LUTHER BURBANK 



California thirty-five years ago was in far differ- 

 ent condition from what it is to-day. And it does 

 not require much imagination to connect with the 

 figures a story of hardship and privation, and of 

 unrewarded effort, that spelled discouragement 

 for the would-be plant developer. 



Yet, on the other hand, the figures are sus- 

 ceptible of a more cheerful interpretation. If we 

 regard percentages, instead of aggregate dollars, 

 it will at once be manifest that the record shows 

 steady progress with a cumulative tendency. 

 Eleven hundred dollars is not a large return for 

 the output of a nursery, but it is a relatively tre- 

 mendous advance on $15. And when I add that 

 the return for the succeeding year went forward 

 again by about 300 per cent., it will be clear that 

 my efforts were fast gaining recognition, and that 

 the foundations were being laid for a thoroughly 

 successful nursery business. 



Not to dwell exclusively on the darker side of 

 the picture, let me say that within ten years the 

 quality of the trees and the reliability of the stock 

 in general of the Burbank Nursery had become 

 so widely known that I was selling more than 

 $16,000 worth of stock per year. In the light of 

 this ultimate prosperity, the privations of the ear- 

 lier years may very well be minimized, even 

 though they cannot quite be forgotten. 



[84] 



