NEW CREATIONS IN PLANT LIFE 



desirable. A lesser man might, with the same 

 power in his hands, breed flowers merely to be 

 huge without regard to the flower's plan in 

 nature or the fitness of things. Not so with 

 Mr. Burbank. He has as great a delight in 

 intensifying the color or deepening the fra- 

 grance of a violet as he has in making some 

 flower with distinct decorative possibilities 

 more noble of bloom. He might, through years 

 of selection, produce, no doubt, a violet much 

 larger in size then any now known, but he 

 would as soon think of preserving some ugly 

 monstrosity of plant life as of thus disturbing 

 the life habit of one of the most exquisite of 

 flowers. Deeper tones to the violet, yes; greater 

 luxuriance of growth, wider zones of cultiva- 

 tion, greater hardiness, intenser even if subtler 

 perfume, yes; but abnormality, never. 



The whole scheme of his treatment of 

 floral life embraces harmony and symmetry. 

 He would round it out when it is angular, 

 make it more graceful when it is awkward, 

 deepen and vary its fragrancies without 

 making them oppressive. No man who has 

 ever lived has laid out such a scheme for the 

 adornment of the world, indeed it may fairly 



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