The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1905-08-10

Luther BurtanE'o Work
The current Popular Science has
an interesting article ON the work ,
that Luther Burbank is doing IN
California. In the creation and i'm
proving OF fruit and flowers.
He Is a wizard In his profession. He
marries a mulberry TO raspberry
and the progeny Is fruit that Is SUI
perior 10 either parent. He takes
prune and manipulates IL with the
result that the new species is vastly
superior TO the old and Is pitiess.
He takes the lilies that grow about
the base Of old Shasta, crosses them
with other lilies and 10, the result Is
a new order of lily compared with
which Solomon In all his glory would
look as though he had nothing TN
but his pajamas. lie takes the Cali
fornia apple, and while not especially
improving It's flavor, gives II a solid
ity which makes possible the pack.
ing OF the fruit and the sending OF
Ii to Europe. Tie miracles he per-
forms are endless. All up aud down
the coast grows wild beach plum.
IL Is worthless in itself, but II grows
on the most sterile points ADD cares
no more for water than did Major
Nounon In the old days. Hut on this
he Is grating n valuable plum believ-
Ing that his work will eventuate In
producing a new plum that will grow
la barren soil, and produce real fruit.
lie is breeding the thorns and prickly
surfaces from the desert cactus lde.
borning II, so to speak, and looks
forward to a time when the cattle on
the desert will exult In luxuriant
food. His hobby Is beredity, his
thought being that there are germs
VI good In the most worthless OF
plants, but that by proper blending
the vaeranJ features can be bred oul
, and something beautiful or useful bs
produced. This Is a thought which
mortals should consider with al
thoughtfulness.
! But note his way OF working. Ill
is struggling for result. To accom-
' plish II he gathers all the plants o
the same species, no matter how re
e mote, and CRAFTS them. Often h
d. has so, 600 OF these. lie notices tn
n result. Out OF the $1,000 he select
h five or six that come nearest 10 Tn
e realization OF his ideals, and all tn
4 rest are torn up aud burned. The
!. he proceeds with his experiments o
n the few selected, aud OF these save
% perhaps one or two, and the otnel
/. are burned. In his garden he la
J. q, 900 varieties Of plums or prunc
" lie has produced one called the Elem
ing prune. IL is as big and roun
,f as big peach. lie has pproduced
a. wonderful flower that when IL tir
d blooms Is a glorious red, but while
id gradually fades until II Is sno
white. His thought IL TO give To u
ct world better fruit aud TO hll the "a
es dens OF the land with new and u
III cOUlpdIduiN btdul'iui ho"N'"'
ed His whole life Is absorbed In {
M delightful work. He works Inc,
IL sanity, and when new bloom or
new fruit materializes he knows h'
W Watt felt when he neard the III
n respiration OF the first steam engir
WIS how Edison felt when the first Sun
rs. voice came 10 him through the te
phone: how Columbus felt on II
Dit black night when from the masthe
,ts of the little Pinto there rang do
M the cry: "a light, light -
lat His life ought 10 he great
IN. ample u men. An intense desire
or. good aud steady work can Gil
nd with happiness when the world G
rly side turns only harsh corners TO
ers struggling soul. There are n
fruits to be created IN all the worl
wn fields, new flowers can be made
mid bloom everywhere that an earn
In. soul works. or course Luther u
The bank likes apprc val, but without
sne be Is not left desolate; the Joy
Of bis work is complete and keeps
me face always lighted with smiles.