THE NEW WORK 



festation of Nature when her old ways are 

 broken up than any other man, living or dead : 

 it is the unparalleled scope of his work, coupled 

 with the actual results he has observed, that 

 make his words authoritative. He says : 



"The total inadequacy of these 'laws' has 

 been shown over and over again when applied 

 to actual breeding. When they were first pro- 

 mulgated, the claim was often made that all 

 plant-breeders must understand them or fail. 

 How many plants of value have been pro- 

 duced by a knowledge of these laws? How 

 many successful breeders worry themselves 

 about them? No; these 'laws' have been 

 shown not to apply, except in some rare 

 instances." 



In all the new work which Mr. Burbank 

 now has under way, he is confirming and 

 strengthening in superb fashion the positions 

 he has taken, both scientific and practical. 

 And while he believes with increasing earnest- 

 ness, as the years bring their proofs, in the all- 

 powerful influence of the Crossing of Species ; 

 while he pays deeper attention, year by year, 

 to the mysterious and elusive phases of the 

 manifestations of nature, ever seeking to strip 



429 



