Milford chronicle., 1930-06-06


give to the plant breeder the same
status as the mechanical and chem
ical inventors, now have through the
patent laws" Mr.. Edison wired the
committee. There are but few plant
breeders. This (bill) will, 1 feel sure,
give us many Burbanks."
It is surprising to learn that while
Burbank was living there were in
America plant breeders who did a
larger work, a more monumental
work, a work of more benefit to
humanity than he did. Mention Mr..
Burbank's classic name to any in
formed scientist in the Department
of Agriculture and he will tell you
that now there are half a dozen
rather obscure men atwork on prob
lens of greater moment than any to
which Burbank turned his mind; ;.
that some of their discoveries sur
pass his.
These men, of course, are Uncle
Sans white haired boys whom he
hides out from the general public.
washington is full of them, in the
Public Health Service, in the De-
partment of Agriculture, in the hun
dred and one bureaus there. There
are chemists, for instance, like DR..
James Fitten Couch of the Bureau OF
Animal Industry, who, after years OF
intelligent experimentation, has $50
lated the poison that killed Nancy
Hanks and so many thousands OF
other men and women who died
with the milk sickness" An out
slider would have heralded that dis
covery, mayhap given it his name
but 1t goes out to the world as par'
of the days work and bearing the
name "tremetOl."
There is no story of life work sc
romantic, so beautiful and yet sc
pathetic as taat of DR.. Walter Var
Fleet. who died in Washington II
| 1922. probably the most famous
.plant breeder this country and may
be the world has ever known. he
was a. Government scientist, in the
latter years of his life, but prior tC
that was an amateur plant breeder
with a list of new plants to his cred
it that is very long and very inter
esting. -lo,
AS a child he became interested II
this work, but it never was proht
able. so he took up the profession o
, medicine and from his earnings II
, that profession he financed his epo
/ chal discoveries in plant breeding
Had there been patent law tina
would have given him protectlon' n
would have been the Edison of tn
botanical world.
: But others reaped the reward
his discoveries and he died a poor
, old man, known to the Department
5 of Agriculture, to a few florists AM
: to readers of farm and horticultur
{ list papers for which he wrote. HI
very name would have, sunk INTO on
t scurity if Peter Henderson, the nor
= ist. had not given it. to DR.. va
= Fleets most popular rose, the pl
f Walter Van Fleet, the climbing ros
r which has belted the globe. For thi
= rose DR.. Van Fleet probably did nc
S get as much as it cost him to bree
5 it. but florists have made million
q out of it.
h In a recent catalogue of the ne7
s plants produced by DR.. Van Flee
: made by Mr.. Furman Lloyd Mulfor'
n of the Department of Agriculture
: there are 20 hoses, Z of which haV
d been introduced by the departmer
7. since his death; varieties Of glad
S olus, 8 of Gamma, l geranium, 1 Ion
e cera. OF fruits, 2 varieties of goose
v berry, 4 of Strawberries and a wor
derful pear. OF vegetables, l swe'
pepper, 1 sugar corn and 2 tomatoe
o The list takes nc ..Ecount OF tn
: great number of new plants whic
o DR.. Van Fleet developed and lo