Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-28
Keeps Only the Best.

blackberres growing in his gardens, all in
fun bearing. Within a few days, really
nsxithin q few hours, he went through that
entire garden, selected the best plants with
urierring accuracy and simply by glance.
These were taken out and replanted in
other place, perhaps twenty or thirty of
,hem which. to his accurate eyes. had at
tanned the perfection which he desired them
20 reach The remaining 59,9T0 plants,
more or less, were dug up and burned.
Those plants were worth thousands of dol
lars He could have sold them to any nur-
seryman at his own price. Any plant that
comes from Burbank's gardens Is worth a
hundred or thousand times more than If
il were grown in ground belonging to an
other NAM But he will not sell his rejected
specimens. He will not allow his name to
be used for profit When his experiments
are completed and he selects the few ex-
amples that he desires to preserve, the rest
are destroyed. We saw bed in his garden
from which $500 worth of dahlias had
been torn out by the roots and were lying
in a pile awaiting the torch When | asked
him why he did not give those plants to
hospitals or schools, or to private individu-
ais where they would give somebody en-
joyment he replied that he was afraid
some one would take advantage of his lit
tie kindness and speculate in them
Studying the Plum.
When I asked Mr. Burbank how many
varieties Of plums he had, he said that he
was now studying 100000 distinct kinds.
The number of his trees is not so large
Some of them have from thirty to 800
crafts, and when the fruit is ripe he walks
along through the rows studying them
carefully and selecting the best. His men
follow him. removing all of the trees which
do not show progress. He goes through
them again making his selections almost
by instinct; until, at the end of the year,
nine-tenths of his orchard has been torn
away and the 100000 different kinds of
pIurns are reduced to half dozen varieties.
These are then multiplied, while all the
others are destroyed and replaced by new
seedlings In this work Mr.. Burbank is
guided by acute perceptions and gifts OF
Judgment which no other nurseryman has
ever developed.
In the meantime processes of cultivation
are going on. The fruit trees he has Sc
lected for preservation are those which, In
his opinion will respond most readily to
the forces he can exercise.
Extending the Fruiting Season.
at am working just now" said Mr.. Bur-
bank. upon about 1900 different kinds of
fruit with the special object of extending
the season of fruiting. Most trees ripen
within few weeks-say six weeks or two
rnonths-and orchardmen are compelled to
do all OF their work within that time or lose
part of their crop. If can extend the
fruiting season Of prunes or plums six
weeks, even four weeks longer, you can
realize what a great economy Will be ac-
complished 1 have already produced
whole year round. and roses and strawber-
ries can be made to serve us every day In
the year. / hope to be able to do something
in the same way with the plum. the prune,
the peach the pear and the apple; and at
the same time improve their size, favor and
endurance. wen as extend the bearing
season. I do not think II is impossi-
BILE 1t has been done with many plants
Sixty years ago the richest sugar beet
yielded only @ per cent of saccharine.
This has been increased 10 20 per cent.
Sugar cane has been graded up In the same
way Fifty years ago the cabbage was a
small bunch of leaves. Chestnut trees for
merIy required from ten to fifteen years
growth before they began to bear. l have
some that will bear In eighteen months.
.'You see those walnut trees outside of the
garden along the sidewalk? They are a
hybrid of the wild California walnut and a
highly cultivated English variety. Their
wood has very fine and beautiful fiber and
takes on a beautiful polish. They are very
valuable and are much needed but walnut
Is a slow-growing tree. 1t takes many years
for it to attain sufficient size to make mar
ketable timber; but have learned how to
make tree big enough for cabinet work IN
six years. l can grow trunk that viii
make a log twenty feet long and two feet
square In twelve years. A man can set oui
an orchard of these trees and with proper
cultivation have his timber ready for mar
ket in six years.
Increase of Productiveness.
THE whole botanical kingdom is being
revolutionized," continued Mr.. Burbank. "A
ia France. England, Japan and America.
making plants more useful and flowers
more beautiful; hardening them to resist