The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-09-07

Written especially for the West Wiz.
ginion.)
The value OF what Luther Burbank
has done for the agriculture Of this
country may, be approximately esti:
mated by. the calculation q the U. 10.
Department, Of Agriculture that thS
Burbank potato alone has contribut!
ed sl7 100000 annually to the prod.
'ucts Of our farmers. And 1t is a good
while since this potato was put on the
market. The instinct Of breeding
fruits, vegetables and flowers rs nat
ural with Burbank, and In. It's develop:
ment the world has become indebted
to him to an amount that can never be
paid. 5eG5s,i a, M j; II n
The worlds debts to Its remarkable
men have. however, usually been paid
mostly in fame; and with Burbank
this surely has been the case, for
there is not a section Of Tie 'habitable
globe. where agriculture and hortlcul.
ture are carried on, that the name and
achievements OF Burbank are un-
known. Gn se.i
This remarkable man has rearedEon
a Massachusetts farm. his parents be-
ing of English and Scotch ancestry.
Following his natural tastes. he ex-
pcrimented in the breeding of new va
rieties. OF grapes and potatoes. \ In
1875 he ofrared several specimens OF
potatoes to n firm in Marblehead. This
firm selected one variety from the lot
and paid him s125 for 1t. 1t is now the
particular potato which the agrlcul.
tural department thinks has been OF
such tremendoYsvalue 10 agriculture.
1t is known.l1 California 10 qtg entire
exclusion almpstfof any totheE FIND ;of
potato. Indeed. salongs The iehtlreE Pa,
,cifc coast the, Burbank potato is the
standard I'D excellence. n
& In: the eastern! States, especially In
New England. It has reached high
degree OF popularity. but in many
places It Is known under a local name
instead OF under the name of Bur.
bank. II Burbank had done nothing
more than add this one new vegetable
to the resources OF the tiller OF the
soil he would be entitled to the bless;
ings Of mankind. But he has done
very much more than this. NJ
In. 1875, he went to California be-
cause his health in rigorous New Eng:
land was not good, and because the
climate of that State afforded oppor.
tunitles all the year round for open
cultivation Of fruits and garden
plants. To start with. he rented IL
small nursery at Santa Rosa, where
he grew small fruits and market
flowers. but this did not provide him
with money sufficient for his malnte.
nances. and 10 make up the deficiency
he sold his labor to other farmers. {,
1t was only after 10 years Of such
service. and BY the strletest economy,
that he was finally able to buy a farm.
of his own. This was In 1883. But all
the while he had been laying deep and
strong thes foundations OF future sue,
cess. material. mental and spiritual,
He has been rcaping reputation from
those thirteen years ever since. and
no one In all the country is now so
well known rs Luther Burbank In hor!
ticulture, Horticulture andaagriculture.
He was appointed lecturer on plant
breeding in the Leland Stanford Jun.
ior University OF California. PerceIy.
ing the field TO which all his future et-
forts should be given. no devoted his
time any labor to tho development Of
novelties, In which he was aided by
"a grant of $4,000 annually from tho
Smithsonian Inst tuition, In 4recogni;
ton This great work IN Sbehalt OF
mankind NJ x
HIS operations .are now carried on
on d very large scale Much or lils
work is done through agents In all
parts 81 the world, A Japanese agent
sent him some plum pits. and from
Y, ~ ~