NEW CREATIONS IN PLANT LIFE 
life of the old tree at home—indeed, it may 
turn out not one of them bears fruit fit for the 
tongue. 
So it may be with a new life from cross-bred- 
ing and selection,—the end cannot always be 
foretold. But Mr. Burbank does not content 
himself with the use of two or three plants as 
stock, taking chances on their failure to make 
progress. Many men have used a few plants 
and have found certain results following, and 
now and again has arisen one who, from his 
few experiments, has reached certain results 
which entitle his deductions, he believes, to be 
known thereafter as laws. Mr. Burbank has 
never worked in this way. He early saw that 
to carry on his plans in the broadest and best 
manner, to avoid the delays incident to a 
failure of a single plant to show improvement, 
he must work with thousands where necessary, 
indeed, with tens of thousands; indeed, more 
than this, with a million plants if needs be. 
For example, in breeding lilies he has used as 
high as five hundred thousand plants in a 
single test. Out of this enormous number 
there naturally were great variations, and so 
before his eyes spread out a vast panorama, 
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