"No man living or dead has done so much to make scientific plant breeding a 
reality. He lives today the chief inspiration and example of those who by artificial aid 
to natural law would hasten the coming of ideal excellence." — "The Fruitman." 
"It is pleasant to turn from the distracting and corrupting influences of politics 
and current affairs, to the work of a genuine benefactor of the race, such as Luther 
Burbank of Santa Rosa, who is contributing to the welfare of the world to a degree 
impossible to estimate. Outside of Edison's laboratory, there is no place in America of 
interest equal to Burbank's experimental gardens." — "Santa Cruz Surf." 
"The creations of the horticultural wizard are so wonderful that even science has 
to be convinced. An amusing incident in the visit of the Associated Agricultural Col- 
leges and Experiment Stations of America to the Sebastopol grounds gives a fair illus- 
tration. When the party had traversed but a small portion of the grounds and tested 
but a few of the fruits therein, one of the professors called a halt, requesting from his 
brethren their brief attention. Calling upon Mr. Burbank to step forward so that all 
might the better view him, the producer of the wonders, he delivered the following: 
'Gentlemen: In the presence of you all I wish to make known that one of my objects in 
coming to this coast was to expose Mr. Burbank's fraud. I have read that man's cata- 
logue annually, and I have long considered him about the biggest liar in the United 
States. I now retract all that, and declare that Mr. Burbank has never told one-half of 
the marvels that he might. Gentlemen, hats off to the wizard before you.' The motion 
needed no second." — "Santa Rosa Republican." 
"What Nature will do for us running loaded trains of profit in our direction, can- 
not be guessed until we turn the switch. The finest fruits the world ever saw are en 
route. They are moving manward among the mighty certainties of the future. Who 
will set the switch and deftly sidetrack them in our yards? While fruit men were 
testing grapes in America with dubious prospects, Mr. Bull of Concord shifted the rails 
and brought to our very doors the fabulous fruitage of the Orient. Gideon of Minnesota 
blindly grabbed the lever at a happy moment, and switched into the homes of the 
northwest uncounted carloads of the Wealthy. Budd switched onto our northwestern 
spur the Hibernal, and with it hope for the apple grower of Manitoba. Burbank, with 
the foresight of a seer and a skill beyond precedent, seems able to realize all our dreams 
of perfection by running the finished forms of fruit and flower of the whole earth into 
the great central depot of the United States. And there are others listening for the 
roar of the coming trains, and trying with might and main to shift the rails. If you 
want any part in the twentieth century jubilee, take hold with a will and help switch 
onto our sidetrack the train of success." — "The Fruitman." 
