LUTHER BURBANK 



passengers who would otherwise have suffered 

 hunger. 



At that time it was not an uncommon experi- 

 ence for axle boxes to become heated by friction, 

 and then it would be necessary to make long stops 

 until repairs could be made. This, with numerous 

 unclassified delays, made the journey longer, but 

 perhaps not more unpleasant than was expected. 

 At best, at that time it took nine days to cross the 

 continent, and the contrast between the trains of 

 that period and the luxurious expresses of to-day 

 is notable. 



Early Days in California 



An inventory of my belongings on arriving at 

 last in California would have shown very little 

 except clothing, books, and garden seeds, and ten 

 Burbank potatoes that Mr. Gregory had allowed 

 me to keep when he purchased that vegetable. So 

 it was necessary to find employment at once. 



I have said that two older brothers were living 

 in California. But I did not go to Tomales where 

 they lived, because it appeared that this region, 

 being close to the ocean, had a climate that was 

 not well adapted to my experiments. I had been 

 advised of conditions by letter, of course, from 

 time to time, and had also read such books and 

 articles dealing with California as could be found, 

 so I had rather clear notions as to what to expect. 



[64] 



