LUTHER BURBANK 



of whom were engaged during the winter in chop- 

 ping wood and in hauling brick to the raih-oad 

 stations or to the various towns within fifty miles 

 of our farm. 



And of course we boys were pressed into the 

 service so soon as we were large enough, to lend a 

 hand at various of the simpler phases of brick- 

 making. It is recalled by my brother that I did 

 not undertake the turning of brick, which is a 

 work that is rather hard on delicate hands, with 

 unusual enthusiasm. But, on the other hand, my 

 brother Alfred and myself when quite young, per- 

 haps only six or eight years of age, used to drive 

 the oxen with loads of brick to Clinton, Lancaster 

 Village, Harvard, and other nearby towns, and 

 this part of the work I found thoroughly enjoyable. 



My father also furnished much material from 

 the farm woodlands for the powder and paper 

 mills in town; and it was a great treat to me when 

 taking material to the manufacturers of carpet, 

 paper, cloth, and wire to see the wonderful proc- 

 esses employed in transforming the raw material 

 into such intricate forms of utility and beauty. 



When the time came for me to take up a defi- 

 nite occupation, I not unnaturally turned to one 

 of the factories, the more willingly because of 

 always having had the keenest interest in things 

 mechanical. Indeed, the love of experimenting 



[42] 



