The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-09-08
Burbank Charged With Impos
ture in Claiming to Have
Produced It
PLANT GROWS WILD ANO.
HAS ONLY BEEN CULTIVATED
Belongs to the Same Class as the
Black Nightshade, Tomato, Potato,
Egg Plant and Othss Some Lo.
calities 1t is a Weed. s'es

Los Angeles, Sept. SIS Luther
Burbank's "wonderberry" a creation
OF his own or a creation of natures
Burbank claimes he created it. but
DIR. B. T. Galloway, head of the bu-
reau of plant industry of the United
States department of agriculture, has
given an opinion that all the credit
Is due to nature, the greatest plant
wizard of theru all.
incidentally DIR. Galloway il reput.
ed to be the highest authority on
horticultural subjects in the United
States.
His investigation Of BurbanE's 8
'wonderberry" convinced him that IL
not only is a variety of black night
shade, or Solanum nigrum, which
grows wild all over the United States,
and In some sections is even a pesti-
ferrous weed, but the particular va.ie-
ty which Burbank calls the wonder
berry" has been known and grown
for years.
1t was his promotion of the won
derberry" which made Burbank the
object of attack from gardeners and
horticulturalists in different parts of
the country. For several years many
OF them have looked with suspicion
upon several OF his alleged "crea-
tions" but there was no public criti
cism of him until after seed of the
"wonderberry" appeared on the mar
ket last year.
The Rural New-Yorker, one of the
leading horticultural journals of the
country, investigated the wonder
berry" and published a statement de-
claring the "wonderberry" to be no
creation but natural variety exist
ing in a state of nature.s The journal
also criticised burbank severely in
connection with other claimed crea-
tions.
1t was about the same time that P.
D. Barnhart, editor of the Pacific
Gardener, the leading horticultural
journal of southern California, deliv-
cred an address before the Pasadena
Gardeners association, in which he
scored Burbank and denounced him,
as faker. His address was mainly
on account of visit he had paid to
Burbank's home at Santa Rosa a
short time before. He alleged that the
"plant wizard" had not produced one
authentic plant creation.
The result of his statement was that
the association unanimously adopted
resolution declaring Burbank to be
a nature faker," and deploring the
fact that the public had been induced
to regard him seriously.
The Rural New Yorker, of which H.
w. Collingwood is editor, has contin-
ued its Investigations and among 9TH
er things has obtained the opinion of
DR.. Galloway. Mr.. Collingwood has
given to the public Photographic
copy of DR.. Galloway's letter. In his
letter Mr.. Collingwood says: "You
have, I think, given some discussion
to the 'wonderberry,' the newly intro
duced, creation of Luther Burbank's.
enclose with this a Photographic
copy of letter from DIR. B. T. Gallo
way Of the United States department
or agriculture. There is no higher
authority on such matters, and you
will see that DR.. Galloway pronounces
the plant not only a variety Of black
nightshade, but an old plant as we'll"
The text of DR.. Galloway's letter is
as follows:
II have your note of Aug. 16 rela-
tive to the kinship of the so-called
'wonderberry' with black nightshade,
or Salanum nigrum. Anyone who will
study these plants in the field under
varying conditions of soil and climate
must necessarily come to the conclu-
sionthat the 'wonderberry' is only a
variant or horticultural variety of the
black nightshade.. OF course one can
set down differences in leaves. inter-
nodes, size of flowers. fruit and seed,
but these differences are all found to
merge in the field study Is sufficiently
extended.
II have now growing at my place
twenty types of cowpeas, among
which will be found differences ex-
ceeding those occurring between the
'wonderberry' and black nightshade,
and yet every one Of the twenty types
came from single pea planted three
years ago.
Il regard the 'wonderberry' and
garden huckleberry as variants or
horticultural varieties of the black
nightshade or Solanum nigrum. and
as such may have some value In the
dry. hot sections of the southwest,
where l am informed identical forms
have been grown in back yards and
gardens for years."
. . . . . 80 . . . . o .
THE WEATHER. .
North Dakota Generally fairs
tonight aud Thursday.
UNIVERSITY REPORT. :
4 = ,&~~~ a.