NEW CREATIONS IN PLANT LIFE 
more may the plant-breeder be influenced by 
change, for, as in any one of the new plums 
upon which Mr. Burbank is working, some 
new trait of surpassing excellence may develop 
wholly independent of his original plan. At 
the best, the metal or the wood of the in- 
ventor is only metal or wood, the clay of the 
sculptor is only clay; but the material upon 
which Mr. Burbank works is throbbing with 
life, as truly life, even if a lower order, as the 
life of the man who handles it—life that is some- 
times wayward, sometimes stubborn, some- 
times bursting forth in surpassing beauty or 
strength in lines never dreamed of, sometimes 
manifesting itself in ways spectacular, indeed 
even dramatic. All the time, while holding te 
his pattern, he must be on the lookout fer 
important departures. 
There are three vital points, in addition to 
many minor ones, which Mr. Burbank con- 
siders in the gathering of material upon which 
to build a new plum: 
1. He must have at the base a hardy plum, 
wild or tarne; for, without endurance, the 
preduct might be practically worthless. 
2. He must have the best possible plum as 
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