064 
last season, and later in carload lots at seven dollars 
($7) per ten-pound box, and for thirty-one dollars 
($31) per ten-pound box this season (1909). It has 
been named bv the growers of California the “King 
of Cherries.” 
The Burbank potato, after 33 years, is now grown 
on this West Coast at the rate of fifteen million 
(15,000,000) bushels per annum. 
Most of the large cities of the United States are 
supplied by the carload each season with my creations 
in plums, and during the holidays the same are 
shipped from the Antipodes and sold at from 20 to 
25 cents each. 
A steadily increasing number of my Climax, Wick- 
son, Splendor, Sugar, Shiro plums and prunes and 
others of the same origin are now being grown for 
carload shipment, and their popularity with growers 
and dealers is unprecedented. 
The New Yorkers eat tons of Burbank's Improved 
Crimson Winter rhubarb during the holidays, and it 
is now being planted by the thousand acres. The 
Chief Forester of the English Government in Africa 
writes me that at Cape Town all the known rhubarbs 
had been tried for over two hundred years without 
success, and that my new varieties are a perfect 
success. 
The Burbank plum is more widely grown than 
any other introduced by anybody during the last one 
hundred years. 
Perhaps it is not necessary to mention the Himalaya 
and Phenomenal berries and the Pineapple quince. 
The most extensive growers are rapidly planting them 
for profit. 
My Opulent peach is acknowledged by the 
best judges to. be the best quality of any known 
poach. 
Although I have no time to make exhibits of my 
own productions, yet the Burbank rose was ex¬ 
hibited by the purchasers, W. Atlee Burpee & Com¬ 
pany, at the World’s Fair at St. Louis, where it 
obtained the gold medal as the “Best Bedding Rose.” 
The Tarrytown canna sold to F. R. Pierson was 
exhibited by him at the Pan-American Exposition in 
1901, where it took the gold medal as the “Best 
Canna” in competition with all others. Both these 
hold the same position to-day. 
The prominent seedsmen are my best customers 
for the Shasta daisy, Dahlia, new strains of poppies, 
and other seeds, the demand always far outreaching 
the supply, and wi’h no advertising whatever. 
What does this all mean? Are the misstatements 
of The Rural New-Yorker true, or do the growers 
and dealers know more than the city editors? 
If you wish for more on this matter please state 
the price to be paid, and if you do not wish to publish 
this article soon I shall feel at liberty to sell it to 
ether parties. 
I well remember the words of my peace-loving 
father as we worked on the old New England farm, 
just half a century ago: “It is better to go around 
a bumblebee’s nest than to step on it.” I have for 
these reasons made no reply to the very numerous 
misstatements of any kind, even the one that I bad 
perfected a banana which would grow in New Eng¬ 
land. The man who is busy -has no time to hunt 
fleas, and I refuse to be worked* into any editorial 
scheme for increasing the circulation of The Rural 
New-Yorker. Faithfully yours, 
(Signed) luther burbank. 
The only present issue’between The R. N.-Y. and Mr. 
Burbank is that regarding the botanical character 
of the Wonder-berry. That is discussed on page 560. 
If Mr. Burbank wants to open other matters we will 
cheerfully go into them. Mr. Burbank offers $10,000 
to anyone who will prove that his Wonderberrv is a 
black nightshade. When we ask him to specify the 
proof which will loosen this $ 10,000 he dodges the 
issue and says “the verdict of the people is the one 
which stands.” We wrote Mr. Burbank again, but 
he refuses to say what proof he requires. We will, 
therefore, leave it to the people, as he suggests. 
Mr. Burbank claims that his Wonderberry came 
from crossing Solanum guineense and S. villosum. 
We asked a number of noted botanists if a plant with 
the parentage which Mr. Burbank claims would be 
considered a black nightshade. Among other replies, 
we have the following from. Dr. N. L. Britton, Direc- 
tor-in-Chief of the New York Botanical Garden: 
In -the matter of your inquiry relative to the “Wonder- 
berry.” I am unable to give you any first-hand informa¬ 
tion about this plant, because we have not grown it 
here until this year, and it has not yet developed flowers 
and fruit with us. Of course, it is a Solanum, of the 
aflinity of Solanum nigrum, the black nightshade or 
garden nightshade, which runs into a very great number 
of races in nature, a good many of which have been 
regarded as species by different botanical authors. So¬ 
lanum villosum is .one of the best marked of these races, 
and may, perhaps, be better regarded as a species than 
as a race or variety. 
Dircctor-in-Chief. x. l. britton. 
THE RURAL N E W-YORKER 
A photograph of the plant is shown on our first 
page, with life size berries at Fig. 384. These berries 
have been sampled by a dozen people here. Only 
two would swallow after tasting, and no one wanted 
a second dose. Dr. Charles F. Wheeler is the ex¬ 
pert botanist for the United States Department of 
Agriculture. He has spent a long time in studying 
plants of the Solanum family. Seeds, plainly marked 
“Wonderberry,” were bought from John Lewis Childs, 
planted and carefully watched to fruiting, so that 
there could be no mistake about their identity. Dr. 
Wheeler examined these plants and then made the 
following report: 
In regard to the question of the identity of the so- 
called Wonderberry, said to have been produced or 
originated by Mr. Burbank and now being introduced 
by J. Lewis Childs, I can say that I have carefully 
examined the plants growing here and cannot separate 
them from the plant named by Linnaeus Solatium nig¬ 
rum. Dr. George Bentham in his Handbook of the 
British Flora, Vol. 11, p. 594, makes the following 
statement in regard to this plant: “One of the zoid- 
est-spread zvecds «i over every part of the globe, except 
the extreme north and south; varying so much in 
warmer regions as to haz'e been described under more 
than forty names.” (Signed) c. f. wheeler. 
Prof. L. C. Corbett, who has charge of the Govern¬ 
ment testing gardens at Arlington, also says: 
Concerning the so-called “Wonderberry,” I will say that 
we hare grown what we believe in the same, thing that is 
now being advertised as the Wonderberrv under the name 
of ‘garden huckleberry." This plant is known to botanists 
as Solanum guineense. Tbe so-called Wonderberry is 
claimed to Ik- a hybrid between & guineense and S. ni¬ 
grum or S. villosum, and. so far as I am able to learn, 
S. guineense and S. villosum are both synonyms, or. at 
most, varietal forms of S. nigrum. My personal belief 
is that the so-called Wonderberry is simply a plant that 
has been on the market for a number of years under the 
name of “garden huckleberry.” 
We will take up some of tbe other matters in Mr. 
Burbank’s letter when this one is settled. Tf he 
wants further proof before sending the $10,000 he has 
WONDERBERRY, EXACT SIZE, Fig. 384. 
only to let us know and we will try to supply it. 
Since he says the public must decide we ask the 
public what they think of the case as here pre¬ 
sented. 
We wrote both the men named by Mr. Burbank. They 
request us to regard what they have to say as con¬ 
fidential, but it is evident that they know little about 
the Wonderberry, except what Mr. Burbank told 
them. As “the verdict of the people” will satisfy Mr. 
Burbank we give the following note from Mexico, 
where the Wonderberry has been fruited: 
Regarding recent articles referring to tbe Wonder- 
berry sold by Childs’ Seed House, I purchased a packet 
from them for 20 cents, and planted them and find that 
tbe plant is identical with a wild one that grows all over 
this part of southern Chihuahua near the water courses 
and commonly called here “Yerba Mora” and which is very 
luxuriant, growing to a height of three and one-lialf to 
four feet, and very spreading. I was, of course, very 
much disappointed at finding my purchase of something 
“new and marvelous” was the same as a common herb 
that abounds here in abundance and could be had for 
the trouble of going out and picking the seed. It has 
no use here except that the poor Mexican peon goes out 
and eats his fill of the berries, and no other use is made 
of it. I believe this Wonderberry to be identical with 
Solanum nigrum. e. c. Matthews. 
Chihuahua, Mexico. 
THE DAMAGE FROM RAILROAD FIRES. 
It Is evident from the experiences reported since 
you have opened up the matter of damage’ by rail¬ 
road fires that some steps should he taken to put 
a stop to this form- of depredation and damage by 
caralessness and neglect of railroad companies. Of 
course, the legal men will say that the railroad com¬ 
pany is liable for the damage they do, but this is not 
entirely true, as many have found out, as the courts 
have been holding that if the fire originates outside 
of the right of way of the company it is not liable 
unless it can be shown that the spark arresters and 
engines are defective. Tt can readily be understood 
that it is impossible to do this, as the injured party 
cannot examine an engine as it goes by, and the com¬ 
pany invariably has a goodly number of employees 
ready to testify that the machinery of each and every 
engine that passed over the road during the period 
July 10. 
of damage was in the best of condition, while any 
night those same engines can be seen shooting sparks 
30 feet or more in air; in case of heavy winds the 
sparks are driven well into the fields, and in dry time 
fires are sure to follow. To the person damaged it 
appears ridiculous to say that when sparks are de¬ 
liberately thrown into a field and cause damage, 
there should not be the same liability as when the 
fire originates on railroad land. I suppose the courts 
have, after great deliberation, figured out that the 
few must suffer for the good of the many. Although 
this may be good law in some cases, I submit that in 
this matter the sufferers have passed from the “few” 
to the “many,” and are entitled to consideration and- 
relief. I think it would not be unreasonable to ask 
the railroad companies so to conduct their business 
that they will not, as a matter of course, injure the 
property of others. 
Assuming that the company is liable for damage 
done, and that by taking the matter to the courts 
a recovery could be had, it is the well-known policy 
of the company to fight, delay, appeal, harass the 
injured one just as long as it is possible to do so, with 
a view to making others think it the part of wi-sdom 
not to attempt to be -made good for damage done 
them; and it is certainly true that in any ordinary 
case the damaged party would be a loser, even were 
he a winner in the courts, as expenses and annoy¬ 
ance would be greater than his judgment against the 
company. Why would it be unreasonable to ask the 
railroad company in case of damage by fire, and 
upon a failure of the parties to agree upon the amount 
and payment thereof, to submit tbe matter to a 
referee, and from \vhose decision there should be no 
appeal? The result would be, I think, an agreement 
between tbe parties in most cases, and certainly with¬ 
out vexatious delays and costs. 
The injured ones are for the greater part people 
who dread lawsuits and cannot take the lead in 
securing remedial action, but would surely be grati¬ 
fied to have The R. N.-Y. champion their cause and 
carry .it to a successful issue. This matter either 
ought to be regulated by the Public Service Commis¬ 
sion or by the Legislature, requiring’ tbe railroad 
companies to stop doing this damage or making some 
easy and quick method of settlement for damage 
done. I can see no reason why the Public Service 
Commission cannot order the railroads to stop firing 
the State at large as well as in the forests. I feel 
that I am entitled to protection from damage by 
these corporations as well as State interests. The 
aggregate interests of those exposed and damaged are 
very large. I trust this matter may not he allowed 
to rest until relief in some adequate form is obtained. 
ONE OF THE INJURED. 
ALFALFA IN A GRAVEYARD. 
I am sending a sample of something; can 
you inform as to what it is? It has been growing 
on a grave in an old cemetery in this town for IS 
years, so I have been told. I thought it resembled 
Alfalfa; it grows two bumping crops each year, and 
I think -it would grow another if it was cut so it 
could. The land upon which it grows is a light soil 
well filled with cobblestones, and some of the stalks 
are nearly three feet tall. If this proves to be Alfalfa 
I am sure we can raise it here in the Connecticut 
Valley, as I think we would find the roots of this 
plant firmly embedded among the bones in this grave, 
proving, without a- doubt, the need of lime in the soil. 
I have tried to raise Alfalfa for three years, without 
success; now I am going after the fourth trial, and 
lime the soil. 
I am a reader of your paper and like it very much 
because it pulls tbe covering off some of the rogues, 
so we don’t all bite. The Globe Association had a 
representative here about one month ago; he claimed 
a residence in a nearby town and sold memberships 
for $2.50 each, and when the buyer wanted anything 
he had to write the agent for the address of the 
fi-rm. Now there are about 20 looking for the address 
of the agent. e. m. d. 
R. N.-Y.—The plant is Alfalfa—a good specimen. 
You ha*ve made a valuable discovery, and if it is wisely 
bandied these cemetery plants and the soil in which they 
grow will proA-e a great benefit to your section. By all 
means saw Alfalfa again. Use a good dressing of lime 
and also take the soil from the place where these 
plants grow and scatter it over the field. This will 
inoculate the soil and increase the chance for getting 
a good start. That grave may be the beginning of 
new life to your farming. Your folks do not need 
much more education regarding that “association.” 
A good way to fool yourself is to try to fool a cow 
by feeding lier oat hulls and weed seed, and calling the 
stuff “grain.” 
Here is New Hampshire comfort for the apple eaters: 
“Hot apple pie from nearly the last of our Baldwins last 
night. Don’t you wish you had been here?” 
