Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-07
THE WIZARD BURBANK.
Some Of the Early Struggles Of the
Great Plant Grower.

Some Of the Early Struggles Of the
Great Plant Grower.
A mans happiness and success in
life depend largely upon his choice of
work done along the line Of least re-
sistance, is not only better done, but
Is accomplished with joy and continued
perseverance. The merchant and
scholar find neither happiness nor sue
cess in farm life, while the vigorous
farmer is stihed by the closeness of
the counting room and bored by the
intellectual distractions Of the scholar.
In guiding our children In their
choice Of life work, it is most neces-
sary to consult their talents, their
natural aptitudes.
If your boy loves books and hates
the plow, don't try to make a farmer
Of him. He won't succeed. If he
loves the field and all growing things
and finds school distasteful, don't in
sist upon his becoming lawyer or doc
tor. You may succeed in forcing him
to do your will, but it will be at the
cost Of his happiness and highest sue
cess In life.
Where the bent Is strong the boy
will have his way even IL he must run
away from home to get 1t, but how
much better for the parents to study
the child and foster his gifts, adding
their strength and experience to his
desire and so helping him on his way
instead Of discouraging, hindeying and
alternating him from those to whom he
should look for affection, understand
ing and assistance.
We sometimes feel that our children
are ours to do with as we wish. They
are not. They belong to themselves
and to the world Having brought
them into the world, we owe them
such an equipment as shall make 1t
possible for them to contend success
fully in their struggle for existence;
health, education, moral training; the
memory of happy childhood and the
inspiration Of wise and noble parents.
We must know when to guide and cor
rect, but we must know when to re-
frain, and be ready to recognize and
treat them as a friend and equal, the
budding man or woman in our house,
hold
The father Of Goethe, an obstinate,
self willed, short sighted man, dread
ed by his children, insisted that his son
should become a lawyer. He had no
patience with poetic genius, and did
what he could to deprive the world Of
the comfort and inspiration 1t has re-
ceived from Germany's greatest poet.
Genius was strong enough to outwit
stubborn ignorance, but 1t was at the
expense Of years Of misdirected energy
that resulted in a long and serious ILL
for the law, but his exuberant fancy
refused absolutely to dwell upon dull
and musty tones.
Luther Burbank, was born farmer,
as Goethe and Scott were born poets.
1t was not unwise parents, but dire
poverty, that sent him as a boy into
a sitting factory instead Of to the
open fields, where his genius called
him.
From babyhood Burbank was low
er of flowers and plants. AS little
child his pet plaything was a pot with
growing cactus in it. One day he
fell and destroyed the cactus and
broke the pot. He grieved as another
child might for a dead canary or
wounded dog. He was a lover Of ma
ture and Of books, and all books about
nature he devoured. He passed through
the common school and academy or
his native town of Lancaster, Mass,
reading and studying the books In the
town library Obliged to support HIM
self, he went to work in a factory.
Bringing his observant mind to bear
upon the work, he invented machine
that would do the work Of a dozen
men. His pay was increased, and af-
ter years Of distasteful toll he was able
to start a small market garden. He
noticed the variations in the tops of
the potatoes, and that in the patch he
was cultivating only one bore a seed
ball. He was a close and original
student Of plant life, and reasoned that
if this seedball came upon but one or
all the varying plants, its product
when planted should show still great
er variation. He watched the seedball
with greater care. One day he miss
ed it. Some dog or careless person
passing through his garden had knock
ed it off. He searched for some time
in vain. At last, to his delight, he
found it, and from it came the Bur-
bank potato, which has added to the
wealth Of this nation upwards Of twen-
ty millions of dollars.
Burbank sold the new potato to a
local scotsman for $50.
About this time he suffered a sun
stroke, and upon recovering from the
shock he set out for California, where
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