48 LUTHER BURBANK 



art of the breeder, and there is no known limit 

 to the improvement of plants by education, 

 breeding, and selection. 



The plant breeder is an explorer into the in- 

 finite. He will have "No time to make money," 

 and his castle, the brain, must be clear and alert 

 in throwing aside fossil ideas and rapidly replac- 

 ing them with living, throbbing thought, followed 

 by action. Then, and not till then, shall he 

 create marvels of beauty and value in new ex- 

 pressions of materialized force, for everything of 

 value must be produced by the intelligent appli- 

 cation of the forces of nature which are always 

 awaiting our commands. 



The vast possibilities of plant breeding can 

 hardly be estimated. It would not be difficult 

 for one man to breed a new rye, wheat, barley, 

 oat, and rice which would produce one grain 

 more to each head, or a corn which would pro- 

 duce an extra kernel to each ear, another potato 

 to each plant, or an apple, plum, orange, or nut 

 to each tree. 



What would be the result? In five staples 

 only, in the United States alone, the inexhaust- 

 ible forces of nature would produce annually, 

 without ejfFort and without cost, 6,000,000 

 extra bushels of corn, 15,300,000 extra bushels 

 of wheat, 42,000,000 extra bushels of oats. 



