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, 



33 



