Luther Burbank and the New Earth 111 



bank spoke of one bed in England which is said to be 

 100 years old. 



He does not raise potatoes, of which he eats com- 

 paratively few, but all the other vegetables consumed 

 by his family are raised in beds which represent a total 

 of but 384 square feet. This is only one one-hundred- 

 and-sixteenth of an acre ! This would leave better than 

 ninety-nine-hundredths of an acre for a family to use 

 for such other variety of vegetables as they might pre- 

 fer ; for the few choice trees, vines and shrubs necessary 

 to supply its fruits, for the ground on which the house 

 would stand, and for whatever they might depend upon 

 as the principal source of cash income, whether some 

 sort of poultry, or choice products of the garden. 



For the comfort of home gardeners who may be 

 struggling with poor soil, it is worth while to remark 

 that the ground which now serves Mr. Burbank for his 

 famous experimental garden was thought to be so poor 

 that no one wanted it. He made it over to suit his 

 purpose. His mention of the fact led to a discussion 

 of the extent to which it is possible for the man who uses 

 a small piece of ground, not only to change the soil, but, 

 in a sense, to alter the climate. Prince Kropotkin tells 

 us how the French gardeners have taken the raw edge 

 off their climate and forced the growth of their plants, 

 not only by the use of glass for cover, but by the con- 

 struction of stone walls which hold and reflect the heat 

 while also furnishing perfect protection from the winds. 



In the matter of scientific and intensive use of the 

 soil, we have not touched the hem of the garment in this 

 country as yet. We have run to broad acres and 

 speculation, to machinery and hired men. We are just 



