The Penn's Grove record., 1920-04-23
Nature Studies
Interest Women
Interesting Talks On Wild Flow
ers And What Burbank
Has Done

The April meeting of the Woman's
Club was held in the High School au-
ditorium Tuesday afternoon. Mrs.
Albert F. Naylor presided.
Mrs. Naylor and Mrs. John NJ. Sum-
merrill were elected delegates and Mrs.
S. NJ. Hunt and Mrs. Hannah Ashcraft
altel mates to attend the annual FEEDER
alton of Woman's Clubs convention at
Asbury Park, May 18th to 18th.
The topic of the meeting was
"Natare." Nature has never discerned
man nor can she deceive. If man
knows Nature he is close to knowing
God. Nature is lavish with everything
but the destruction of great men. "To
know Nature is Wisdom Oakland.
Mrs. William A. Summerill gave a
description of several wild flowers well
known in this region.
A paper prepared by Mrs. Naylor
and read by Mrs. John Croft told what
Luther Burbank, the Edison of the
plant world had done for America.
What Burbank Has Done
When we speak of Luther Burbank
as the plant wizard, we probably mean
to pay him a compliment. Fifty a
ago he did not stand out from the
mass Of other New England boys. On
the contrary he was below the aver
age. He worked in the pillow factory
for fifty cents a day. A long illness
caused by sunstroke over took him, and
in 1875 he went to California to re-
gain his strength, and to acquire a
seed farm. He had just sold his, first
discovery, the Burbank potato. The
S125 he received for this plant barely
paid for his ticket to California. Ten
hundred million bushels of this famous
potato have been grown so far.
He secured a plot of ground in Cali
fornia and established a nursery.
Over three thousand distinct species
are in the list of the plants Upon which
he has worked and perfected. These
new forms of plant life nay be put in
two classes-those which have added
to the wealth of nations and enriched
The dietry of the race, as new improved
nuts, fruits and vegetables and those
which have made the world more beau
tiful, the lev and improved forms of
flowers.
One day, there came to the young
nurseryman an order in the filling of
which he displayed that boldness of
plan, which has marked his progress.
The order was for twenty thousand
prune trees, to set out in nine months
time. 1t would take in the ordinary
course of events, three years to raise
the trees. He took the order. 1t was
late in the season, and at that time of
the year only almond seed would
sprout. In a short time the shoots
were big enough for budding. Twenty
thousand prune buds were in readi-
ness, were budded into the growing al
monds and the young trees started
forward in their race for the prize.
When the nine months were up twenty
thousand trees were ready.
Nature had been outwitted. Today
twenty years after, the finest prune
orchard is growing from those trees.
Such wonderful results have been Sc
cured in a short time. Many new
chestnuts and walnuts have been add
ed to his list of trees. Among the
twenty thousand varieties of plums
that owe their origin to him Delaware,
a tree only a few feet high, and bush
like in form, also a new beech plum,
with fruit disposed like huckleberries.
Another plum, is the Burbank, which is
well known and the Wickson, whose
fruit is as large as a turkeys egg.
Many of Mr.. Burbank's most Won
derful results have been obtained by
flowers. BY crossing the common field
daisy with a common European daisy
and the result with a japanese daisy
he developed the Shasta daisy with
several rows of petals and over -four
inches across. An amaryllis, nearly a
foot in diameter, e perennial sweet
pea, improved roses, cannas and pop
pies, a Gala lily three feet in circum-
ference, and another only one inch in
diameter.
Some years ago Mr.. Burbank passed
a bed of verbenas just beginning to
blossom. Suddenly he stopped, dropped
on his knees and began crawling thru
the verbena bed. He had noticed the
delicate trailing arbutus odor, coming
from the unscented verbenas. He
searched until he had located the
plant, sending it forth, and then was
ready to begin the production of the
sweet-scented verbena.
If it is worth while to work patient
ly and persistently twenty, thirty or
more years, to improve plant life, isn't
it infinitely more important to be as
patient, as persistent in the effort to
improve the human sapling.
We can develop the individuality of
the child, just as the individuality of
plants. Great men are usually men OF
simple direct sincerity of character.
Luther Burbank, until recently an
Unknown NAME, has bestowed upon the
world a greater value of things done,
which are for the permanent better
| nent of civilization than any score of
celebrities. He has produced more
lew plantlife, fruits, grasses, trees,
and flowers than any man living.
Without a university training and
With only a fundamental education he
has led the world in the department to
which he has given his life. He has
uttered as few men suffer, not only
rom physical want, but from unjust
criticism by those who did not COM