NEW CREATIONS IN PLANT LIFE 
desirable. A lesser man might, with the same 
power in his hands, breed flowers merely to be 
huge without regard to the flower’s plan in 
nature or the fitness of things. Not so with 
Mr. Burbank. He has as great a delight in 
intensifying the color or deepening the fra- 
grance of a violet as he has in making some 
flower with distinct decorative possibilities 
more noble of bloom. He might, through years 
of selection, produce, no doubt, a violet much 
larger in size then any now known, but he 
would as soon think of preserving some ugly 
monstrosity of plant life as of thus disturbing 
the life habit of one of the most exquisite of 
flowers. Deeper tones to the violet, yes; greater 
luxuriance of growth, wider zones of cultiva- 
tion, greater hardiness, intenser even if subtler 
perfume, yes; but abnormality, never. 
The whole scheme of his treatment of 
floral life embraces harmony and symmetry. 
He would round it out when it is angular, 
make it more graceful when it is awkward, 
deepen and vary its fragrancies without 
making them oppressive. No man who has 
ever lived has laid out such a scheme for the 
adornment of the world, indeed it may fairly 
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