VOL. XLIX. NO. 2098. NEW YORK, APRIL 12 , i89o. 
PRICE, FIVE CENTS. 
$ 2.00 PER YEAR. 
[Entered According to Act of Congress in the Year 1890 , by the Rural New-Yorker, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C, 
Luther Burbank— an excellent like¬ 
ness of whom is presented to our readers at 
Fig. 66, was born on a farm in Lancaster, 
Worcester County, Mass., on March 7, 
1849. He received a liberal education, and 
in the fall of 1875—when a little over 26 
years old—moved to California and settled 
at Santa Rosa, in Sonoma County, 60 miles 
north of San Francisco. Having been from 
his early years a great lover of fruits and 
flowers, he bought a tract of land, and 
started in the nursery business. He also 
began a series of experiments in horticul¬ 
ture, floriculture and pomology, and so 
deeply interested did he become in these 
that, about two years ago, he sold the com¬ 
mercial part of his business in order to be 
in a position to attend more closely to his 
cherished experiments. He still retains 42 
acres, mostly devoted to experimental pur¬ 
poses. Of this area 12 acres of rich, black 
alluvial soil 16 feet deep are situated in 
the town of Santa Rosa. Ten acres of sea- 
sand at Sebastopol, eight miles west of that 
place, give, he finds, the best results in 
comparing and testing new plants. The 
rest of the land is a mixture of sand and 
clay—mostly sand—which he finds very 
suitable for testing fruits. 
Mr. Burbank writes us that the results 
of some of his experiments are as surpris¬ 
ing to himself as they are likely to be 
to others; but just at present he is not in a 
position to make them known. So short a 
time has elapsed since he disposed of the 
nursery department and had ample time to 
devote to his experimental work that but 
few things are as yet sufficiently well ad¬ 
vanced to justify public mention. One of 
the best of the 26,000 seedling roses 
which bloomed on his place for the first 
time in the spring of 1889, is a very fine new 
evergreen, ever-blooming, pink seedling Tea 
Rose, a bush of which is shown at Fig. 68. 
Mr. Burbank is of opinion that this will 
prove a valuable variety, though it will be 
some years before it has become fixed. 
At Fig. 67 is shown a branch of the red- 
fleshed Japan plum, Satsuma, grown on his 
grounds. This with the new Burbank 
Plum he finds very valuable and popular 
everywhere. His crosses between the peach 
and apricot and Japan plums have curious 
leaves and growths, but are not yet old 
enough to bear. 
After repeated experiments Mr. Burbank 
had almost concluded that the common 
garden beau would not cross with the 
Lima ; but at last success crowned his 
efforts, and he obtained a pod of four beans 
by fertilizing the old Horticultural pole 
bean with Lima pollen, though the form 
and color of the variety were not changed. 
When the cotyledons appeared, however, 
from one-third to two-thirds of the upper 
end of each of the beans bore the markings 
characteristic of Lima beaus, while the 
lower parts had the peculiar markings of 
the Horticultural pole. The edges of the 
divisions, like those of uncongenial grafts 
in trees, were rough and serrated. As the 
plants grew they were naturally watched 
with great interest. After a week or more, 
the separation 1 ecame complete, the upper 
or Lima parts dropping off, the plants 
bearing the usual form of Horticultural 
poles. 
Among the curiosities in his grouuds are 
white beans which almost invariably pro¬ 
duce black ones, and vice versa. From a 
cross of two varieties of average growth, 
some produced vines 20 feet or more in 
hight; while others in the same lot, were 
so dwarfed that all the pods had to grow 
horizontally, as otherwise they would have 
pierced the ground. From seed of the 
Juglans rupestris fertilized with Juglans 
regia pollen, he has obtained a walnut with 
sweet-scented leaves a yard long, having a 
rapid growth surpassing that of any other 
known variety of walnut. From present 
indications, it seems quite likely that fur¬ 
ther developments of Mr. Burbank’s experi¬ 
ments will greatly interest and benefit 
both the amateur and professional florists, 
horticulturists and pomologists of the Pa¬ 
cific coast, and not improbably those of the 
rest of the country also. 
MOUNTAIN FLEECE. 
(POLYGONUM AMPLEXICAULE. VAR. OXY- 
GONUM.) 
WILLIAM FALCONER. 
This is a hardy,[herbaceous perennial, a 
native of the Himalaya Mountains and of 
recent introduction to our gardens. It be¬ 
longs to the buckwheat family of plants, is 
of vigorous and bushy to spreading growth, 
and in October bears a great profusion of 
fragrant white flowers. I have grown it 
continuously for nine years, and the longer 
I have it the better I like it. The roots are 
perfectly hardy on Long Island, and I 
found them to be hardy at Boston; but I 
should advise to protect them where the win¬ 
ters are severe. 
When well established they grow vigor¬ 
ously and about three feet high, and the 
stems are quite branchy. Like most peren¬ 
nials of its race, it spreads a little at the 
root, but never gets beyond control, or any¬ 
thing like so far as P. cuspidatum, another 
handsome but gigantic species. During 
the season of rose bugs (June) these insects 
prey upon its leaves so much as almost to 
skeletonize them, but of course this is the 
case only where rose bugs prevail in mil¬ 
lions, as they annually do in this vicinity. 
And it is a curious fact that rose bugs have 
a special fondness for fragrant flowers and 
plants that bear fragrant blossoms. 
About the middle of September some of 
the blossoms may begin to open, but it 
is usually the end of the month before 
many of them are expanded, and the mid¬ 
dle of October before they are in their best 
state, and they last in bloom into Novem¬ 
ber. It will thus be understood that while 
it is a desirable plant for places safe from 
frost till the middle or end of October it is 
not a suitable plant for localities subject to 
early frosts, for a sharp frost injures the 
flowers and leaves. In order to hasten it 
into bloom, also to facilitate means of pro¬ 
tecting it when it is in bloom, it is well to 
grow it in a well-sheltered and warm, sunny 
exposure. I grow a lot of it in pots for 
bloom in early September, and they come 
in at this season without any forcing. And 
I make provision, if need be, to protect 
those in the open garden in the same way 
as I do for chrysanthemums. Very easily 
propagated oy cuttings of the young wood 
or stems at any time, or division of the 
root. The plain Polygonum amplexicaule 
is red-flowered. I used to grow it, too, but 
it isn’t nearly as desirable as is the white- 
flowered variety. 
A PLEA FOR LARGE ROSES. 
Charles Dudley Warner says, in 
Harper’s Magazine for March, speaking of 
roses: “ After we have produced it, we 
find that the biggest rose even, is not the 
most precious; and lovely as woman is, we 
instinctively put a limit to her size” 
, While 1 would scarcely dare to measure 
swords or pens with the inimitable author 
of “My Summer in a Garden,” and while I 
am quite sure that I agree with him in the 
concluding clause of this mot, I cannot 
resist the inclination to say a word as to his 
opinion concerning roses. I know Mr. 
Warner not only as the author of “Being 
A Boy,” “ Their Pilgrimage,” and “ Back¬ 
log Studies,” but also as a former member 
of the Park Commission of the city of Hart¬ 
ford, Conn. In that capacity he had not 
a little to do wich some very excellent and 
practical work in a horticultural way, and 
showed himself to be all that his readers 
and admirers consider him. There are 
roses in the Hartford parks, in the grounds 
of the editor of the Daily Courant, and—in 
the June-time,—on the editor’s desk. These 
roses Mr. Warner is thoroughly conversant 
with, and in this respect could be cited as 
an authority without exaggeration. In¬ 
deed, I am confident that if one were to 
prevail upon him to do it, he could write a 
“ Guide to Rose Culture,” that would stand 
as a text-book. Recognizing these qualifi¬ 
cations, and believing in the man, it seems 
to me that he sins against light. 
I beg to differ. I like “big roses,” and 
moreover, have a liking for the “ biggest 
rose.” More than this, I think that it is 
the “ most precious.” Small roses are nice, 
and medium-sized roses are justly celebrat¬ 
ed, but commend for me the large rose. What 
can be superior ? The Hybrid Perpetuals 
are always considered the most valuable of 
all roses and though distinguished for 
hardiness and beauty, a favorable point 
among their characteristics is that many 
of them are of immense size. The ever- 
blooming have their thousands of admirers 
also, but it is the large variety that gains 
the most lavish admiration. Perhaps the 
Moss and climbers are exceptions, and— 
perhaps not. 
Let me illustrate :—From among the more 
than 30 seedsmen’s catalogues that have 
come to me, I select the catalogue of a Phila¬ 
delphia seedsman, as being the least exag¬ 
gerative in the introduction of roses. Instead 
of 99 “novelties” he offers only nine, but 
these are the cream of the newer sorts, and 
are named in all of the catalogues as the 
choicest. Of these seven are large,and those 
seven are the favorites universally. 
Papa Gontier heads the list, fine of foli¬ 
age, exceedingly free-blooming, very sweet, 
handsome and striking. On all sides, it is 
regarded as the best, after having been 
thoroughly tested. And why ? Not be¬ 
cause of its thick, broad petals of dark 
crimson, but because of its having such 
extra large buds; for this reason it has its 
legion of lovers. 
Madame Etienne, a beautiful new and 
distinct pink variety, with petals beautiful 
ly recurving, resembling a camellia, has a 
heavy texture, is a strong and free grower, 
and is a wonderfully healthy and contin 
uous grower and bloomer. But its chief 
excellence is found in its having extra-large, 
full flowers, deliciously sweet. 
Princess De Sagan, a French variety, is 
noted for its lovely buds, its quick and 
LUTHER BURBANK. From a Photograph. Fig. 66. 
