30 AGRICULTUKE AND EUEAL-LIFE DAY. 



LUTHER BURBANK. 



Few people believed until Avithin recent years that a man could 

 achieve distinction in working with plants. Most people know of the 

 work of Edison and some of the marvelous things he has done with 

 electricity, but there is a genius living in California who has done 

 as wonderful things with the plants as Edison has done with elec- 

 tricity. It is Luther Burbank, who is known all over the world as 

 the most wonderful developer of plants. 



He was born in Lancaster, Mass., March 7, 1849. His parents were 

 so poor that Luther was unable to attend any but the public ele- 

 mentary school, and even then he had to find work in the factory at 

 odd hours that would bring some income to the family. He cared 

 little, however, for the factory and machinery, and as soon as he 

 could conveniently do so, he left the factory and began in a small 

 way to raise vegetables for the market. ^AHiile in his potato patch one 

 day, he noticed on the top of each plant a seed ball which interested 

 him. Some were very good, while others were poor. Selecting the 

 best of these, he planted them, and from this selection came the 

 famous " Burbank " variety of i:)otato. It is said that this one vari- 

 ety has been worth many millions of dollars to the Avorld. 



While working in his garden he received a partial sunstroke, and 

 his health became so impaired that he was forced to give up his 

 garden and go West, where he could find a climate in which he could 

 work out-of-doors the greater part of the year. He sold the rights 

 to his improved potato seed for $150. and taking a pocket full of 

 them with him, he started West. He made his home in California, 

 about 50 miles north of San Francisco. It was difficult to secure 

 work, and his money was soon gone. At one time, it is said, he was 

 employed to clean out poultry houses on a ranch, and more than once 

 he had to sleep in them. He was forced to work veiy hard, being 

 exposed to all kinds of weather, and frequently without sufficient food. 

 His weak constitution was unable to stand such a severe life, and he 

 contracted a fever which came near ending his life. A kind lady in 

 the neighborhood gave him help and encouragement, and he slowly 

 recovered. When his strength came back to him, he secured employ- 

 ment in a small nursery. His love for plants, and his genius for 

 cultivating them, soon made him a valuable man to the nurseryman 

 and to the community. As soon as he could save enough mone}'^ to 

 acquire a small plat of ground, he started a nursery of his own. The 

 place has since become famous over the whole civilized world as 

 " Santa Rosa, the home of Burbank." 



It is said that the first order received by Burbank, was for 20,000 

 young prune trees. He accepted the order, but he did not have so 

 many trees old enough to bear prunes, and it required about three 



