BURBANK IN THE ORCHARD 



material and the right blending of the material 

 are the essential methods of the plant developer. 

 But the creative work of a master painter might 

 be described in the same terms. In each case, 

 everything depends upon how the materials are 

 used. 



The " wizardry " that one hears ascribed and 

 very justly ascribed to Mr. Burbank has for ac- 

 cessories the methods of hybridization and selec- 

 tion, but these are applied with (1) the creative 

 genius that can conceive the ideal of a specific 

 plant development, plus (2) prevision in selecting 

 forms to hybridize, plus (3) a sixth-sense intui- 

 tion in noting nice shades of variation, plus (4) 

 indefatigable energy .in following up an experi- 

 ment, and inexhaustible patience in the face of 

 temporary bafflement. 



In a word, certain mechanical methods plus 

 genius account for the work of Luther Burbank. 

 But the mechanical methods, after all, are essen- 

 tials. You cannot become a master painter merely 

 by inspecting the palette of a great artist; but 

 you can never hope to paint at all if you do not 

 learn the rudiments of pigment-mixing. Sim- 

 ilarly you will not necessarily become a Burbank 

 because you learn to hybridize and select, but you 

 must learn these things if you are to attempt plant 

 development at all. 



Moreover, here, as in many other fields, you 

 may repeat an experiment that you might not have 

 preconceived. Many an amateur can make a 

 fairly presentable copy of a masterpiece. 



[75] 



