LUTHER BURBANK 



they been important. An educational influence 

 has radiated from these experiments, as per- 

 formed here on my farms at Santa Rosa and Se- 

 bastopol. It is not too much to say that they have 

 had a leading share in disseminating new views 

 regarding plant evolution and, reasoning from 

 analogy, animal evolution as well. 



The new varieties of plums have largely mod- 

 ified and expanded an extensive industry, mak- 

 ing plums of the finest quality an every-day food 

 for the masses instead of a luxury. The lessons 

 inculcated by the experiments in hybridization 

 through which these new races have been devel- 

 oped have served as a guide to countless other 

 experiments in plant breeding, and have made 

 views that seemed heretical thirty years ago seem 

 commonplace matter of fact to-day. 



They have almost revolutionized the work of 

 plant improvement. 



The materials through which this really sig- 

 nificant modification both in the practice and the 

 theory of plant development was brought about 

 were drawn from five great divisions of the globe 

 five regions with different soils, climates, and 

 natural conditions, and with a human population 

 of correspondingly divergent habits and tastes. 



And in return the new races of Burbank 

 plums, prunes, and plumcots are being sent back 



[52] 



