LUTHER BURBANK 



of the plant, and in particular a full presentation 

 of the reason why the leaf structure of the plant is 

 of paramount importance, might serve better to 

 prepare the would-be gardener for his task than a 

 mere categorical citation of methods, unexplained 

 as to their final purpose. 



Whoever has carefully followed the outline just 

 given will have a clear notion of the needs of the 

 plant and might depend, were it necessary to do 

 so, on his own ingenuity to devise means for 

 meeting these needs. 



But, as a matter of course, we shall have occa- 

 sion to deal more at length with specific methods 

 of procedure with reference to the different types 

 of garden vegetable when we take up in successive 

 chapters the story of my work in the development 

 of plants of the vegetable garden. And the general 

 methods of soil preparation, drainage, irrigation, 

 and fertilization are elsewhere treated in detail. 



/ wish to emphasize the im- 

 portant principle that the one 

 essential element without which 

 no plant can maintain life 

 or take on growth, is water. 



