Evening star., 1922-06-18
\ DAY WITH LUTHER BURBANK
"Opmic PessimstPlants and
FZoe Hauent Any Brain His Reply the Story That He improves
Winning Confidence and Talking 7hem7uth More
Interesting Wild Told About Hnad Restore Shells
They Furnished Meals for BBieve Human Race

ever ate any of it you'd never go
back to the asparagus that is being
used today.
Unfortunately. have no inside in
formation about this new aspar:.e US.
At luncheon we had some fresh
vegetables from his farm at Sebas
topol, but there was nothing par
| ticularly remarkable about them.
However. got an insight of his
philosophy Of life that was even more
| interesting.
Luther Burbank is an optimistic
pessimist-
There is as much in life to hope
! for as there is to fear" he said to
me. Life and Its origin are very
clear to me. have no doubts about
! it. or any doubts about the future"
And noticed he had singularly
| saint-like expression in his face as
he talked.
Life is self expression-a chal-
| lenge to environment. 1t is action in
| certain definite directions, based on
| mechanical or chemical change. In
| nature we find varied animate and
| inanimate forms of life, many Of
| which have motions-some of which
in the higher forms we call emotions
| These sometimes end in action, at
other times in thought. You can't
get away from the facts of evolu-
tion."
Education and environment can
never make any appreciable progress
-, I,ott -
beings" he continued. Permanent
results can be obtained only by the
selection of the best individuals for
continuing the race. This selection
| must be continued through a series
of generations. By this means and
by this only, can any race Of plants.
animals or man be permanently or
| radically improved.
And that is why sex is so impor-
tant. Sex is not a necessary at
tribute of living things. but it is a
very necessary attribute If progress
in the evolution Of new forms is to
| occur. as they have progressed
| through the past ages and as we do
not see them progressing on this
| planet"
| 1T is far cry from race betterment
= to the climate of southern Cali
. fornia. but as Mr.. Burbank asked me
| to ask him as many questions as I
wished I queried:
What do you think OF the climate
Of southern California;" His ascetic
face instantly wreathed in smiles.
wherever you can grow oranges
!
! no fit place for white man to live"
| he answered. Il have been offered
! every inducement to locate near Los
! Angeles. but l would rather have
| grave plot here at Santa Rosa than
all Of southern California"
| You see, I'm not 2 native son-so
I'm not prejudiced." he went on.
For climate. richness of soil. scenery
i'm fact. from every standpoint-the
country north of San Francisco is SO
| far superior to the southern part of
| the state that there is no compari-
son."
| Then why does southern Cali
! fornia attract SO many people:" l in
| terposed.
| Because it is better advertised
than the northern part of the state.
Fasteners don't know the beauties
Of northern California. They all
flock to the place they're told to go.
Less than Is per cent of our people
do any original thinking on any sub
| ject. Our Army tests showed that
The greatest torture in the world for
most people is to think. To make the
| cit
minutes and think on given sub
Ject gives him more agony than a
| thrashing. But the people will
awaken to the truth about southern
California one Of these days-and
| there will be an exodus to the north
This will be a bitter pill to the
inmates of Los Angeles. but I feel
| that they "have it coming to them
| Again changing the subject, for our
conversation touched a hundred diff
| ferent topics, I asked Mr.. Burbank
if the drift of population from the
farms to the cities was alarming.
| mot in the least" he replied
Earning is no longer a hit-and miss
affair. Crop failures can be avoided
and modern farm machinery cuts
down the number OF men needed to
raise our food Conditions have
changed. Fifty years ago we needed
a larger proportion of agriculturists
than we do today. And with the in
PRODUCTION of new machinery and
especially more scientific methods
| even fewer men will be needed on our
| farms"
|
| DEFORE I took my departure
- asked the plant wizard the inevi-
| table quest!on-what he considered
| his greatest achievement in his half
| century of creative plant develop
ment.
| Future generations will have to
answer that question" he said, after
giving 1t some thought. "You see,
I'm really working for future gen.
erations. For while many Of my ex
| periments have been successful it
| takes years to introduce a new grain
or fruit.
| When hailed a passing motor bus
| to take me back to Sausalito to get
| the ferry for San Francisco I saw the
J plant wizard standing by his bed of
| spineless cactus. And I'm not so sure
| that he wasn't asking them to grow