LUTHER BURBANK 



the other way; tendencies inherited from imme- 

 diate parents, tendencies coming down from wild 

 ancestry, tendencies originating from the influences 

 of twenty centuries or more ago — tendencies which 

 are latent, awaiting only the right combination 

 of conditions to bring them to life; all of the 

 tendencies of a complex ancestry — some lulled to 

 sleep, but none obliterated; that is a seed. 

 ***** 



"The whole life history of a plant," said Mr. 

 Burbank, "is stored away in its seeds. 



"If we plant enough of the seeds, in enough 

 different environments, we are sure to have that 

 life history with all of its variations, all of its 

 hardships, all of its improvements and retrogres- 

 sions, uncovered before us." 



***** 



Which brings us to the boyhood lesson which 

 Luther Burbank learned. 



***** 



Thomas A. Edison spilled chemicals on the 

 floor of a baggage car — lost his job as train boy — 

 and made electricity his vocation instead of his 

 avocation. 



Luther Burbank found a seed ball on one of 

 the plants of his mother's potato patch. 



Who knows what little thing will change a 

 career? Or what accident will transform an ideal? 



[56] 



