Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-21


ter In some respects for the table. DR.. B. T.
Galloway, the chief Of the bureau of plant
industry, first figured out in his mind what
ne thought would be an ideal lettuce for the
market and he then told his experimenters
to go to wt,rk and see If they could not
produce that lettuce, by crossing the diff
ferent varieties. They have married the
eastern and western lettuces and they think
they are raiddly producing their ideal. In
deed I saw many heads of lettuce in
the plant breeding hotbeds which seemed
almost perfect and combined the excel
lencfes of both varieties
In talking: with Doctor Galloway the
other day he told me of some experiments
he had made with violets. He wanted to
snow that money could be made by raising
them If they were properly handled. so he
established e. commercial hotbed and set
out five thousand plants. AS they grew he
found that some produced only one bios
som apiece and that others had a half
dozen or moe, that some Powered In the
month when they brought the biggest prices
and others Just when there was the least
demand. He made a careful selection OF
seeds and after time produced violets
which lowered Just at the right time and
! in the largest number per plant. The re-
suit was the hotbed paid a good dividend.
He had then shown the success of his ex-
pertinent and sold out. His successor paid
no attention to plant selection and In
short time he was making no more out Of
the hotbeds than his neighbors.
The Romance Of the Potato.
Among the most romantic stories of plant
production Is that Of the prosaic potato.
Potatoes are ordinarily produced by plant
ing the potato or cuttings of it. A potato
plant, however, sometimes produces a seed
which may he planted and may possibly
yield a new variety. About 1850 man
named Goodrich experimental with wild
Peruvian and Chile potatoes. He grew
seedlings frora those plants for a number
n Woo otod 4r1o1 1Ny
two varieties which were fairly valuable.
one of which was known as the Garnet
Chilli. In 1860 Mr.. Albert Breese Of YER
mont planted some seed of Garnet Chilli
plant and one of the results was the Early
Rose. When this potato was put on the
market 1t brought fabulous prices. and 1t
Is still one OF the most valuable potatoes
we have.
It was the Early Rose which was the
mother of the Burbank potato which was
named after Luther Burbank, who was a
school boy when he discovered It, Young
Burbank had heard what Breese had dcne
in producing the Early Rose, and he had
become generally interested in plants Of
all kinds. One day while walking through
a field of EARLY Rose potatoes he saw a
seed pod on one Of the plants. He watch
ed it carefully thinking he would save the
seed and plart them The field was near
where he wen. to school. and he examined
the pods from day to day until they should
be ripe. He was especially anxious about
them. for, although such seeds are often
found on other varieties of potaties they
seldom occur on the Early Rose. One
morning when he looked for the pod he
found 1t had disappeared. His heart fell,
but he got down on his knees and hunted
the field over. He cried over his loss and
went every day for a week to the field
looking for this seed pod. He finally found
1t about sixteen feet away hidden under
another vine 1t had evidently been knock
ed off by someone passing rapidly He
kept the seed pod and the next year plant
ed the seed. From the plants which grew
he secured the one which produced the
Burbank potato, which Is now known
throughout the world.
Burbank's Wonderful Discoveries.
AS he grew older Burbank became still
worked for a time in the shops Of a
company in Massachusetts, and there In
vented Improvements in woodworking ma
chinery which were so valuable that his
employers offered to multiply his wages
twenty-five times If he would stay with
them. He decided, however, that he
cared more for plant breeding than for
where he started a plant-breeding farm.
He has this ia rm just outside Santa Rosa,
Cal, and upon 1t has produced some Of the
plant wonders of the world. He has pro-
duced no end of flowers, vegetables and
trees. as well as new varieties of fruits.
He has married the plum to the apricot, and
got what IS KIN own as the plumcot. He has
made white blackberry, and has taken
the common field oX-eyed daisy and made
the Shasta daisy. beautiful flower, many
times as large. The Shasta daisy will grow
out of DOORS and will bloom several months
every year. He has originated new Gala
lilies and great variety Of peaches ap-
pies, pears, plums and nuts. well as val
liable trees, fruits. flowers and vegetables.
Gets $40 an Hour for Private Talks.
I met the other day a man who had just
visited Luther Burbank. He tells me that
the people who live near by cannot under
stand him. They look upon his as harm
less idiot, who Is raising thousands of plants
and cutting them down without reason, and
then raising others. They do not realize
that he is carrying on great business, and
that he is doing; wonders for the world. He
Is wrapped up In his work and wants to de-
vote himself to it. He is modest man. and
does not care for notoriety. He keeps away
the crowd of slghtseers to some extent by
charging for his time His price to inter
viewers is $40 TN hour, and I am told that
many people are glad to pay that for the
information they get from him. He Is an
enthusiast on p. ant production and on plant
breeding, the possibilities of which he saws
can hardly be estimated In a recent paper
which l have before me he speaks of the
great staples of the United States, saying:
1t would not be difficult for man to
breed new rye wheat barley oats or
rice which would produce one grain more
to each head. or corn which would pro-
duce an extra kernel to each ear another
potato to each plant or an apple. plum.
orange or nut to each tree. Suppose this
were done what would be the result? In
the five staples only, in this country alone.
we should have annually, without effort
and without cost, more than
100000 extra bushels of corn
100000 extra bushels of wheat,
20,0G0,eC0 extra bushels of oats,
100000 extra bushels of barley
21,O0OOo0 extra bushels of potatoes
What Plant Breeders NAV Do.
Here is what Luther Burbank says plant
breeders may do: 'Cultivation and care
may help plants to do better work tenn
porarily but, by breeding, plants may be
brought into existence which will do bet
ter work always in all places and for all
time. Plants are to be produced which
will perform their appointed work better,
quicker and witt the utmost precision"
Science sees better grains nuts fruits
and vegetables, all in new forms, sizes, COL
ors and fiavors, with more nutriants and
less waste and with every Injurious and
poisonous quality eliminated and with
power to resist sun, wind, rain, frost and
destructive fur gus and insect pests. 1t
sees better fruits without stones. seeds or
spines; better fiber, coffee, tea. spice rub
1>n~ 1;1 =,