352 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 21, 
jjR aralisms [ 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
A British View of Burbank. —The 
Garden, one of the most reliable of Eng¬ 
lish horticultural journals, thus regards 
the claims made for Luther Burbank as 
the world’s foremost plant breeder. His 
industry and enthusiasm are commended 
in an article published in the issue of 
March 10, but the actual achievements 
on which his present astounding reputa¬ 
tion is based are summed up as follows: 
If one were to judge him by what some 
folks have said and written of him. Mr. 
Luther Burbank is worthy of a monument 
bigger than St. Paul’s. Professor II. de 
Vries, a Dutch botanist, says : “Burbank is 
the man who creates all the novelties in 
horticulture." lie speaks of “the great suc¬ 
cess his (Burbank's) creations have made, 
not only in North America, but also in Eu¬ 
rope." To be quite frank Professor de Vries 
ought to know better. Burbank is a child, a be¬ 
ginner, a rank outsider among the great plant- 
breeders of to-day, such as Lemoine, Benary, 
Vervaine, Duval, Crozy and Marliac of Con¬ 
tinental fame or Waterer, Veitch, Sander, 
Charlesworth. Paul, Canned, Laxton, and 
Engleheart of our own coutry. He is a poor 
imitator of the late Mr. Rivers, a record of 
whose work among fruits was published in 
the Gardeners' Chronicle about 35 years ago. 
If Mr. Burbank desires to know what Mr. 
Rivers did and how scientifically careful he 
war, he should consult his Darwin. 
Professor Wickson, of California, says: 
“The world recognizes Mr. Burbank as a 
great man for what he accomplishes; it is 
waiting to grant him similar honors for what 
he thinks." Mr. Osterhout, of California, 
says: "In his ability to penetrate behind the 
facts to the laws which make facts significant, 
he (Burbank) resembles Darwin.” Mr. Har¬ 
wood says: “No man who has ever lived 
has laid out such a scheme for the adornment 
of the world; indeed, it may fairly be stated 
that not all the plant-breeders who have pre¬ 
ceded him have ever, done so much to ennoble 
floral life.” 
Now let us see what Mr. Burbank has ac¬ 
tually given us. Acknowledged authorities on 
plant-breeding in the United States have lit¬ 
tle to say of Mr. Burbank’s work. His ad¬ 
mirers crack up his creations among fruits, 
but the dealers in America ignore them. The 
flowering plants of his “creation” that “beau¬ 
tify the world" are not known in Europe, or 
if they have ever got here they have not stood 
a chance against what we already possessed. 
The Shasta daisy is simply Chrysanthemum 
maximum, a Pyrenean plant, and a favorite 
in English gardens 30 years ago. The labels 
in Mr. Burbank's flower-beds got mixed some¬ 
how. for in no other way can we account for 
the story that the Shasta daisy was bred from 
a New World species. His Gladioli are poor 
by the side of Kelway’s and Lemoine's: his 
Richardias are a long way behind what has 
been bred in England : he is a mere beginner 
with Ilippeastrums : he is all behind with pop¬ 
pies; the Dahlias of his raising would not be 
looked at a second time by Mr. Cannell : his 
lilies, well, they may be hybrids, but they 
look more like seedling forms of the variable 
L. pardalinum. and certainly they are not 
improvements on what we had long ago. his 
blackberries, plums, pomatoes (worthless 
mongrels), potatoes (where are they?) — 
these and other Burbank ian creations so 
called, appear to be things of no real ac¬ 
count. The rhubarb that our king admired 
is unknown to his gardener, but an Aus¬ 
tralian nurseryman claims to have supplied 
it to Burbank. And the spineless cactus, 
what is it? What is its origin? Mr. Bur¬ 
bank has hopes with regard to it. but has 
anyone who knows anything of the genus 
Opuntia seen it? flow does it differ from the 
spineless sorts that we know in European gar¬ 
dens? "By their fruits ye shall know them." 
We in England claim the right to judge Mr. 
Burbank, or any other man who is set up as 
a doer of great things by the things them¬ 
selves. and not by the booming of his friends 
and the size of his advertisements. Let those 
who claim for him the first place among the 
plant-breeders of the world make an effort 
to win that place by exhibiting at the Inter¬ 
national Conference on Plant-Breeding, to be 
held in England next July, a collection of 
Mr. Burbank's "creations." If he is work¬ 
ing “for the whole world." the British side 
of it would be pleased to see what progress 
he has made. Meanwhile we decline to de¬ 
pose our own gods in favor of what we feel 
compelled to look uppn as an image of puff 
and bluster of American “creation.” 
It will be seen that Burbank’s boomers 
have done him ill service by their bom¬ 
bastic exploitations. Expectations have 
been raised not at all likely to be realized. 
Plants developed under the special condi¬ 
tions of the California climate cannot, 
with certainty, hold their peculiarities 
under the varying conditions of general 
culture throughout the horticultural world 
A good instance of favorable climatic in¬ 
fluence in a Burbank novelty is to be 
noticed in the same issue of “The Gar¬ 
den.” Fruits of Wickson plum, from 
South Africa, are illustrated, and a com¬ 
mendatory notice of the variety as 
grown in that distant locality is pub¬ 
lished. Wickson is a Prunus Simoni hy¬ 
brid. and has been quite extensively 
planted throughout the plum regions of 
this country with very limited success 
away from the Pacific coast. Semi-trop¬ 
ical Africa and California have certain 
climatic similarities, but, though import¬ 
ant they are not the “whole thing” .in hor¬ 
ticulture. Some of Burbank’s novelties 
doubtless have their local value, but they 
are certainly not fitted for universal cul¬ 
ture. 
The Most Successful Plant Breeder. 
—So much good work in the way of de¬ 
veloping new plants goes or\ in all parts 
of the civilized world that it seems invid¬ 
ious to make comparisons between plant 
breeders. The extraordinary claims made 
for Burbank, however, bring forcibly to 
mind the great inferiority of the produc¬ 
tions sold under his name to those sent 
out during the last quarter century by 
the house of V. Lemoine & Son, Nancy, 
France, when tested under conditions 
of general culture. This French nur¬ 
sery, is, we think, by common consent 
considered the foremost originator of 
valuable plant novelties.. Their modest 
annual catalogue from year to year makes 
offer of new and beautiful varieties of 
Clematis, Deutzias, Fuchsias, geraniums, 
Gladioli, lilacs, Montbretias, mock- 
oranges, Spiraeas and other desirable 
plants that have been “created” by their 
skillful breeding. These offerings are so 
generally of the highest merit, and prove 
so useful and reliable under ordinary cul¬ 
ture, that the name “Lemoine” attached 
to a novelty is sufficient guarantee of its 
excellence among the most critical pur¬ 
chasers. The novelties of accepted value 
now in general and profitable cultivation 
sent out by this nursery firm are num¬ 
bered by the hundred. The superb col¬ 
lection of large-flowering double and sin¬ 
gle lilacs bred by them would alone render 
a plant breeding establishment famous. 
Judged by such a standard of continued 
success Burbank’s offerings to date are 
trivial, yet we are told by his exploiters 
in effect that he has accomplished more 
than all plant breeders from the begin¬ 
ning of time. The work of the Lemoine 
breeders is impersonal. We are not told 
who crossed this or that series of plants. 
We hear nothing of the innumerable 
failures or of the monstrosities, freaks 
and oddities that arise during such ex¬ 
tensive experiments, but are offered in 
restrained terms the worthy results of 
their well-considered work. To be sure, 
the Lemoines confine their energies to 
ornamental plants, but it cannot be 
doubted that if they brought the same 
skill and experience to the development 
of fruits or economic plants we could 
count on results equallv as good. The 
Lemoine establishment is but one of many 
really successful plant-breeders. Excel¬ 
lent and progressive work is done in every 
gardening country both by individuals and 
nurseries, to the permanent enrichment of 
horticulture, each differing from another 
only in degree .and extent of ground 
worked over, but all together have not 
raised the commotion caused by the boom¬ 
ing of our enterprising Californian. 
Sweet Scabious Blooms. —Fig. 139, 
page 347, very well shows blooms of the 
common sweet scabious, one of the most 
attractive and desirable garden annuals. 
There are many colors and strains, both 
of dwarf and tall growth, all probably 
derived from a South European species, 
Scabiosa atropurpurea. The plants are 
easily grown from seeds which may be 
cheaply bought from any dealer, and sown 
in the window garden or in well-prepared 
soil outside in May. Plants should stand 
a foot or more apart in the flowering bed. 
Any well-enriched light soil suits them, 
but some attention to watering is needed 
in droughty weather to keep up a con¬ 
stant supply of blooms for cutting. With 
a good start in Spring beautiful long¬ 
stemmed flowers may be had from June 
until frost. One of the best strains of 
annual Scabiosa is now offered as S. max¬ 
ima. and is a great improvement over the 
older forms. Some of the blooms are 
nearly three inches across. Colors range 
from white to dark claret purple, and in¬ 
clude red, rich blue, and yellow. In good 
soil plants of this type grow two feet 
high. Seabiosas were often known in old 
gardens under the name of “mourning 
bride,” from the preponderance of dark, 
velvety colors in the old strains. There 
are several very desirable perennial Scab- 
iosas native in Asia and western Europe 
bearing handsome light blue flowers. S. 
Caucasica and S- Japonica are particularly 
useful for the hardy plant border. 
w. v. F. 
When yon write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, page 14. 
FERTILIZER LIMEYS 
WALTON QUARRIES, Harrisburg, Pa. 
GENUINE PERUVIAN GUANO 
U'arranted Pure and Unadulterated. 
THE BEST SOURCE OF PLANT 
FOOD. 
Nitrate of Soda, Basic Slag, Potash Saits 
AND ALL 
Fertilizer Materials at Lowest Prices. 
Our 80 Page Book, Plant Food Problems, 
sent free of charge, if you mention The Rural 
New-Yorker. 
Our Agricultural Expert will test your soil and 
ndvise as to its proper fertilization, free of charge. 
We distribute fertilizing materials from New 
York, Boston, Mass., and Charleston, S. C. 
COE-M ORTIM E R COM PA NY, 
137 Front Street, New York City. 
W. L. Douglas 
*3'- ?0 & *3'°° SHOES® 
W. L. Douglas $4.00 Cilt Edge Line 
cannot be equalled at any price. 
W. L. DOUGLAS MA KES A SELLS MORE 
MEN'S $3.50 SHOES THAN ANY OTHER 
MANUFACTURER IN THE WORLD. 
Clfl nnfl REWARD to anyone who can 
O I UjUUU disprove this statement. 
If I could take you into my three large factories 
at Brockton, Mass., and show you the infinite 
care with which every pair of shoes is made, you 
would realize why W. L. Douglas $3.50 shoes 
cost more to make, why they hold their shape, 
fit better, wear longer, and are of greater 
intrinsic value than any other $3.50 shoe. 
W. L Douglas Strong Made Shoos for 
Men, $2.50, $2.00. Boys’ School A 
Dress Shoes, $2.50, $2, $1.75, $1.50 
CAUTION. —Insist upon having W.L.Doug- 
las shoes. Take no substitute. None genuine 
without his name and price stamped on bottom. 
Fast Color Eyelets used ; they wilt not wear brassy. 
Write for Illustrated Catalog. 
W. B. DOUGLAS, Dept. Q, Brockton, Mass. 
ALARMING SK 
Kerosene Emulsion is Sure Death. Make it 
with Tak-a-Nap Soft Naphtha Soap. No heat. 
No trouble. Send one dollar for Spray Pump 
and sufficient Tak-a-Nap to make 160 gallons 
emulsion. Tak-a-Nap Folks, Darby, Pa. 
fiMqiig) 
The great soil improver for Peas, Beans, Clovers, &c. 
Write for prices and circular. GRIFFITH & TUR¬ 
NER CO., 211 N.'Paca Street, Baltimore, Md. 
SPRAY, SPRAY, 
SPRAY 
3 r our trees for the 
Codling Moth and All Leaf 
Eating Insects with the 
Best and Safest Poison 
which is 
Swift’s 
Arsenate of Lead 
IT WILL NOT BURN AND 
IT STICKS 
MADE ONLY BY THE 
Merrimac Chemical Co., 
33 Broad St., Boston, Mass. 
Write for free booklet. 
FOR SALE BY 
W. S. Stevens, Grand Rapids. Mich. 
Benton, Hall <fc Co., Cleveland, Ohio. 
Williamson Produce Co.,Quincv. Ill. 
McPike Drug Co., Kansas City, ilo. 
C. S. Martin & Co., Salt Lake. Utah. 
Woodward, Clark & Co., Portland. Ore. 
Langley, Michaels Co., San Francisco, Cal. 
San. Monte Fruit Co., W'atsonville, Cal. 
INSIST ON HAVING SWIFT’S. 
FARMERS—SAVE 25 ^, 
Get a Perfection Sprayer. Spray your 
trees, potatoes, vines—everything. Will pay ■ ■ f| M I U 
for itself first seasou. Haud and horsepower \ F || 6 I 
combined. Send for our new catalogue— free. \ | 
Thomas Peppler, Box 45, Hightstown, N. J. V I II HI 
MACHINERY 
C IDE 
Best and cheapest. 
Send for catalogue. 
BOOMER & BOSCHERT 
PRESS CO., 
118 West Water St., 
bVUACLSE, H. 1. 
is 
JSlii 
n iiiuSaii 
TAUKIJS 
RED CYPRESS—WHITE 
PINK—GALVANIZED 
STEEL 
CALDWELL 
Tanka are the be»*t made 
Ask for illustrated cat- 
alogne and price list; 
aLo references. 
W. E. CALDWELL CO- 
Louisville, Ky. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and vou'H get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, page 14. 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
and other INSECTS killed by 
GOODS 
Caustic Potash Whale-Oil Soap No. 3 
Endorsed by U. S. Dept, of Agri. and State Experiment 
Stations. This soap is a Fertilizer as well as an Insecti¬ 
cide. 50-lb. kegs. $2.50; 100-lb. kegs. $4.50; half barrel, 
270 lb.. 3£fcper lb; barrel.425 lb.,3h£c. Send for booklet. 
JAMES GOOD, Original Maker, 
939-41 N, Front Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
AO introduce our patented pumps In eve t> 
county, wo will send one pump 
to the first to write accepting our 
special Offer. Writ.to-day. 
A Wooden Pump made 
Of Iron. remove fulcrum 
and handle to remove Buck- 
feather. Stock made of steel, base 
adjustable, brass drain cock prevents 
freezing. Guaranteed. 
AU repairs done quickly above ground. 
“No Triz 
'•Williams” Pump Co., 409 Harmon St., Indianapolis, Ind. 
INDRURO I D 
ROOFING 
Requires no Coating: or 
_ Paint. 
Acid and Alkali Proof. 
Elastic and Pliable 
Always. 
Strong and Tough. 
Absolutely Waterproof. 
Climatic Changes Do Not 
Affect It. 
Practically Pire Proof. 
Can Be 'Used on Steep or 
Flat Surfaces. 
Any Workman Can Put 
It On. 
No Odor. 
Will not Shrink or Crack 
Light in Weight. 
Does not Taint Water. 
Write for samples, prices and 
circulars. 
H. F. WATSON CO. 
ERIE, PA. 
Chicago, Boston. 
Mention R.N.-Y. 
AGENTS 
WANTED 
For Mend-a-Rip 
Greatly improved. Better than ever. 
Does all kinds of light and heavy 
rivetlngand 
stitching. 
Saves its 
cost many times a year. A per¬ 
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combined. Notice the Automatic Spacer 
which makes neat, even stitching. To 
show it means a sale. Agents make 
$3 to $15 a da y. One agent made |20 first 
day and WTitea to hurry machines to him. Write forspco 
lil mgta. price. J B. Foote Foundry Co.Dep. 337 Frederlcktown.O 
( The Great Agents Supply House) 
From 20 to 40 acres cf potato vines dusted per 
day. NO WATER TO HAUL. Means less work 
for man and horse. Use Paris Green or mix with 
lime or Dry Bordeaux, as desired. Write for 
Spray Calendar and Circular. 
For Sale by Dealers 
Maunf. by LKGGETT k BROTHER, 301 Pearl St., N.Y. J 
AUTO-POP, 
AUTO-SPRAY. 
Great cleaning attachment on per¬ 
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how easy—cleans nozzle every time 
used, saves half the mixture. Brass 
pump, 4 gal. tank. 12 piungerstrokes 
compresses air to spray \ acre. Wo manu¬ 
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grade hand and power sprayers. Catalog free. 
Write if you want agency, 
E. C. BROWN CO. t 
29 Jay St., Rochester, N, V. 
Spramotor 
Automatic in every section, including pressure, 
direction of spray and the removing of any aedi- 
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Has no equal for Orchards. Vineyards, or Row 
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BUFFALO. N. Y. LONDON. CAN- 
More Power Spraying outfits with 
our 1*3 and 2h> H. P. AIR-COOLED 
Engines are used than all others com¬ 
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It is light. Write for Catalog 5 on 
Engines for Power and Spraying. 
R. H. DEYO & CO., Binghamton, New York. 
