352 LUTHER BURBANK 



mulas that the veriest tyro could master them, 

 and, having them in hand, could go into the field 

 and create new forms of plant life at will. 



And because I ventured to point out that the 

 essential principles that now came to be spoken 

 of as Mendelian had been the guiding principles 

 of my experiments for at least twenty years 

 before Mendelism was heard of, I was denounced 

 in some quarters as reactionary, the fact being 

 quite overlooked that the essential principles 

 involved had been discovered by me quite inde- 

 pendently; exploited by me in connection with 

 many hundreds of species; given publication by 

 me prior to the rediscovery of Mendel's forgot- 

 ten paper; championed by me against the oppo- 

 sition of all the leading authorities of the world; 

 and that therefore the aspect of heredity in ques- 

 tion might with full propriety have been named 

 "Burbankian" instead of "Mendelian," were it 

 not that Mendel's discovery had priority because 

 it was published so long ago as 1863, whereas my 

 independent discovery of the principle was not 

 made until almost twenty years later. 



Even at that, however, I had had full twenty 

 years priority over anyone else except Mendel 

 in the recognition of the principle. 



Therefore, as I just intimated, I have found 

 it a trifle disconcerting to be heralded as reac- 



