i8o LUTHER BURBANK 



"The Paradox has not won all the points," said they. 

 "See what a quantity of rich nuts these beautiful trees 

 bear, while the Paradox bears very few." 



The judges shook their wise heads and said, "Who ever 

 heard of racers bearing heavy loads?" 



At this the bleachers almost went wild. 



'Zip! Boom! Bah! 

 Rah! Rah! Rah! 



Ninety million, eighty thousand, seven, sixty-seven 

 That's what they think they bear, 

 They bear but ten or 'leven." 



The judges were united in this general conclusion: 



"As the Paradox will grow faster than any other tree of 

 the temperate zone, it will, no doubt, prove a blessing to 

 mankind in reforesting the earth." 



My ! what a noise when this was announced. 



One popular athlete proudly remembered by the pupils 

 of the plant school was the chestnut. When Burbank was 

 a boy it required from ten to twenty years for a tree to bear. 

 The master's desire was to perfect his childhood friend. 

 After much expense and years of patient waiting, a com- 

 bination of the American chestnut and the Japanese chest- 

 nut resulted in a tree that produced nuts in less than two 

 years. 



