The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-10-31
wRAR1S wiTn TRUira
Cherries Made 70 Grow " Eunshss -
FIftY and alntY. Like erapea.

They seem TO be enemies OF nature.
yet are not so. and she products of
their magic are never-ending. These
wizards Of horticulture are men Of
learning. who. knowing all about
plants and fruits and the possibilities
sf each. help nature in bringing forth
tho best results. They study the hab-
its of these with care. They plant
end plant. examine and re-examine.
watching always how nature asserts
hcrrelf. One Of these wizards, mol.
est man, who loves fruits and flowers,
lives in California and there, in a eli
mate wonderfully suited for the
growth OF everything in great profEs-
iop. produces marvels Of horticulture
that have made him known through.
out the world. II one were to ack Mr..
Luther burbank, the wizard Of whom
we speak, to tell us of his work, he
would doubtless reply: Il am but
one of the present generation trying
TO solve the riddle Of the sphinx" lie
would point IL his own garcens and
greenhouses 70 show how far he has
succeeded in his quest BY the mere
process OF elimination and selection
he has made nature almost understand
herself. and the results Of his scien-
tAc plant breeding have been so 20
mnrlSahle that one wonders what the
future win LIing forth.
One Of his achievements is the
stcneless plum; another the pitless
prune. The names themselves tell
sufficient story. for we have become
so accustomed in the past to have
st.ry plums and prunes that ere
would seem without them at verita-
hle loss. But there is more in it thaa
the name. 1t is but one example Of
the stoneless fruit Of the future which.
eli scientific horticulturalists ara
Studying merely because the great
public does not want to be bothered
by the stones. The investigations,
however, are laborious and the results
come tardily To obtain one stonelcss
PR nc has required the cultivation Of
many variety of prunes, each with a
different taste. In appearance .his
product resembles the common Cllis.
oInia prune. but it is larger in size
and natures earlier. 1t is the of.
spring of a French father and is
about three times the size Of its bar
erts.
The whole thing is more or less a
family affair-marriag between diff
ferent individuals in the world Of
fruit and flowers. The so-called plum
cot which we ell may be eating with
gusto in year or two, is result of a
happy union between father apricot
and mother plum. Those who know
the delicious apricot and plum need
NOT BE- told how much the two look
alike, but how different they taste.
The plumcot is, therefore distinctive
fruit; "as distinct" says its creator.
'as IL a new fruit had been handed
down from another planet" II has the
general form Of an apricot and the
same outside appearance, but 1t Is
more highly colored, has a soft skin
and shadowy bloom. It possesses an
indescribably delicious flavor
In turning cut the white blackberry
iust wonder over this for moment
and think what those two words mean
Mr.. Burbank is said to have applied
the Darwiniar theory inversely. He
kept on selecting berries which in rip
ening did not become pure black, and
finally got a bush in which the fruit
changed from the green OF immaturity
TO pure white. This involved the ex.
termination Of some. 25,000 hlackber.
ry bushes several times in several sue
oceding years. The rainstaling en-
ergy necessary in such search is
nieieiy suggested by such figures.
His Shasta daisy is a combination
OF the free towering American daisy
aud II is the result Of eight years
work in the hybridization and selec-
tion. The merit Of this flower, which
win particularly appeal to those Of a
gardening bobby, is its hardness. u
grows and blooms wherever the Cak
lives; It is perennial. and has a large
blossom, Of dazzling whiteness,
hcrno on a long. stiff stem that makes
the flower very valuable for cutting.
As each individual bloom may attain
diameter Of over four inches, the ef.
fact produced by thousands may be
more easily Imagined than described.
OF late years much Of the best *
perimental wark on fruit and vege,a-
b'es has been done in America by the
bureau OF plant industry in the de-
partment OF agriculture at Washing.
tor. The laboratory OF plant breed.
Ing. under the charge OF DIT. Herbert
J. Weber, has been responsible for
many distinct novelties. DR.. webber
oalloborates with Mr.. Walter G. Swim.
gle. Among their successes may be
mentioned new grape fruit. or shad-
dock, a cross between the kid.gioye
orange or tangerine with the ordinary
grape fruit. Another success Is a new
orange fruit Another success is a