The Democratic advocate., 1909-04-23
BURBANK,s PLANT WONDERS.
Public Exhibition of His Wonderful
Work Being Planned.

Luther Burbank's many marvellous
creations are to be exhibited for the
first time in a great exhibition hall,
at Santa Rosa, California. Hundreds
of wonderful fruits, flowers and grains
perfected by the wizard Of the plant
world will be shown. Here are some
of the most surprising ones.
The primus berry, union of the
raspberry and the blackberry; the
first recorded instance Of new
species, the phenomenal berry, COM
bination of the California dewbeFry,
and the Cuthbert raspberry; walnut
bred with no tannin in its meat; glad
ioli of greatly enhanced beauty taught
to bloom around their entire stem like
hyacinth instead of the old way,
on one side; a dahlia with its dis
agreeable odor driven out and in it's
place the odor of a marigold; a lily
with the fragrance of violet and the
scentless verbena given the intensified
fragrance of the trailing arbutus.
He will show fruit trees which will
Withstand freezing in bud and flowers;
an amaryllis bred from three or four
inches to nearly a foot in diameter;
gum berry almost like fat, luscious
blueberry, which cals be grown in all
climates, blackberries without thorns;
an everlasting flower which may be
used for decoration Of women's hats;
improved varieties of thousands OF
grasses and improved Towering to-
bacco.
Burbank has changed the chestnut
in marked degree. Originally it bore
nuts in ten to twenty-five years. He
has made it bear nuts in six months
after planting the seed.
In the creation Of big trees Burbank
has achieved wonders. Here is an
instance: A common California black
walnut and an English walnut were
crossed by fertilization and seedlings
raised from these. The best of the
progency were selected and bred for
ward, always selecting those which
approached nearest to Burbank's
ideal, until at last he had set of
hybrid, rapid-growing seedlings.
Half a dozen trees were set out in
the hard earth at the curb in front
of the Burbank's place, we're given no
cultivation and no irrigation. In II
years these trees stood more than
eight feet in height, their branch
spread being fully rs feet, their trunks
being six feet thick at height of a
mans head, the wood of fine grain,
taking a splendid polish and with
big commercial value for furniture.
Burbank has estimated that sin
gle kernel of grain added to each
sheaf of wheat grown would be suffi-
cient to support the navy of a civil
lied country. 1t is we'll known that
he has done more than this; he has
in most of his products generally
doubled their productions. In this
connection what makes his cactus
valuable to the stockman
is that it can be grown, and need not
be used for fodder for two or three
years, and when cut is just as good as
ever.
Announcement of the exhibition
planned has been made by Herbert E.
Law who, with his brother, DR.. Hart
land Law, and Oscar E. Binner, have
secured the handling of Luther Bur-
banks creations. The building will
be erected adjacent to the Burbank
grounds. Visitors will
be able to view hundreds of marve11- |
GUS Burbank creations, those perfect |
ed now and others as they are perfect
ed. The exhibit will be in charge of |
a competent lecturer.
Hundreds of people of note from all
over the country and from beyond the
seas come to Santa Rosa every year
to see Burbank and some of the re-
suits of his great work.