The San Francisco call., 1903-12-13
BURBANK AND CARNEGIE.

TT HE splendidly endowed institute at Washington to
promote the highest forms of scientific research and
established by Mr.. Carnegie the greatest of his
monuments has declined to include within purposes
the plant creating work of Mr. Luther Burbank Such
inclusion urged by Presidents Jordan and Wheeler
and many other influential scholars and men of science
We persuaded that the refusal is made the
organic plan of the institute does include
such work Burbanks and because its recognition
and support is unimportant unnecessary All of his
active life Mr. Burbank has worked the improvement
of horticulture with his and without any Off
cial assistance recognition. Yet is such
other Governments delight to encourage and support
The world is just learning of the remarkable dscov
cries in soil feeding and the relation of beneficial mi
crobes to plant life carried by Professor Noble the
Agricultural School OF Saxony With ample sup
piled to support his experiments he has discovered the
Office of the nodules the of eguminous plants
and their origin in mcrobe action Their function to
promote the plants absorption of nitrogen from the
mospherc. He has found it possible feed these mi
crobes to soils that exhausted of their nitrogen
thereby causing nodular development, and enabling
plants to feed nitrogen and digest it, so transmitting
into development of crop 1t probably one of the
greatest discoveries in vegetable nutrition that has
been made
But Mr.. Burbanks work in plant physiology is of no
less Importance to the food supply of the world We
have become accustomed by long use to the improve
men of animal life by crossing strains and by develop
individual traits into general characteristics this
way breeds of butter have been developed from
of butter fats in the milk of individuals and
cheese from individual of casein. until
have cattle in whole and great numbers that
be relied for butter cheese purposes In like
manner beef producing breeds have been diferen
ated by building the quality of individuals
Mr. Burbank has applied this to vegetable physiology
and anatomy. He has proved it possible have i'm
proved breeds of cereals tubers bulbs and fruits by
hybridzing and by building individual qualities In
this way he has improved the varieties of vegetable and
all plant life and increased productivity His work has
been magnificent in its magnitude and much as he has
accomplished he is at the gateway of much In
another country he would have been long ago nighed
and pensioned Here he has worked alone. and his
shy and bashfu and modest personality is little known
to his fellow-citizens in California. The of
the who discovered the mule a hybrid is pre-
served for all time in the Book of Genesis But here
hybrdzer of plants who has increased the food supply
of the world and has verify painted the lily by giving
new gores that nature did put upon it originally
who rarely recognized he goes and among
The Carnegie institute open original investigation
in chemistry and physics all their field 1t in
cludes the biologist the astronomer, the psychologist
We hope its organic purpose may be enlarged include
the inventor of plants and the who teaches
nature how to usefuly amend her work.