The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-01-02
WORKS IN MIRACLES
Luther Burbank a Man Who Ac-
composites Wonders.
Visit to His Estate and Actual Sight
of the MarveIs He Has Wrought
ls Needed to ConVioce
the Skeptic.

The wonders accomplished by Lu-
Their Burbank if they go on increasing
in number as they have in the past
will make another Thousand and
One" marvellous tales. A recent visi-
tor to- his California estate writes to
the Craftsman:
He took us into his gardens ard
told Us how he had coaxed the thorns
from the blackberry and then made It's
fruit white, how he had changed the
colors of flowers at will, doubled and
trebled their size, made their stems
long and twining, or strong enough to
support the added weight Of number
less blooms OF the original single bios
som.
HE showed us bed of oenothera
one petal of which would cover an en-
tire blossom of the parent plant and
which obeys his command, to bloom
afresh each morning during the sum-
mer. He showed us pears four times
as productive as the Bartlett, cobless
corn, stoneless plums, seedless grapes,
the rhubarb that is commonly called
"the mortgage litter" because it Is
ready for the market six weeks before
any other kind and has flavor and
texture that make it yield $1,000 an
acre the first year after planting.
1--WE saw new flowers in the making,
new vegetables almost ready TO be
given to the world. We tasted sew
T.; H. - CT hnY
ries, we're showered with petals of
roses from which a Long Island flor
list declares he has sold over $4,000
worth of plants and flowers by follow
ing Mr.. Burbank's advice on hybridiE-
ing
Finally our brains would hold no
more and we began to doubt the tes-
timony of our sense when he showed
us his latest and most wonderful
achievement-the thornless cactus,
which one scientist says is OF as much
Importance as the discovery of new
continent | did not dare set down
In my notebook all that l heard him
tell about this wonderful plant, so
simply followed him about eating the
thornless fruit( which alone was
enough to make one forget everything
but It's delicious flavor, while his ex-
plantations and figures scared above
my ability to comprehend or record.
But the next day / returned, pored
over his books and records and &C
quired facts about this plant, which is
destined doubtless to redeem the
desert. He noticed the small spiny
cactus that had been considered not
only worthless, but positive pest, and
made 1t produce fruit that resembles
the watermelon In juiciness with a
flavor reminiscent of pineapples,
Strawberries and pears. After this
delicious crop is gathered the plant is
used for feeding stock Of all\ kinds.
Corn. under favorable circumstances.
will produce approximately one and a
half tons of food an acre, alfalfa as
much as FIVE tons an acre and the
Burbank spineless cactus will harvest
200 tons to an acre.
II can produce $1,000 worth of de-
natured alcohol an acre, as against
S35 worth from Indian corn. me cac-
tus pear, as the fruit is called, can be
grown at much less expense than it
takes to produce oranges; there is
never crop failure and the market
price equals that of the drainage. They
make excellent jelly, jam, strip, and
the juice of the crimson variety makes
a wholesome permanent food coloring.
When planted eight feet apart the
plants will nearly meet in two seasons
growth. The spineless cactus responds
phenomenally to cultivation-it has
no parallel in the history OF cultivated
plants 1t produces tremendous ton
mage, requires no irrigation, is an ex-
cellent bedding for hogs, chickens
sheep and goats. 1t has no insect or
fungus enemies. One planting is am
pie for repeated cuttings