The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-05-27


has attempted, and to a considerable
extent succeeded. In doing something
quite novel. at least In this country
He Is breeding up plant. fruit and
vegetable life. He Is the godfather
Of the sugar prune. giant In COM
parison TO its ancestor. the French
prune. Of which California produced
tso.ooo.ooo pounds Of the dried pro-
Duct In year. The sugar pruue
ripens earlier and II Of immense COM
npercisl value.
Burbank IL also the maker Of the
% sdlcss plum, which he accomplish
ID by crossing two varieties Of the
Pruns triuora.
The white bl9ckberry's triumps of
the wizard Of hdrticulture's triumphs.
sixty-hve thousand bushes were used
IN tests before he developed this phe-
nomenon. lr
5 He has given TO the arid deserts a
new species Of grass which will grow
on the plains without water. He con-
vsrtsd the cactus into an edible plant.
The wild potato Of South America
also received his attention. From a
single eye Of this potato ne develop
"a lao hybridisations and grew a
large tuber Of good quality
Nr. Burbank has made endless ex-
psfiments with the potato. He keeps
on bis farm at Santa Rosa no less
than 10000 varieties for experiment
tai purposes. He has grown potatoes
Of every shape and color. round,
,ong. short square. pure white, pink.
crimson. purple and yellow, Burbank
potato seedlings have been shipped all
over the world. The late Cecil Rhodes
planted 10000 of his seedless plum
trees in South America. ana now they
have multiplied into the millions.
81 worked seventeen years to pro-
duce . raspberry. free from all thorns
without pricker in II nor = par
licie Of ru1ty brown" he said. s
!Mr. Burbank has eliminated the
and acid from the auince-
'u fact there n hardly fruit or vegs-
table that hss not been experimental
upon ~ Nr. Burbank. sometimes to
lh~ir improvement sometimes nm
vatisfaetoriiy. In the flower wona ne
he's snnohisd many flowers.
'Hs has grown . crimson poppy. q
shaSta or, larger srowth OF the ox-sye
daisy. and he has produced various
new colors Of roses, notably his lat
~. the blue rose. There results in
psant ME are obtained through se-
lsction and crossing. He impiants the
psilsh of one upon the stigma Of
ne othsr. He sathsrs his selections
from oil over the world. and whom
ths cross produces . seed he plants
4 and experiments until he secures
lhs desired result.
a strawbsrry 10 crossed 3 Hith, q
biaokbsrry. or one Of . species with
another. Sometimes thousands OF
piants VIM grow when but one A.
vslops the ideal desired. From soo,-
oVo apple tree seedlings but one was
sslectsd. From ss.ooo bushes but one
white Nbiackbeyry was chosen. y
Mr.. Hurbank's work has been
widsiy recognized, commented upon
and not infrsquently criticised. The
csrnsgis Institute Of Pittsburs award
Cd him $4,000 . year for ten years
sor experimental purposes. f
Mr.. Burbank Il q living example Of
his own theory OF tran.mission Of
traits. His mothers family .ncluden
he famous horticultprists Ross and
Burpree. From his father ne IN.
serited a bent for mechA Ap,cai inven.
tons. A a,boy he lived on . farn,
sn,l took q great interest IN grape
kTowing. ne was born In Lancaster.
rass.. and educated in the grammar
schools. Immediately going into the
Ames Plow-works. but his love Of ma
ture led him to take up experimental
work and he went to California in
1876 to secure q suitable climate.
He started q nursery business to
maintain his experiments. acquiring
sufhcient property and achieving no.
table success. he gave his whole at.
tention to his great passion. Nature
has been his only school, for he !,
not book scientist. He lives moder.
ately and Ii himself a man Of the sim.
plest habits and desires. my aim 1.
to benent mankind. and II can I'M
prove our fruits II il my duty to full
nll my destiny" he has said.
He In n tireless worker q MON n,