THE PLUM IN KANSAS. 91 



A HORTICULTURAL WIZARD. 



LUTHER BURBANK. 



H. E. VaiiDeman has the following interesting sketch of our famous 

 hybridizer in a late issue of the Rural ISfew Yorl'cr. As one must see 

 from this, Luther Burbank was a born horticulturist : 



Luther Burbank, of Santa Rosa, Cal., began by originating the Burbank po- 

 tato while he yet lived in Massachusetts, and millions of bushels of that choice 

 variety have since been grown and marketed in many parts of the world. He 

 came of horticultural stock on his mother's side, for she is of the Burpee family, 

 which is represented at Philadelphia by one of the most eminent flower and vege- 

 table experts in the world. She is past eighty-five years of age, and lives with 

 her son in California, witnessing the results of his useful life. His father's fam- 

 ily were of a mercantile and manufacturing turn of mind. Although born and 

 reared on a large farm in Massachusetts, the boy Luther was sent, when eighteen 

 years old, as an apprentice to the Ames Plow and Spade Works, at Worcester, to 

 learn wood-turning and pattern-making. The love of nature and outdoor work, 

 vihich came from his mother's blood, would not allow him to endure the confine- 

 ment and dust of the shop; so after three years of it he bought a small farm near 

 Lunenburg, Mass., and began experimenting with plant life. It was here that 

 he grew the Burbank potato from seed. 



He told me once that he loved to work with plants from childhood, and can 

 remember a big crying spell he had over smashing a pot with a cactus plant in it 

 when he was less than three years old. He soon became inspired with the idea of 

 devoting his life to originating new fruits, flowers, and vegetables. Thinking the 

 climate of New England uncongenial to this line of work, he moved to Santa 

 Rosa, Cal., in the fall of 1875. He started a small nursery there, in which the 

 olive was a specialty. When I visited him there in 1888, he had all his propagat- 

 ing houses full of olive plants. He was constantly experimenting with seedling 

 fruits and flowers, and, although this work was not so profitable as the nursery 

 business, he loved it better, and sold out all but the experimental part, that he 

 might devote his whole time and means to it. 



At his home within the city limits, he has about ten acres, all devoted to 

 experiments, and a large modern greenhouse, in which some of his most delicate 

 work is done. At Sebastopol, which is a few miles distant in the foot-hills, he 

 has eighteen acres closely set to experimental trees and plants, besides about 

 thirty acres for farm experiments. Mere curiosity or pleasure seekers are not 

 admitted to his premises, for he has no time to devote to them, neither does he 

 wish to give information outside until he is ready. 



At one time there were on his grounds over 80,000 seedling lilies. Mr. Bur- 

 bank originated a new strain of the gladiolus, of which he sent me ten of the 

 choicest varieties about ten years ago. He sold out the whole lot to an Eastern 

 nurseryman. Over one million seedlings were grown before he was satisfied to 

 send out his stock. He grew thousands of seedlings of the iris, and also origi- 

 nated new varieties of the calla and rose that are decided improvements. The 

 chestnut and walnut have received attention at his hands. Some of the most phe- 



