LUTHER BURBANK 
It is only when the life history of a plant, with 
all of its divergent tendencies, is uncovered in 
some such way as this, that the plant architect can 
see the full possibilities of further improvement. 
The pink daisy which Mr. Burbank grew 
especially for the purpose of illustrating this 
chapter may, or may not, be a desirable produc- 
tion—it may or may not repay the thought and 
effort which it cost—but it shows the simplest 
method which the plant architect has within his 
reach—a method which, applied in the same way 
toward the accomplishment of a more utilitarian 
purpose, has meant and will, more and more, 
continue to mean, untold fortunes of added wealth 
to the world. 
In order that the illustration may be complete, 
let us sketch some of the possibilities of employing 
this method. 
Let us begin with some garden vegetable which 
for centuries has been picking up traits along the 
lines in which we have encouraged it—working 
away, always, from the wild, and toward the 
accomplishment of our ideals. 
Let us say that we have been selecting it, 
unconscicusly perhaps, for its tenderness, or 
sweetness, or early ripening, or productivity, or 
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