PLANT-LIFEGENERATION. 241 



possibly it is yet to be evolved, not so much 

 by Nature as through man's agency. The 

 crossing of species and even genera, for the 

 purpose of improving the breed, has become 

 a significant branch of the vegetal Biocosmos 

 cultivated by persons whose genius seems to 

 be in a born intimacy with the creative Plant- 

 type. Some men are apparently endowed 

 with flower-souls so sympathetic that they can 

 elevate and partly humanize the vegetal or- 

 ganism (so we may consider the Dutchman 

 DeVries, the Swede Hjalmar Nilsson, and the 

 supereminent one, the American Luther Bur- 

 bank of California). Far-reaching indeed is 

 the commingling of breeds (hybridisation) ; 

 through it perchance we are on the path to 

 the Super-plant. Nor can we omit the reflec- 

 tion that in a similar way the commingling of 

 the human races, of course with proper se- 

 lection, is to evolve the perfect specimen of 

 manhood, that Super-man, about whom we 

 hear a good deal of prophecy in these days, 

 and with whom must come of course the 

 Super-woman. Possibly such a Plant will be 

 required as the food for such a Man, so that 

 both will appear together. Not quite so il- 

 lusory seems that educated edible spineless 

 cactus of Burbank, which is to turn Earth's 

 deserts into a garden and double the food- 

 producing capacity of our globe. 



