The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1921-05-05
BURBANK EARNED HIS SUCCESS

When we think of some great man who
has accomplished wonders in his chosen
field of endeavor, such as Edison, Bur-
bank, Marconi, or any of dozens of others,
many of US are likely to sigh: ooh, if
only were gifted like that mani" or
ooh, if only could have chance such
as he has had" We are prone to be-
lieve that great achievements are the re-
suit of extraordinary genius or of having
some unusually favorable opportunity
thrust, willy-nilly upon one.
The fact is, there is no such thing as
genius, as the word is popularity used and
interpreted. In every instance where real,
notable success has been won it has come
as the fruit of hard, persistent work, often
in the face of the most formidable diff
culties and obstacles. 1t has not resulted
from any special mental endowment or
from taking advantage of opportunities
other than those that are presented abun-
dainty to everyone.
Everyone knows how Edison works, in
tensively, day in and day out, asking no
six or eight-hour day and rarely taking
any vacation or recreation except such as
is afforded by changing from one kind of
work to another. He has attained marked
success because he has undertaken work
that is intensely interesting to him and has
labored earnestly and intellectually to
do it we'll, refusing to be discouraged or
turned aside by any difficulty or discour-
agement he encountered.
Luther Burbank, the well-known plant
specialist, who is now past the age of 20,
has successfully fought through difficulties
that would have caused many another
man to give up. AS result he has
reached the goal he set for himself and
has been of inestimable value to the
world through his gifts of new useful
plants and the development and improve
ment of many others.
His first notable success was the devel
OpluClll VI TIC DulUdllh WHISA 10
widely known and grown. For the pains
taking care and labor given to the pro-
duction of this potato he received only
1925. With this money he paid his way
to California, hoping to find there condi
tons more favorable to nursery work and
at the same time regain the health he had
sacrificed in carrying on his horticultural
experiments in the East.
Some time afterwards he met fruit
grower who had been anxiously calling
on various California nurseries for TO-
coo young prune trees to be ready for
planting within considerably less than the
time usually required. They all considered
it impossible to fill this order in the limited
time allowed and so turned the orchardist
away. Burbank, however, had an idea
and ample confidence in his ability to
coax Nature into producing the needed
trees in the time specified. Accordingly
he took the contract. He got busy i'm
Instead of starting with prune
or plum seeds as less experienced man
might have done, he planted almonds be-
cause he knew of their habit of growing
rapidly. When the seedlings appeared
and developed to certain point he took
them up and planted them in nursery
rows.
Next he gathered buds from mature
prune trees in neighboring orchards, bud
ded them into his almond seedlings and
then cut off the tops of the latter to divert
the sap into the prune buds and force
their growth. In only little more than
half the time stipulated in the contract he
had more than 10000 prune trees ready
to be delivered to his orchardist customer
and planted.
This success laid the foundation for his
fortune and his fame as plant wizard"
Of course there was no wizardry about
his work then or since. He has succeeded
because he knows all about plants, how
thew GROW and renroduce and with indie