. This is why intelligent people know that
a new era of agriculture has dawned for continents like
Australia and Africa, and for millions of the now useless
acres in other countries.

Remember these spineless edible cacti are new plants—
wholly new — the product of the brain and hand of Luther
Burbank. Partially thorny ones have been grown for ages
and cultivated for their fruit. But systematic training in

* Forage — food for horses or cattle.

SPINELESS CACTUS SLAB
With fruit in stages of ripening

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 137

the plant school shows how rapidly they improve under
cultivation and how readily they adapt themselves to more
fertile soils. Plant children are, indeed, like other children
in this respect.

"But won't they run wild and grow thorns again if they
are planted on desert land?" asks one.

"Oh, no!" says Burbank; "their character is fixed by
continued selection, as the characters of other new plants
have been fixed. The little plants must, of course, have
cattle kept from them until they are large enough just the
same as any young plant must be protected."

If turned loose on the desert to grow wild, perhaps, in
defending themselves as their most ancient ancestors did,
they might in a thousand years of fighting, grow spines
again, but never while under the cultivation of man.

As children differ in their talents, so Opuntia's people
vary in usefulness. Some are good for their fruit, others
for forage, while some are useful for both. The greatest
usefulness, perhaps, and one that cannot now be fully ap-
preciated in its far-reaching benefits, is that of forage for
all kinds of cattle and poultry, and especially for cows.
The increase in both quality and quantity of milk is very
marked when Opuntia has been fed. It promises now to
become one of the most important food producers of the
age, and yet the work with it has only begun. If you should
visit the plant school, you would see thousands growing
under the watchful care of the teacher for further develop-

138 LUTHER BURBANK

ment, and several years will yet pass before they are ready
for graduation.

The fruit is very unique and attractive in appearance,
and its flavor is rich, suggestive of the banana, the pine-
apple, or the apricot. It is delicious when, standing by the
plants, it is eaten from the hand, or when served with sugar
and cream, as a dessert at meal time. It is also used as a
salad, and may be baked as you bake bananas. It ranges
in color, both skin and flesh, from almost white to deepest
crimson. Some kinds are a light greenish with a crimson
flush, while others are a deep orange, almost an amber.
The general way of preparing the fruit for use is to
rub it off with a whisk broom, cut a thin slice from each
end and run the knife through the skin from end to end.
You can then curl the skin back easily, leaving the sweet
flesh ready for use. Or one may cut through the fruit
from end to end and remove the flesh with a spoon.
Opuntia's fruit is very wholesome and keeps well. It can
be gathered and stored like apples.

Perhaps you have eaten candy colored with this fruit, or
ices colored with it, for these are among its many uses, while
the leaves furnish a mucilage which makes a whitewash more
lasting, and the fibre is quite valuable for paper-making.

If you would like to grow some of these curious plant
children in your garden, secure some cuttings in warm
weather and lay them up to wilt for about a week. They
will then root readily in any soil in a warm climate, for they

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

139

Fruiting spineless cactus.

just love to grow. Why, they would grow if you threw
them down on the ground — even the blooms, buds, or fruit
will take root under the most trying conditions.

You can have several varieties from the earliest to the
latest, and have ripe fruit in your own garden from June
to the last winter months. The leaves would feed your
poultry, and there would be any amount of pleasure for
you in watching their rapid growth.

You will remember that the cactus child longed to be
useful and beautiful as were its forefathers in ancient
times. Has it not realized its highest ambition?

Stoneless prunes.

CHAPTER XXXI
THE WAIF OF THE SCHOOL

Half-pit, a poor little French outcast, was allowed a
home in some of the large gardens of France simply be-
cause he was a curiosity. Every other prune had his
kernel covered with a hard shell or stone, but only about
one-half of Half-pit's kernel was covered, and so he was
called by his peculiar name. He was very small, no larger
than a cherry, and very sour and bitter. Poor little Half-
pit was never invited into a garden except to show his
curious stone.

Now, the master of the plant school, who sees good in
everything, admitted Half-pit to his school and gave him
a place among the other plum pupils. But his fruit was
so small and sour, his body and limbs so scraggy and
crooked, that the master was very much discouraged
at first.

Near Half -pit in the great plum-prune class stood "Ve-

140

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 141

suvius," famous for her beauty of dress — for her foliage,
her great leaves being often four or five inches wide and
six inches long. The colors of her gown were gorgeous, a
beautiful dark red shading into light crimson and white.

Poor, scraggy Half -pit in crumpled green, leafy suit was
in the same class with many other gayly clad pupils, but
in a plant school there is never any fun-making or giggling
when a poorly dressed pupil is admitted. Indeed, all the
plums and prunes were very kind to the little French waif,
and tried to make him feel comfortable. He could not
remember the names of all his classmates, for there were
so many of them, but he admired the strength of one, the
straightness of another, and the sweetness of another, and
hoped some day to grow like them.

Yes, Half -pit longed to become straight and strong and
sweet, and, most of all, to understand what it was the
master wanted him to do. At last he realized that the
odd little half-shell which he had tried so hard to keep
was not necessary to him at all, and that he could be of
more service to man if the half-shell were entirely gone.
Half-pit did his very best, and about the fifth season after
entering school many white blossoms appeared, and the
wise teacher brought golden pollen from the French prune
to combine it with that of Half-pit.

Soon little prunes that looked like gooseberries took
the place of the snowy blossoms, and each day they be-
came larger, brighter, and more beautiful.

142 LUTHER BURBANK

The master was greatly pleased with Half-pit's efforts,
but years of training were still necessary and thousands of
seeds had to be planted. Other crosses were made; some-
times pollen from prunes, at other times pollen from plums',
was used. Often the half -pits were larger than the first;
indeed, many of the young trees bore fruit with entire pit
covering. The best half-pits were saved for planting,
although other qualities had to be considered when select-
ing seeds. The new fruit must be sweet, large, and juicy.
As many as five thousand descendants of little Half-pit
were often in the school at one time.

After twelve years of patient training, Conquest, the
first pitless prune, appeared. Now, many varieties of
prunes which have no hard stone are found in the plant
school. There is, however, a tiny kernel in most of these
prunes which adds a rich almond flavor to the fruit. This
kernel looks somewhat like the seed of an apple. In some
of the recent prunes there are left only .small fragments, as
if the kernel of an apple seed had been divided.

Scraggy, sour little Half-pit laughs now as he sees the
surprised expression on the faces of great and wise men
who visit the school and are given this new fruit, and asked
to cut through its centre. Of course they expect to strike
a pit, and they consider it a joke, but when the knife glides
through the prune they adjust their spectacles and search
for the stone that they think should be, but is not there.

Climax plum.

CHAPTER XXXII
THE' CLIMAX PLUM

A good many years ago there came to the plant school
two queer pupils. One, little Simoni, was a plum pupil
from China; and the other, little Triflora, was a prune
pupil from Japan. They were quite lonely at first, and
felt strange, for everything was so different from anything
they had ever been near before.

Simoni was a very funny little fellow, and produced

fruit that, though spoken of as a plum, was shaped more

143

144 LUTHER BURBANK

like a flat tomato, and was so bitter that it puckered one's
mouth all up.

But the oddest thing about it was that it had almost
no pollen at all on its anthers. It was hard to find even a
few grains. Burbank had once found some, for you must
know that he could find it if any one could. These few
grains he used in creating the Delaware plum, one of the
parents of the Bartlett plum.

Now the Bartlett plum is a very distinguished pupil,
for it has the exact flavor of a delicious Bartlett pear.
Indeed, to prove this, one of the foremost fruit men of the
world was blindfolded and given some of the fruit to taste,
and not knowing what kind of fruit he was eating, said,
"It is the finest Bartlett pear I have ever tasted." It is
also very attractive otherwise, having an upright, erect
form, and beautiful, glossy, green leaves. The fruit is
yellow, turning to deep crimson when fully ripe. It is
firm and juicy, with salmon-colored flesh.

So the teacher saw the good in little Simoni, and knew
that it would be of still further use in the world if properly
trained.

Triflora was a more lovable child, with a much sweeter
disposition; and felt better acquainted, for other pupils
from Japan had been trained in the plant school. You
know that children tell each other about their school days,
and anything new that they have seen and enjoyed, so per-
haps Triflora had heard more about it than Simoni had.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

145

The other Japanese pupils had been very helpful in mak-
ing many kinds of new plums of different sizes, colors,
flavors, and qualities, that had gone out from the school

to make the world richer , ,

and happier. There was
quite a corner given to
their improvement, for
there were so many of
them. Five hundred
kinds had grown to-
gether on one big plum
tree, at one time, and
three hundred thousand
were then in the school.

When March came
all the plum trees were
white with bloom, shed-
ding their petals like
snowflakes and filling

the air with sweet odors. Simoni and Triflora waved their
white blossoms, too, and gave out a delightful fragrance, doing
all they could to show their gladness that spring was coming.

The teacher then came to give them aid. First he took
out his microscope and examined Simoni's flowers. Yes,
there were a few grains of pollen — a very few. He care-
fully gathered the anthers on a watch crystal and put
them in a safe place to dry until the morrow.

A good little plum.

146 LUTHER BURBANK

He was out early in the morning, when the bees began
to hum, preparing the blossoms of Triflora to receive the
precious grains of golden dust. When he had finished, and
placed tags upon the fertilized blooms, he left them in the
care of Mother Nature until the fruit should ripen. Their
pits would then be labelled and saved for the next year's
work in training.

When tiny plant pupils from these pits were growing
happily, the master came again; this time to select the best.
When he found one whose leaves were larger, smoother,
or with a more even margin than the others, it received a
badge of honor, for it would, he knew, bear a larger, sweeter,
or firmer sort of plum.

The selected ones need not wait six or seven years to
bear fruit. Oh, no. Skilful workmen took them from
their little beds and tenderly placed them on the sturdy
arms of a full-grown plum tree, so that they would have to
wait only one or two years to bloom and bear fruit, saving
much valuable time in their school life.

Among these little plant children of Simoni and Triflora
were several that bore fruit of rare flavor. But there was
one especially that would even fill a room with its delight-
ful fragrance, like that of a pineapple. And when it was
eaten, one could think of nothing but bananas, it was so
delicious. Burbank was so elated with the qualities of this
little child that he exclaimed, "This is the Climax!" And
now it is known as the Climax plum everywhere, for it has

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 147

proven to be one of the finest shipping plums in the whole
world. It is sometimes spoken of as the "king of plums,"
owing to its extreme earliness, and its immense sized fruit,
which is heart-shaped, deep, dark red in color, with rich
yellow flesh.

CHAPTER XXXIII
THE PLUMCOT

Standing at the head of the class of distinctively new
fruits is a pupil of such renown that "All the world won-
ders." Men in high authority upon plant growth said: "No
use to try." "It cannot be done." "A waste of time to
experiment." "Such crosses have never been made, and
never can be successful. Members of so widely differing
species cannot be united."

These and many other discouraging messages reached
the ear of the master of the plant school. Still, patiently
he toiled on, and his reward is one of the greatest victories
yet recorded in the field of horticulture. As a result of
this perseverance Plumcot ranks first in the class of new
products of the plant school, although many other new
fruits and flowers have been given to the world.

Wishing, if possible, to develop an entirely new fruit, the
master chose a plant pupil from Japan, for he has learned
through years of experimentation that, in order to get
results from cross-pollination, it is better sometimes that

148

LUTHER BURBANK

plants come from widely distant countries. The Japanese
plum had also many good qualities to recommend it.
On a bright morning in spring, when this stranger from

Japan was decked with
white blossoms, the
master came, bringing
to many of these blos-
soms golden dust from
one of his apricot trees.
It was at this time that
learned and wise men
declared, "It cannot be
done." Burbank said,
"We will try."

You may be sure
that all the fertilized
blooms were watched,
and, when the fruiting
season arrived, seeds
were saved for planting.

From the first the young trees varied greatly; some were
more like the plum, others like the apricot. The leaves
were also changed; they were larger than those of the plum,
and in shape somewhat like those of the apricot. The char-
acter of the tree was greatly changed.

Although a promising pupil from the first, Plumcot has
been under constant training ever since it came into exist-

A tomato-shaped plumcot.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

149

A trio of plumcots.

ence. A great amount of care and expense has been be-
stowed upon it, yet never through all these years has the
master lost faith in his experiment.

Tens of thousands of plumcots have been in school, and
as a result of careful selection and training four large
classes have been graduated and a delicious new fruit
has been added to the food of the world.

The first graduate was " Rutland." The tree resembles
the weeping willow. Its long, swinging branches, thickly
set with bright green leaves, form graceful arches overhead.

150 LUTHER BURBANK

When the fruit is fully ripe its deep purple, velvety skin
adds new beauty to the tree. The color of the flesh of the
Rutland plumcot is a brilliant red. In size its fruit excels
its near relative, the plum.

"Apex" is a later and far superior graduate. In this
the tree is somewhat like the plum but the fruit is almost
as round as a ball. Its skin is a rosy pink, but the flesh is
a bright yellow. Apex is a freestone, while Rutland's
sour, juicy meat clings closely to the stone as does that of a
cling-stone peach.

A third to be graduated is the "Triumph." This tree
resembles the Rutland, but the fruit is apricotlike and has
a purple skin dotted with scarlet. The flesh is a deep
crimson.

The fourth of the plumcot class to receive a diploma is
the "Corona." This is as large as most apricots, is golden
yellow with pink cheeks, and the flesh is yellow.

All have distinct and unique flavors — a combination of
the plum and apricot, yet unlike either. Each new variety
brings new flavors, and although those that have been sent
out are delicious, those that are almost ready to leave the
school surpass in size, flavor, and abundance the first
varieties.

Now that the success of the unusual experiment is fully
assured, let each boy and girl who reads these stories be
more firmly convinced that

"They can conquer who believe they can."

THE RUTLAND PLUMCOT

CHAPTER XXXIV
THE ENNOBLING OF LITTLE BEACH

Like most wild plants, the Beach plum family had a
hard, fierce struggle for existence, and its energies were
taxed to the utmost. Some of them even had to grow
thorns for protection, and others had to crowd together
in thickets so close that it was hard to find an opening
between them.

The eastern part of the United States was its home.
It was called " Little Beach" there, because it lived near
the shore that was sometimes submerged by the sea. It
was also found on dry, rocky soils as well; yet it managed
to live and bear fruit under the most trying conditions.

The fruit which it produced was no larger than a cherry,
and was mostly pit, there being only a thin layer of flesh
between the pit and the skin.

The ambition of this little, lean, skinny outcast was to
be made tame, and to be better fed, so that it could grow
to be plump and fat.

All that it seemed to have to recommend it was hardi-
ness, and all it could do was to yield an abundant crop in
the most trying time of cold or drought. Even though its
fruit was almost worthless, it would show its willingness
to be useful by doing its best.

Through all the years of work in his plant school, Bur-
's*

152 LUTHER BURBANK

bank had gone out into the open — in the mountain, valley,
and forest — and sought out the little wildings that longed
for a more favorable place for growth and development,
and brought them in for training. His sympathetic heart
went out to them, and he knew which would respond
readily to cultivation. Indeed, when only a boy, he sym-
pathized with weeds, and wondered if he might not be
able to improve them. He said: " Weeds are weeds be-
cause they are jostled, crowded, cropped, and tramped
upon, scorched by fierce heat, starved, or perhaps suffer-
ing from cold, wet feet, tormented by insect pests, or lack
of nourishing food and sunshine. Weeds are plants out of
place."

He seemed always to know which would prove grateful
and be willing to help the other pupils in the school. He
saw in this hardy little savage an unselfish nature, and
immediately set about preparing for its improvement and
usefulness.

When Little Beach arrived at the plant school he was
greatly surprised at the cordial welcome he received. The
plum pupils and the prune pupils were especially glad to
see him. Even the most aristocratic ones offered their
hands and smiled upon him. He admired their upright
carriage, their fine glossy leaves, and later on their lovely
white blossoms. He hoped that some time he would look
as grand as they, but he could not quite understand why
his blooms were not out.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 153

Then he heard the teacher say something about the
other pupils minding the frost, and that it. kept them from
bearing fruit in many places. He began then and there
to feel his importance, for he knew all about how to resist

The ennobling of the Beach plum.

the cold. He had had experience with the cold, and he
began to realize how he was going to be of use by teach-
ing them new ways, while he was also receiving instruction
from the master.

A month later Little Beach was a perfect snowball of
bloom, when the Japanese plums and others had lost nearly
all their beautiful white petals.

Then came the wise one to admire Little Beach's flowers,
and also to impart to him the knowledge of his real worth,
and to tell him what was expected of him in the future.

154

LUTHER BURBANK

From a few belated blooms of the Japanese plums some
pollen had been dried, and great care had been taken to
preserve it. He now placed this pollen upon the stigma

of the choicest of Little
Beach's blossoms, and
tagged them until fruit
should ripen.

The next season the
plant pupils from these
seeds made fine prog-
ress, and when large
enough were placed
upon the arms of a full-
grown plum tree, along
with the pupils of more
distinguished ancestors,
in the Gold Ridge
grounds.

Two years from that
time the first genera-
tion bore fruit, which
showed such great im-
provement that Bur-
bank knew there was a great future for Little Beach; but
further crossing, or pollination, must be done, and he must
continue to cultivate patience, which this restless little
fellow needed.

One of the "Little Beaches" that
bears some.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 155

Little Beach rejoiced, I am sure, when the fine plum
pupils of the third generation appeared, for they were
beauties to look upon, their fruit being large and very
delicious. Many of them wore lovely bright colors — red,
pink, and yellow — and one was clothed in a rich royal
purple flecked with white. None of these showed a trace
of bitterness in the rich meat. And such plump, round
bodies they had ! Not one of them was a bit flattened,
and none had the creases that other plums have. To his
delight, and to the delight of his teacher, they had erect
forms and beautiful, glossy leaves, and were possessed of a
fine constitution. They would be sure to prove a blessing,
especially to those who could not before enjoy the luscious
plum because of a cold climate. He had now made it pos-
sible for the plum family, with its higher education, to
grow everywhere.

Little Beach is considered a great hero in the plant
school, and has become famous, for he has been adopted
so that he may remain there permanently, and be of still
greater use in the world.

CHAPTER XXXV
CHERRIES

One often wonders how the teacher of the plant school
was able to make such a wonderful change in the cherry.
The plump Royal Ann, as she is now, with her blushing

156 LUTHER BURBANK

pink cheek is admired by every lover of nature, as she
gracefully hangs from her slender stems, or peeps from
beneath her canopy of green leaves. During the months
of May and June she seems perfect. When one visits an
orchard of these trees and is permitted to taste the fruit,
further improvement seems hardly possible.

The Black Tartarian, also when fully ripe, is delicious.
It is so sweet and juicy when first taken from the tree, one
wonders how it could be made better, but the master, in
his vision, sees cherries far superior to any yet produced.

The first cherry pupil was the purple Guigne, noted for
its earliness. The teacher wished it to become still larger,
earlier, sweeter, and more productive. Even a day's differ-
ence in the ripening of the cherry crop means much to the
California producer, for the first fruits of the season are
shipped East and bring high prices.

So the work was begun. Thousands of pits were saved
from the Guigne, and soon the kindergarten was full of
young cherry pupils. All the best were later promoted to
Gold Ridge. They were grafted onto large, strong trees,
many hundreds being put on each tree. From the best of
these, seeds were saved and other trees were grown. The
process of selection in this case was a long one, and con-
tinued for many years before the first cherry pupil was
graduated. This tree was sold, and the proud purchasers
named it "The Burbank Cherry" in honor of the master.

The new tree is vigorous and never fails to produce large

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

157

quantities of luscious fruit. The leaves are large and grow
so close together that the plump black cherries are well
protected from the birds. When it rains, this heavy foli-

The Burbank Cherry.

age serves also as an umbrella to the fruit and keeps it
from cracking.

The Royal Ann, before mentioned as being so nearly per-
fect, was early admitted to the school. This distinguished
pupil is of French origin. It has been a favorite for a
hundred years or more. Its correct name is "Napoleon,"
although in the West it is commonly called the Royal Ann.

The Napoleon has a few faults. When its rosy cheeks
are washed by a May shower its skin cracks; this spoils its
beauty and usefulness. Sometimes the tree fails to bear,

158 LUTHER BURBANK

at other times the crop is very light, but by many people
these faults are overlooked, and it is still called the Royal
cherry.

As usual, when Burbank began to train the Napoleon,
many, many thousands of pits were planted, and for years
the class received constant care, and- selection of the best
was made from year to year, until finally a descendant of
this time-honored cherry was graduated.

The graduate is far rosier than its noted great-grand-
parent, its skin is much darker, its flesh is sweeter, a shower
does not harm it, and it has never been known to fail to
produce a good crop. This cherry has been given the very
appropriate name "Abundance."

The " Giant" is another member of the cherry class.
Its training, too, has been long and severe. Its distant
relative is the Black Tartarian, but its education has fitted
it for greater usefulness than the Tartarian. The tree
excels the Tartarian in productiveness. The fruit is of
superior size, quality, and flavor. Eleven of these new
cherries lying side by side measure twelve and one-half
inches. Four or five weigh one ounce. The skin is black
and glossy, the flesh is dark and luscious, the tree is strong,
upright, and a rapid grower.

One might think that the master should be content
having so many cherry graduates, but he is not. Very
little has ever been done before to improve the cherry.
That it can be developed almost beyond imagination has

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 159

been shown by the results of work already accomplished.
There are at present nearly a thousand varieties of cher-
ries in the plant school. There is one tree with over two
hundred varieties grafted upon it. In the bearing season
some will be ripe while others are yet forming, and there
are all gradations between these extremes. Some cherries
are small but exceedingly sweet, and some are very sour.
Some have the flavor of grapes, others taste like the apple,
and many are far better than the older kinds. There are
also peculiar shapes — one is long and pointed, another ap-
ple-shaped, some look like small plums.

Two of the new cherries are still earlier than the "Bur-
bank/' but many ripen very late. Some are exceedingly
productive and give promise of being the best of shipping
and canning cherries. There are cherries in training that
have never failed to bear fruit, and have never been known
to crack even after a hard rain.

The instructor in the plant school says: "Tell the chil-
dren we are going to get them some better and larger and
sweeter cherries than any they have ever yet seen, but
this will take a long time and a great deal of work; still we
will keep trying until we succeed."

Just think of the time when we shall have cherries as
large as big plums; so large that we shall cut them in two
to can them, as we do peaches. And then we shall also have
many different kinds. Some will ripen early and others
very late, and some will grow and bear in a cold climate.

CHAPTER XXXVI
USEFUL AND BEAUTIFUL

Two little pupils from Japan once came to the plant
school. Very distinguished they were, for they were sent
from the garden of the Mikado. They were already of
considerable worth, else they would not have had so famous
a home in the Far East. Indeed, they were greatly admired
by children of Japan, for every year during blossom festi-
vals they gave delight to many kimona-clad maidens who
revelled in showers of white and rose-colored petals from
their blossoms. For one of these fruit pupils had chosen
white as its spring decoration, while the other, each season,
was dressed in brilliant red.

We are sure that they were not lonely in their new home,
they had so many friends and neighbors; many of these
were from their native land, but many more were from
other parts of the world. There was the edible ash being
trained to discard its bitter puckery character and become
more useful.

Corns from South America, Mexico, and Japan formed a
very large class, and attracted the attention of all visitors.
One with long, ribbonlike blades striped with rainbow
colors added grace and beauty to the garden. The master
was training this to grow larger and to keep its colored
stripes of rose, purple, green, and cream of uniform width.

160

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 161

A queer experiment with Indian corn was witnessed by
the Japanese pupils. It is called Indian corn, but even
before the Indians inhabited North America the corn had
begun its upward march toward perfection. It did not
always have the full, compact ears of plump kernels we now
see; centuries had passed in its development. The master
decided to have it retrace its steps, to go backward to what
it was before the Indians came, thinking that he might
gain some knowledge by which he could train it for greater
usefulness. The backward steps were taken in a few years,
so, in the plant school, corn in all stages of development
may be seen, from wild, grasslike corns to the best culti-
vated kinds.

And the plant pupils heard the story of little Prince Arti-
choke, who, robed in purple and green, came to the plant
school direct from the gardens of the King of Italy. When
he reached America he found that here his most numerous
relatives were the despised and neglected thistles growing
by the wayside and in the fence corners, although in southern
Europe the artichoke grew in abundance in the gardens of
both rich and poor and was highly prized as an article of
food. It was served, not as a vegetable alone, but in salads,
soups, and many other ways; and the hearts of the tiny
buds preserved in oils, called baby artichokes, are thought
a great delicacy.

But in America the real artichoke was little known or
appreciated, so the mission of this little foreigner was to

162 LUTHER BURBANK

make his kind an important article of food. This he had
largely accomplished before the Japanese pupils arrived,
for from the plant school had already been graduated an
artichoke of very superior size and quality and with great
deep sky-blue blossoms that were very ornamental.

They saw curious, odd-shaped fruits of different colors,
produced by grafting a potato vine onto a tomato vine.
They learned that it was only one of very many of the
master's experiments, one easily effected, as the potato and
tomato are nearly related plants, but the aerial potatoes
which grew on the vine were of^no special value.

They saw also experiments with grasses, grains, wild
flowers, weeds of various kinds, peas, beans, eggplants,
carrots, and so many more that the little strangers felt no
longer strange.

One experiment which to them seemed very sad in its
results was that with a delicate border plant. It came to
school to be made larger, stronger, and more nearly perfect.
It was called "Mesembryanthemum." It had been in
training for four years and had learned to produce a pro-
fusion of white flowers, its foliage was larger, and it seemed
stronger. The master had these plants in various parts of
the garden and in the conservatory, but from some un-
known cause each plant suddenly died. Thus this new
flower was lost to the world and the work of the teacher
unrewarded.

Yet the Japanese pupils were not discouraged; they had

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 163

been sent to be trained for further usefulness, and when
they saw the improved peach pupils, with their large,
delicious fruit, they surely had faith in the teacher. But
the master knew he had a difficult task, for the ancestors of
these foreign trees had never produced peaches of value.
For hundreds of years they had been grown in their native
land for the beauty of blossom and foliage. The fruit they
bore had a rough pit, and was small, tasteless, or bitter.

It was many years before the master succeeded in train-
ing the Japanese trees to bear, but at last it was accom-
plished by pollination and selection. All Japanese peaches
are subject to a disease called curl-leaf. These flowering
peaches were crossed with the productive sweet Muir,
which is not greatly troubled with the disease. After a
long series of selections a tree was raised which grows six
times as fast as the flowering peach, and when spring comes
it is wreathed with extremely large double blossoms of
brilliant rose pink. These blossoms are nearly three inches
across. When the tree is in full bloom it looks like a bower
of roses, and when the fruit ripens it is of a superior quality,
as large as the Muir, and an excellent canning peach.

Thus, as this stranger from the Mikado's garden has
grown more useful, it also has become more beautiful, and
another new fruit has been added to the long list of grad-
uates from the plant school.

The Gold Ridge apple.

CHAPTER XXXVII
THE FIRESIDE FRUIT

When the apple decided to enter the school, it did not
tell the master that it is one of Nature's oldest fruit chil-
dren, and that the lessons it had learned would be hard
to forget, or that the habits it had formed would be hard
to break; but we are sure that he knew this, for it was one
of the first friends of his childhood.

On his father's New England farm the frosts of spring
often blighted the early blooming plum, pear, and peach;

but the buds on the apple trees kept their cloaks folded

164

LUTHER BURBANK AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 165

tightly until Jack Frost's reign was succeeded by warm
sunshine. Then the delicate pink and white blossoms threw
off the cloak of brown, and among the green foliage sang
the robin, the wren, and the thrush on their return from
winter homes in the tropics.

As the blossoms faded away and the tiny apples formed,
then reddened, and finally acquired stripes of carmine and
gold, the different varieties were closely watched and
studied. It was he who discovered the first faint coloring
of the Red June and Williams. He became acquainted
with the names of the many kinds, for one of his early
treasures was a book with pictures of the different fruits in
outline. Many of these may now be seen in the same old
book, shaded by irregular pencillings made by boyish
fingers.

As some of the trees in the orchard bore inferior fruit,
George, his older brother, decided to secure twigs or shoots
from the best varieties of that time and graft the trees.
Luther was then only five or six years of age, but he be-
came interested in his brother's work. He could not
understand why the fine large limbs of his favorite trees
should be cut off. His brother explained that the little
shoots would later bear better fruit than the larger and
older branches. Luther saw that his brother made a small
slit in a limb, then pried it open, and set in the tiny cut-
ting from another tree. It seemed strange to him that the
two would unite and become one, and that the fruit would

i66 LUTHER BURBANK

be the same as the graft or shoot. The little boy took
great delight in watching the grafts grow, and after the
third summer, when the grafted limbs began to bear, and
the round juicy Baldwins ripened, while the ungrafted

Grafting fruit trees.

branches were filled with poor fruit, young Luther decided
that grafting was surely of much use.

The harvest time was a joyous season when the Williams,
Gilliflower, Baldwin, Greening, and Russet were each, in
its turn, gathered in great baskets and stored in bins and
barrels for winter's use, making the cellar rich with their
fragrance.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 167

For two weeks each fall the carpet of the large living room
was removed, the ample fireplace opened, and on cranes
were hung big brass kettles for boiling cider. Then, as
the flames laughed and roared up the throat of the great
chimney, the family, in quiet mirth, encircled the hearth,
pared and quartered the apples for the winter's supply of
cider apple sauce. The story of Johnny Apple-seed, the
eccentric character who planted seeds of fruit trees in the
wilds of the Ohio Valley, 1801-1847, and those of other
heroes of early times, were often rehearsed. Many happy
winter evenings were passed around the New England
fireplace.

"The mug of cider simmered slow —
The apples sputtered in a row
And close at hand the basket stood
With nuts from brown October's wood."

Here, no doubt, was formed the love for the apple which
helped to give to the future scientist patience and skill to
add to the already long list still other and better varieties
of apples.

One of the first apple pupils was his old time friend, the
Williams. The master of the school, wishing to develop
the fruit, planted seeds from this apple, and as apple seed-
lings vary greatly, never coming true, there was a great
variety of young tree pupils to train. All those giving
promise of better fruit were grafted upon a large, strong

168 LUTHER BURBANK

tree. In the arms of this were rocked seventy-five varieties
of apples. When they ripened they were of many sizes,
shapes, and colors: red, green, yellow, striped, splashed,
and dotted. Some were inferior, others of especially fine
quality.

They were exhibited at the Stanford University by Bur-
bank, who was at that time a member of the faculty, and
used to illustrate a lecture. They were afterward placed
on exhibition at the San Francisco ferry building.

Burbank now chose one of the best of all apples, the
Gravenstein, for special training. Thousands of seeds of
this fruit were planted, and thousands of young tree pupils
were soon in training. Selecting the best from this vast
number would seem an impossible task for most people,
but Burbank has hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of
such experiments under way at one time. Selections are
made by him, but assistants do the planting, cultivating,
and grafting:

The Gravenstein pupils remained in the school for many
years that the best might be found, then an apple was
graduated which ripens later than the Gravenstein, and is
called the Winterstein. The trees are strong and heavy
bearers. The large, juicy apples are yellow, with stripes of
rosy red.

Believing it possible that another good apple could be
improved, he chose the Newtown Pippin as a pupil. Many
seeds were planted, and when promotions were made, the

Jjt

f

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 169

best were selected from the thousands. After years of
training another apple was graduated, and given the name
of the school, "Gold Ridge." This is a pale yellow apple,
with a crimson blush on one side. It is large, smooth, of
beautiful form and fine quality. It ripens earlier than its
ancestor, the Newtown Pippin. Thus one of Nature's
oldest fruit children has been cherished, nurtured, and
trained by the teacher, and no doubt other apple grad-
uates will go forth from the school and send their rich fruit
to happy firesides to grace the golden winter evenings
passed by circles of joyous friends.

CHAPTER XXXVIII
THE BIRDS' FEAST

It was one bright morning early in autumn that the
workmen of the plant school were attracted by an unusual
chatter in one of the walnut trees on the grounds.

"Ah, I see," said the master when he came on his rounds.
"You birds have found my paper shell walnuts." And
sure enough, as he came closer, he saw a pretty nuthatch
"auck, auck-aucking," and then burrowing with his long,
pointed bill into the thin-shelled walnuts. "I see," he re-
peated to himself. "I've made those shells too thin."
Then he realized that the birds were having a grand feast.

A big, flashily dressed yellow,hammer, forgetting his

i yo LUTHER BURBANK

busy task of "thwack, thwack, thwacking," on the barn
eaves, had come to see about the discovery of the nut-
hatch. From his hunting ground among the thornless
blackberry bushes the towhee came calling "chewink, che-
wink, chewink." Three catbirds, being attracted by the
noise, flitted to the walnut-trees and soon cried out, "Zuay,
zuay," while two sap-suckers, who had been the lone occu-
pants of the walnut plot, before the nuthatch made his
discovery, circled around the trunk of a large tree, one
after the other. They occasionally stopped to listen to the
din caused by a number of jays fishing about, screaming
and scolding excitedly their "ike, ike, ike," seeming to
say, "At last we have found the prize, we can get the
walnut kernels now."

The woodpecker was the wisest bird among the visitors,
for he ceased his "ka-rah-ka" and darted off to a near-by
grove with a walnut in his beak, no doubt in search of a
dead tree trunk in which he could lay up his winter's store.

The master stood for a time watching his little feathered
friends. He did not want to harm them, for they are very
useful in destroying insects that injure the trees and fruit,
but he finally decided that he would have to train his
walnut trees to bear nuts with thicker shells, although it
took him many years to train a tree to bear such thin-
shelled nuts.

Years and years ago most of the walnuts were brought
into California from France, Germany, and England. At

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

171

that time nuts were considered unwholesome. They were
not eaten as daily food, for those then offered for sale, in
the stores, were tough; the kernel was sometimes covered
with mould; the skin over the kernel was dark and con-
tained a large amount of tannin, a chemical substance
used in tanning leather. This tannin caused the mouth

to smart and burn when the , ,

nut was eaten. But, worst
of all, many of the nuts had
worms in them and could
not be used at all. The
nuts then raised in Cali-
fornia were of different sizes
and shapes, and many con-
tained the puckery tannin.

While searching for a
better nut to train, the
master heard of a tree in
the business section of San

Francisco which bore delicious nuts in abundance. The
tree was to be immediately destroyed, as the ground was
needed for building purposes. He purchased the last crop
of nuts which this valuable tree produced, every one of
which was planted.

The trees resulting were mostly quite ordinary, but two
or three bore nuts in every respect even better than the
nuts produced by the original tree. From the best two of

Santa Rosa walnut.

1 72 LUTHER BURBANK

these many more were raised. Among these, two still
better ones appeared. After a time a tree was produced
which yielded nuts when only three years of age, and every
succeeding year its limbs were full of fine sweet nuts, which
were almost round. The shell was very light-colored and
thin. The skin covering the meat was pale yellow, almost
white, and contained none of the puckery tannin found in
the older varieties of nuts.

This nut ripens a month or more before other walnuts
are ready to harvest. In the coast counties of California,
where there is much fog, it is sometimes subject to blight,
like most other walnuts, but being so early, so delicious,
so fine in appearance, and the trees so very productive, it
is a proof of what selection alone can do.

Thousands of walnut trees are now growing which have
been grafted to the "Santa Rosa Soft Shell."

The "ka-rah-ka" of the woodpecker and the "ike, ike,
ike" of the blue jay are sometimes yet heard in the walnut
trees, although the master chose for grafts those with
somewhat thicker shell than the first produced.

CHAPTER XXXIX
THE ATHLETES

One might think it impossible for the students of a
plant school to engage in athletics, but, really, it is quite
as feasible as for our boys and girls of the grammar and
high schools to enjoy the low hurdle or the running high
jump.

The athletes in the Burbank plant school seem to be
among the tree pupils. Of these, the walnut takes the
lead. To most people it would seem impossible to improve
the slow-growing black walnut tree; in fact, so far as is
known, Burbank is the first man to try to break the life
habits of a tree.

The first two walnut pupils were the native California
black walnut and the English walnut. Pollen was taken
from the English walnut and placed on the stigma of the
black walnut, and when the nuts ripened they were planted.
The young trees were allowed to grow until they were
large enough to be grafted onto the arms of a strong, large
walnut tree. When these grafts bore fruit, other trees were
raised. The process continued until as many as ten thou-
sand walnut pupils were found in the school at one time.
Athletes were to be selected from among ten thousand.

Among these ten thousand many strangely clad were
seen. The leaves of some were small and had from three

173

174 LUTHER BURBANK

to seven leaflets on either side of the stem; others were
large, with nine, eleven, and fifteen leaflets. Some were^
rough, others glossy, others smooth. Many of the young
trees resembled the black walnut, many the English, while
some were unlike either parent tree. Some of the trees
grew slowly, others were hustlers. One of the fastest grow-
ers carried a perfume, for the leaf when crushed gave a
delightful fragrance resembling that of an apple and as
lasting as the odor of the violet.

The variation in nuts that these trees bore was almost
as great as that of the leaf. There were large nuts and
small nuts; nuts with thick shell and bitter kernel, and
some with thin shell and sweet kernel. Some trees were
heavy bearers, others bore very little fruit, and some, none.

But as the master was training this especial class in
rapidity of growth, the best young racers were placed in
long rows in the school. We feel sure they were as strictly
attentive to the orders of the coach as if they were intend-
ing to train for Olympic games. No strong drink nor
tobacco were indulged in, and as for keeping late hours,
why, they were ready to sing good-night with the sunset
breezes and to awaken in the morning at the first call of
birds in the tree tops.

As the training progressed there were many try-outs,
and as the coach selected the fastest growers for further
team-work, no doubt great rounds of "rah, rah, rah" were
sent up by the admiring plant pupils for the victors.

After years of patient labor the coach chose from among

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 175

his Paradox pupils a team of six young athletes. These he
placed in the hard earth along the street in front of his
dwelling. They must now do their best without further
training, and receive no nourishment other than that
gathered through their own efforts.

Across the street opposite the athletes stood another
row of trees. These were the English walnut. They had
more than fifteen years the start of the Paradox and were
in highly cultivated soil; but the athletes had been in train-
ing, you know, so they must have felt quite sure of winning.

In a plant school a race extends through a period of
years instead of a few seconds, as in a school for boys and
girls.

How those young Paradox racers ran ! The slogan for
the race was "Smash the record," and they seemed deter-
mined to smash 'it. At the end of the third year such
enormously long arms had been sent out and such thick-
ness of body was displayed that they began to create quite
an excitement in the community. Even the passer-by ob-
served the swiftness. No doubt the other plant pupils
gazed with admiration across the fence at their team, and
as the wind whistled through their branches sang:

"We will love you, l Doxies/ if you beat them,
We'll stand by you, ' Doxies/ if you don't,

You surely are the cream,
You're the picked, the winning team,

You're our own 'Doxies'!"

176 LUTHER BURBANK

Those Paradox racers took courage, surely, as the stu-
dent yells were sung by the breezes and echoed and re-
echoed from "Doxie" to "Doxie."

The excitement and general interest became intense as
farmers, laborers, and merchants came and went along the
street between the two rows of trees. Burbank's walnut
pupils on one side of the street increased at an incredible
rate, being encouraged by the class yell:

"Rah! Rah! Rah!
Who are we?
We are the l Doxies/
The winning tree."

The sturdy English walnuts across the street continued
the same slow pace that had been theirs for years. For
fourteen years the race continued, then the timekeepers
called the finish. It was evident that the trained athletes
had won the race, for the announcement was published far
and wide that the Paradox had grown in fourteen years
almost six times as much as the English had in thirty years,
and at the height of six feet from the ground some of the
winning trees were six feet in circumference, while their
branch spread was seventy-five feet.

Of course there was great rejoicing in the school. Why
not? The race was fairly won; besides, the "Doxies" had
shown more "class" than their opponents.

The judges, however, were tradesmen of different kinds.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

177

They came forward with grave and knowing faces. The
lumberman declared: "The grain of all rapid-growing trees

Royal hybrid walnut tree.

is very soft; therefore, the wood is unfit for interior finish-
ing and cabinetwork; for strength and durability the wood
from trees of slow growth is unequalled. "

The coach, being wise, and ready for such criticism, had
prepared a limb of the Paradox athletes for inspection.

178 LUTHER BURBANK

As the lumberman continued his sarcastic speech, a block
from the Paradox was handed to him. He immediately
took his knife from his pocket and tested the wood for
hardness. His fingers passed rapidly over the smooth,
sawed surface. His grave countenance quickly took on a
look of vexation as he reluctantly acknowledged that the
Paradox not only equalled but excelled the older varieties
of walnut wood in hardness and beauty.

At the beginning of the lumberman's remarks the un-
cultivated plum pupils surely looked very sour, and as he
continued his harangue there was a fearful bz-z-z-z among
the pines; but when at last he was forced to admit defeat,
who can blame the rooters for the cry:

"Give 'em the axe, axe, axe,
Give 'em the axe, axe, axe,
m Give 'em the axe,
Give 'em the axe,
Give 'em the axe,
Where?"

"Right in the bark, bark, bark,
Right in the bark, bark, bark,
Right in the bark,
Right in the bark,
Right in the bark,
There!"

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

179

Quiet again being restored, the cabinetmaker and the
polisher took the stand. The cabinetmaker examined the
wood and, with his pocket rule laid across the surface of
the block, exclaimed:

"Why, the annual growth is fully an inch — an excellent
lumber for furniture, veneers, and ornamental woodwork."

Two-year-old chestnut tree with its second crop.

Then the polisher applied his test, and announced the
wood unexcelled for smoothness and fitness for polish.

Now came a fearful rebuff from the friends of the Eng-
lish.

i8o LUTHER BURBANK

"The Paradox has not won all the points," said they.
"See what a quantity of rich nuts these beautiful trees
bear, while the Paradox bears very few."

The judges shook their wise heads and said, "Who ever
heard of racers bearing heavy loads?"

At this the bleachers almost went wild.

'Zip! Boom! Bah!
Rah! Rah! Rah!

Ninety million, eighty thousand, seven, sixty-seven
That's what they think they bear,
They bear but ten or 'leven."

The judges were united in this general conclusion:

"As the Paradox will grow faster than any other tree of
the temperate zone, it will, no doubt, prove a blessing to
mankind in reforesting the earth."

My ! what a noise when this was announced.

One popular athlete proudly remembered by the pupils
of the plant school was the chestnut. When Burbank was
a boy it required from ten to twenty years for a tree to bear.
The master's desire was to perfect his childhood friend.
After much expense and years of patient waiting, a com-
bination of the American chestnut and the Japanese chest-
nut resulted in a tree that produced nuts in less than two
years.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 181

How the pupils of the plant school shouted when they
heard the glad news:

"Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah!
Nuts a-plenty !
Nuts in two years
'Stead of twenty/'

CHAPTER XL

THE SEED ROOM

Before leaving the plant school we must take a peep
into the large, light seed room. There are shelves at the
sides of the room from floor to ceiling, on which the seeds
are arranged alphabetically. No doubt you can readily
tell some of the seeds on the A and B shelves, but what
seeds fill the X, Y, and Z shelves?

The larger and heavier seeds are in strong cloth bags;
then there are paper bags of all sizes down to the little
seed packages seen on sale at the stores.

On the long work table is a pair of delicately balanced
scales, and tiny measuring cups, some of which are less than
one-fourth the size of a thimble; yet some seeds are too
small for even this measure, and are lifted on the point of
a penknife.

After the seeds have been carefully gathered, dried, and

i82 LUTHER BURBANK

cleaned, they are brought here to be weighed, measured,
assorted, plainly labelled, listed, and placed on the shelves.
In handling seeds the greatest accuracy and most perfect
system is required, as any confusion would result in serious
trouble. Here, as in all the departments, careful memoranda
are made, giving time of planting of each kind, and other
points which must be observed. These seeds are for next
season's planting for experimental purposes. Any, how-
ever, not required are either sold in bulk to the large seed
houses or put up in small packages for the retail trade.

Be careful, as you pass the table, for with a breath you
might blow away the value in many dollars of those tiny,
feathery seeds; and some are priceless, perhaps the only
seeds of a new variety, which cannot be replaced.

Some choice lilies were once growing near the road at
the Gold Ridge farm. One morning the gate was left open
for a short time, and a child passing saw the lilies and
broke one off, doubtless intending no harm. The children
are generally very careful not to injure Burbank's plants,
well knowing that he is always glad to fill their arms with
flowers when he has time to gather them. Therefore, the
little girl did not take the most beautiful lilies, but one
stalk having only a few fresh blooms at the top of a long
stem, which was becoming ragged with faded flowers and
ripening seed pods. It chanced that for this very seed
the master had waited years, as it was the combination of
two choice lilies which bloomed at different seasons. One

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

183

opened its beautiful flowers in early spring, while the other
came in summer. In order to make the combination, the
habit of each must, by long-continued training, be changed.
Year after year one of the lilies had been trained to bloom
a little later each season, and the steps of the other had

In the bulb room.

been hurried, until June of that year found each with
opening petals. Then the golden pollen had been brought
from lily number one just as lily number two was ready
to receive it. But now, by one thoughtless act, the work
of years was undone, and the precious seed was gone.
Can you imagine his grief when he discovered the loss,
knowing, as he did, that no seed like it had ever before

184 LUTHER BURBANK

existed? A careful search was made to discover if even
one seed could be found. The faded flowers and seed
pod had been hastily stripped from the stem and thrown
down upon the sandy soil as worthless. A few of the
precious seeds were rescued and the experiment saved to
science.

What curious packages ! Yes, those seeds were gathered
by the children of South' America; those are from the
mountains of China; and there are many others that speak
to us of distant lands and of strange scenes and customs.
Then what treasures are here ! Can you imagine the
mischief one little mouse might do in this room? Giant
trees, sturdy shrubs, and fragile flowers are sleeping here.
Can you tell what plant is hiding in this seed? As Bur-
bank holds a seed in his hand, he knows its nature and
understands what conditions are necessary for its germina-
tion* and development.

Some seeds may be kept for years ; others must never be
allowed to become dry. Some will germinate only under
glass, requiring the warmth and moisture of the con-
servatory; others must be boiled in water for five or ten
minutes, while still others must be frozen in order to allow
the little plantlet to escape from the hard shell. The con-
ditions depend largely upon the surroundings to which its
ancestors were accustomed, seeds of plants from tropical
countries requiring very different treatment from those of

* Germination — the first act of growth.

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 185

colder regions. There are, however, many other points to
be considered, for seeds have many strange and interesting
habits. Near the geysers in California, where forest fires
are frequent, there grows a kind of pine having cones that
never open until a fire has burned over the hillsides, de-
stroying vegetation. Then these cones burst open, the
seeds escape from their prison-houses and, falling upon the
ground, now cleared to make room for them, thick forests
of young pines spring up.

A seed is an egg, a plant egg; for within the shell or
covering is a little undeveloped plant; and snugly packed
with it is a supply of food for its nourishment, when it
first awakens, before it becomes able to gather its own
nourishment from earth and air. The different parts of a
seed can be readily seen with the aid of a good pocket
microscope, which one is well repaid for carrying, as it
reveals much of wonder and beauty in the varying struc-
ture of seeds, almost equalling that of flowers. And seeds
are everywhere. They float on the water, fly in the air,
carpet the earth, and sleep in the ground beneath our feet.
Without the product of seeds the earth would be brown,
not green. In seeds, lie sleeping a future generation of
plants, only awaiting certain conditions of moisture, heat,
and light to awaken them.

The destruction of a blossom prevents the development
of the seeds. Have you ever seen a flower blooming in
field or forest, with joy written in its every line of beauty,

i86 LUTHER BURBANK

carelessly torn up and thrown down by the dusty road-
side? Did you watch it shrink, shrivel, and die? No
seeds were ripened for another season's growth. In just
this way many of our most beautiful wild flowers are be-
coming each year less plentiful.

Although the life of each plant begins and ends with
the seed, yet each has a definite work to perform. They
are sometimes spoken of as idly dancing in the sunshine.
In reality they are very busy creatures, no doubt finding
joy in their work. The poet Wordsworth says:

"And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes."

Not only do plants in the days of summer gather nour-
ishment for their own life and growth, and prepare food
for the little baby plants hidden in the seeds, but it is to
their industry that we look for our food and much of our
clothing, fuel, and shelter. If for one season they ceased
to work, there would be no life on the earth.

The population of the world is increasing. Cities are
growing very rapidly and food is becoming each year
higher in price. Better and larger crops must be produced.
It is then to better and more productive seeds that the
nations are looking for food for the increasing millions.

Now let us consider what would be the result in the
food supply if, in grains alone, snugly packed in each little

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 187

plant nest there might be only one more egg. The master
tells us that if a new wheat, barley, or oats could be ob-
tained that would produce one more grain to each head,
or a corn that would produce an extra kernel to the ear,
in the United States alone, we should have annually, with-
out any more cost of labor, 5,200,000 extra bushels of corn,
15,000,000 extra bushels of wheat, 20,000,000 extra bushels
of oats, and 1,500,000 extra bushels of barley.

May your work in coming years be, like that of. the
master of the plant school, adding to the beauty of the earth
and to the food of the nations, and so hastening the "happy
day when man shall offer his brother man, not bullets and
bayonets, but richer grains, better fruits, and fairer flowers."

CHAPTER XLI
ARBOR DAY PROGRAMME

March 7, the birthday of Luther Burbank, was in
1909 designated by the Governor of California as Arbor
Day, to be observed in the public schools of the State by
planting trees, vines, and flowers, and by appropriate
literary exercises. In many other States the day is also
observed in the same way, and proves a source of pleasure
and inspiration to make homes as well as schools more
beautiful.

i88 LUTHER BURBANK

The following may be an aid to the teacher, and can be
adapted to the different grades.

In decoration of the schoolroom, use as many Burbank
creations as are at hand, fruit, flowers, etc. Live flowers
growing in pots or boxes are to be preferred to cut flowers.
Pictures of the scientist, his home, and experimental grounds
may be placed on the wall. Fruits and flowers drawn on
blackboard are excellent decorations.

Poems :

"Painter of Fruits and Flowers" Whittier.

" Birthday of Agassiz" Longfellow.

"Building of the Birch Canoe" Longfellow.

Sonnet— "Luther Burbank" Mary Belle Williams.

Quotations from Burbank by older pupils.

Story of his creations: Shasta daisy, Eschscholtzia, cactus,
plumcot, and others. The children may represent
these plants.

Music to be selected by the teacher.

Planting of a Burbank tree and other trees and plants.
At this time the teacher should emphasize the care of these
plants and see that they do not suffer neglect as the months
pass.

For younger children a more simple programme should
be arranged. Oral reproduction of the stories with appro-

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL 189

priate selections from any of the numerous books of Nature
poems would give them greater pleasure. It will not be
difficult to find suitable poems for each plant school story.
The length of programme will, of course, depend upon the
time allowed.

SUGGESTIONS

Story— " The New England Flower Garden"

Poem — " Great-Grandmother's Garden". . .M. J. Jacques.

Story— " Miss Eschscholtzia "

Poem —"The Poppy" Jane Taylor.

Story— "The Shasta Daisy"

Poem — "A Field Flower" James Montgomery.

Story— "The Sunset Class"

Poem — "Fashions at the Court of Queen Flora"

Lydia H. Farmer.
Music— "Tree Planting" (Tune, "America")

Samuel F. Smith.

QUOTATIONS FROM LUTHER BURBANK

I. "Ignorance is the only unpardonable sin."

II. "No man ever did a great work for hire."

III. "Let us be brave harvesters in the broad field of
thought."

IV. "Be gentle, and gentle people come to you from
near and far."

1 90 LUTHER BURBANK

V. "The man who cannot say no, never gets the oppor-
tunity to say yes."

VI. "Be just and generous, and the world sends you just
and generous companions and friends."

VII. "Flowers always make people better, happier, and
more hopeful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the
soul."

VIII. "The farm is the foundation of our best manhood
and womanhood, the true hope and strength and glory of
the world."

IX. "The greatest happiness in the world is to make
others happy; the next greatest is to make them think."

X. "I shall be content if because of me there shall be
/•

better fruits and fairer flowers."

XI. "It is very natural that we should associate flowers
and children, as they are so much alike in many respects,
and should in some points be treated alike."

XII. "Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers,
water bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild
strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to
wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, vari-
ous animals to pet, hayfields, pine-cones, rocks to roll, sand,
snakes, huckleberries, and hornets; and any child who has
been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part
of his education."

AND HIS PLANT SCHOOL

191

XIII. "If we love and admire our friends, let us tell
them so to-day. It does them no harm, and they will pass
along the kindness. Yesterday is not ours, to-morrow may
not be; tell them to-day."

XIV. "I love sunshine, the blue sky, trees, flowers,
mountains, green meadows, sunny brooks, the ocean when
its waves softly ripple along the sandy beach, or when
pounding the rocky cliffs with its thunder and roar, the
birds of the field, waterfalls, the rainbow, the dawn, the
noonday, and the evening sunset — but CHILDREN above
them all."

INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Arbor Day at Burbank home, 39
A good little plum, 145
A tomato-shaped plumcot, 148
A trio of plumcots, 149

Baby cactus in boxes and hotbeds, 125

Baby plants, 29

Burbank, Luther, frontispiece

Burbank in his library, xii

Burbank's new home, 38

Burbank potato, 26

Burbank rose, 91

Burbank rose plant, 89

Cactus fruit, 134
Cactus in training, 129
California grape, 120
Chestnut blossoms, 14
Childhood home, 3
Climax plum, 143
Conservatory, Burbank home, 30
Crimson winter rhubarb, 100

Field of lilies, 71

Four new peaches, facing page 174
Fragrant new lilies, 72
Fruiting spineless cactus, 139

Giant amaryllis, 79

Gladioli, 82

Grafting fruit trees, 166

Home, Santa Rosa, 28

How new plants are made, 49

Hybrid blackberry leaves, 106

In the bulb room, 183
Jumbo, Japanese dog, 32
Little white ties, 63
Miss Eschscholtzia, 60

Nashua River, 19
Native bramble, 103

One of the "Little Beaches" that bears

some, 154
One of the new seedling grapes, 121

Pacific coast lily, 69
Poppy, 66
Pussy willows, 2

Royal hybrid walnut tree, 177

Santa Rosa rose, 90

Santa Rosa walnut, 171

Schoolhouse, 16

Sebastopol grounds, 44

Single dahlias, 94

Spineless cactus, 135

Spineless cactus slab, facing page 136

Stoneless prunes, 140

Strawberries, 112

The Burbank cherry, 157

The crimson Eschscholtzia, facing page

62

The ennobling of the Beach plum, 153
The fire poppy, facing page 68
The Gold Ridge apple, 164
The Gold Ridge apple, facing page 168
The lemon calla, facing page 76
The "O.K." mark, 47
The Rutland plumcot, facing page 150
The Shasta daisy, facing page 58
The wilding, 84
Thornless blackberries, 109
Two Shasta daisies, 56
Two-year-old chestnut with its second

crop, 179

Verbenas, 96

White bleeding hearts, 51

GENERAL INDEX

In reading, the words after the comma (where they occur) are to
be read first; thus "Rhubarb, New Giant Crimson Winter" is read
"New Giant Crimson Winter Rhubarb."

The references are to pages. Where two pages are separated by
a dash the meaning is "and included pages"; thus 76-80 means 76,
77> 78, 79, 80.

Amaryllis, 76-80

Apples, 164-169

Arbor Day, Programme for, 187-189

Artichokes, 161-162

Blackberry, Thornless, 107-110
Bleeding Hearts, White, 51
Brambles, Primus, 102-107

Burbank { chOdho^d 2-1

Cactus, Spineless, edible, 123-139

Callas, 73-76

Cherries, 155-159

Chestnuts, 180

Corn, 160-161

Currant, Flowering, 114-118

Dahlias, Fragrant, 93-94-
Daisy, Shasta, 54-59
Dog, Japanese, 31-37

Gladioli, 80-83
Gold Ridge, 43-48
Grafting, 166
Grapes, 119-123

Heuchera (Wilding), 84-87

TT «. « / New England, i

Mome \California, 28-31; 38-40

Lilies, 68-73

Peach, Flowering, 163
Plants, New, 40-54
Plum, Beach, 151-155
Plum, Climax, 143-147
Plumcot, 147-150

T> • / Eschscholtzia, 60-64
Poppies | Fire^ 64_6g

Potato, Burbank, 22-27
Prune, Pitless, 140-142

Quotations, Luther Burbank, 189-191

Rhubarb, Crimson Winter, 98-102
Rhubarb, New Giant Crimson Winter,

^107

Richardia, Fragrant, 97
Roses, 87-92

School, Plant, 41-42

School Days, Luther Burbank's, 15-21

Seed room, 181-187

Strawberry, 110-114

Verbenas, Fragrant, 95-96
Walnuts, 169-181

194

14 DAY USE

RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED

LOAN DEPT.

RENEWALS ONLY— TEL. NO. 642-3405
This book is due on the last date stamped below, or
on the date to which renewed.
Renewed books are subject to immediate recall.

SAl^HMBGQ

JA(M)1U '197

J

SANTA CRUZ

INTERLIBRARY LO>

VN

JAN 30 1970

f FR r- g 197(1"

•n*_i A. idin i\ ^

JUH 1 WfU 113

REC'D LD MAY 2^

f70 -UAM 4

FEB 4 1978

REC. CIR.JM 11 78

JUN 1 9 2006

Aj-lA

pvPR 91*1

RECCIRMfiR

9 '81

LD21A-60m-6,'69
(J9096slO)476-A-32

General Library

University of California

Berkeley

T U i UOGUO

NIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY

,