Evening star., 1923-05-01
Next Month Ends
:Fhtieth Year of
: Burba1,k Deeds.
Career Called Most
;MeritOriOus in All
History.

SPECIAL Dispatch to The Star.
SANTA ROSA. Calf. May He re-
fuses to allow himself. to be called a
wizard alt rough his wonderful
work well deserves that appellation.
Rather, he insists he wants to be
known to his fellow.men as a stu
dent who has striven throughout his
long and extremely useful life intel
Ggently to follow natural laws and
aid nature in improving her handi-
work
But the world will aid him in prop
eriy observing the fiftieth anniver-
sary of his start next month. From
May Il to May 20 scientists and lead
crs in every walk will assemble here
~ Santa Rosa to pay tribute to the
wonderful genius of Luther Burbank
the leader of. the entire horticultural
world.
His golden jubilee is to he note
worthy in the extreme. He truly has
made two blades of grass grow
services to humanity, declared only a
Few years ago by Theodore Roose-
velt to have been the most merito-
rtous in the worlds history" will be
emph asized by men of world wide
fame.
Rose From Obscurity.
The world has worn a pathway to
his door. and today his every sug-
EeStion is listened to by agriculture
lists everywhere. But ii was not al
ways SO. Burbank came to this sec
ton. where all of his greatest eX-
periments have been initiated forty
eight years ago, unhe ral lded and al
M hi -,
Iunenburg, Mass. He was a horti-
"ulturalist of average fame. although
even then he had given to the world
the Soon-to-be famous Burbank po-
tato, which. it is estimated. has in the
last half century added not less than
s90.0O0.00e to the wealth of the farm
ers of the Pacific slope.
For time at the outset here he
was compelled to work as Il carpen-
ter to cke out his living and TO meet
his expenses while he initiated his
earlier experiments of "improving the
growth of plants" Meanwhile he he
gan a series Of tests which were de
signed to produce a prune that would
he Sala bic in the east and would be
larger. more juicy and Sweeter than
those then being used. He also had
brought with him exactly ten Bur
bank potatoes which he had reserved
from the stock raised and sold by
him to a seedman in Massachusetts.
These he planted and then offered to
supply the growers Of California with
quantities OF these new tubers.
Breeding OF Plants.
His offer met with very liberal
response. because tie larger growers
were anxious TO obtain improved
seedlings to cope " tn the dcteriora-
ton of existing varieties. While de-
Neloping this potato for seed he ap-
piled himself closely to the nursery
business and also gave much atten-
tion to plant breeding. science that
UP to that time was very generally
ignored.
Burbank, even at this early date.
had attracted attention throughout
the country because of his deter
mination TO take the people into hls
confidence. He refused to Shroud his
work with the usual mystery of the
Inventor or the originator and from
time to time issued statements OF
what he had accomplished This cul-
minated in 1893 in the. issuance by
the scientist Of modestly worded
publication. New Creations in Fruit
and Flowers. which was followed up
in later years. describing and pictur-
ing his experiments. He had already
Enen the world visible positivesproot
off what he had accomplished. Never
theless, he was attacked by many OF
his associates in the business, who
we're inclined to believe his new
products were worthless.
White Blackberry.
Later. however, he was able to
demonstrate that he had produced
visible, tangible entities. not prom
ises prophecies. To show what
painstakfnG care was necessary it
developed that it took years of work
and $1,000 hybrid vines to produce
rho white blackberry. He expert
mented with many thousands of com
mon daisies before he evolved the
now famous Shasta variety.
From the very outset of his plant
creative work Burbank had insisted
tl:at the new dynasty must be strong.
1t was to he a survival of the fitteSt.
only the best and strongest plants OF