The Cordova daily times., 1922-10-11
BETTER MEN
 GREATER THAN
 BETTER PLANTS


 ideals of Luther Burbank, foremost plant breeder of the world, history also will record his influence in the de- veloping of better men, as well as better plants, for he regards improve ment of mankind as a greater work than improvement of plant species.
 q hope that the same laws, as far as practicable, which I have discov- cred and demonstrated in plant life will be applied to the improvement of human life," said the dean of plant scientists in his Santa Rosa home.
 "This in measure, can, must and will be done," he asserted.
 Although every possible minute of Burbank's day is given to his plant experiments, he is glad to give time to civic affairs, especially to the Boy Scouts, playground activities and school activities and school doings, for in these he sees the beginning of the u llluhhlhu ol ulo Pl III ciples of plant breeding.
 My time is all too short to do all I wish and hope yet to do,' he says.
 The improvement of plants, accord ing to Burbank, is in it's earliest in fancy, but "the possibilities are linn itless," he declares.
 'In mechanics and electricity great progress already has been made, but, as every scientist knows, it is hardly a beginning," says Burbank, in con- pairing mechanical and plant knowl- edge.
 After sixty years of plant breeding he enunciates the principle: "Plants are pliable and amenable to the will of man, but this has never been surmised by the general public until the last twenty-five years"
 Agriculturists few years ago re- ported to Burbank that the tall stalks on which the sunflowers grew made it unhandy to harvest the seeds. Burbank set to work on the problem, and this wear is marketing seeds of new sun flower, which grows on three foot stalk. The bloom has been so great 1v enlarged that it is a heavier produc- CT of seed than other varieties and the seeds are white.
 Next year he will give the world Six new peaches, new prune which does not need to be dipped before drying, a new plum and a new nectarine. He has also been working several years on potatoes in the hope of producing a new variety which will rival hls famous "Burbank," grown and used in greater quantity than any other, and after countless experiments has mar rowed his experimental varieties down to sixty, from which he will eventually bring out one or more varieties for the world.
 The Santa Rosa scientist, having produced many fruits, berries, vege- tables, grasses and grains of great benefit to mankind, is today giving bit more of his attention than ever before to the development of beautl- ful plants and blossoms, although i'll no measure giving up his work and in terest in food, clothing and timber producing plants.
 But it is in the development of strik' ing cOlors in plants and flowers, ol pleasing flower fragrances and new | flavors in fruits that his experiments today show breadth of imagination Hundreds of visitors stop in amaze ment each day at the low fences sur rounding his experimental plots ln this city and gaze enraptured at the shades of some glorified popular flow er-some new zinnia, poppy, gladioluS or larkspur.
 Burbank has a hundred thousand new color shades and varieties of the gladiolus, in every conceivable colol and combination of color and of un equalied size and freedom of bloom
 His new amaranthus, "Molten Fire, is his newest pride. It is a plant iron three to four feet in height and three feet across and whose leaves develol an irridescent, fiery crimson, salmon color, hue never before seen on lant or sea, in any plant or anything elst except the intense heat of the cleo trical furnace. It retains it's brillianct of color for three months. Two years ago there was only one of these plants ] in the world.
 Constantly increasing publicity fol Burbank's work has resulted in his experimental grounds here becoming l tho Moooo for tboucopdc of scientists