THE PLAN BOOKS 



tifically and economically. But they will not 

 be more strictly scientific, even in the eyes 

 of the academician, than these records which 

 have been kept of leading events in the life 

 history of some of the most wonderful plants 

 that even were given birth upon the earth. 

 If Mr. Burbank had taken time to answer 

 every criticism of his work or methods made 

 by pseudo - scientific men of inadequate 

 knowledge, he would have wasted many days 

 that have been given to the ennoblement of 

 the physical earth upon lines as strictly 

 scientific as those followed by the most dis- 

 tinguished scientists of this or any other 

 century. But as real scientists have come to 

 know the man and to study his methods, 

 they have not hesitated to give him as great 

 honor for his scientific attainments as for his 

 marvelous accomplishments for the welfare 

 of the race. I do not know that Mr. Burbank 

 ever told any scientific man who ever visited 

 him that he kept these plan books. It is 

 more than likely that he never mentioned the 

 fact ; it is only an incident in his lifework. 

 No doubt, had he given the matter thought, 

 telling the scientific men that such records 



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