THE NATIONAL 
LUTHER BURBANK’S METHODS. 
Prof. E. J. VVickson’s treatise on Luther Burbank and his 
works is concluded in the Sunset Magazine for February. 
The methods are discussed at length. 
The supply of pollen is generally secured by gathering a quantity of 
the anthers of the desired pollen parent, usually the day before the 
pollen is to be used, and drying them carefully. When in proper 
degree of dryness, the pollen is secured by gently shaking or sifting 
the mass of dry anthers over a watch crystal until its surface is dusted 
over with the pollen, the dust film appearing most clearly on the lower 
parts of the curved surface. Each genus, each species, and sometimes 
each variety requires modifications, which are suggested by experi¬ 
ence. The largest quantity of blossoms of a single variety, which Mr. 
Burbank has handled at one time, is about a pint. He has found that 
properly dried pollen ordinarily retains its efficacy about one week ; it 
might, perhaps, in many cases retain its power much longer. 
The preparation of the blooms of the seed parent consists in remov 
ing about nine-tenths of the blcom buds when they begin to show the 
petal color, leaving in trees which bloom freely about one in ten of the 
natural blooms to be operated upon. This is for convenience of oper¬ 
ating and to avoid the setting of too many seeds for the tree to properly 
perfect. Before the petals open, each of these buds is carefully cut 
into with a small, sharp knife blade, in such a way that the petals and 
a part of the sepals and all of the attached anthers are removed as the 
knife makes its circuit, leaving the pistils exposed but uninjured by 
the operation. The removal of the corolla balks the bees and other 
honey-seeking insects, either by the loss of color or the absence of an 
alighting place, or both. The buzzing Archimedes finds no place for 
his lever and wearily goes his way, the honey unsipped and the pistil 
free from contact with his pollen-dusted body. Mr. Burbank finds it, 
in most cases, unnecessary to cover the emasculated bloom to avoid 
intrusion of undesirable pollen by insect agency. 
He chooses for pollenation the time when the first hum of the bees is 
heard in the trees. He finds all conditions at that time most favorable, 
and believes the pistil is then in its most receptive state. The instru¬ 
ment of pollenation is the finger tip. Applied to the dusted surface of 
the plate, either by a mere touch or slight rubbing, enough pollen ad¬ 
heres. The finger tip is then quickly touched to the pistils of the pre¬ 
pared blossoms, one after another. They welcome the pollen and the 
fructifying agency begins at once its journey to the ovule. No matter 
what comes now, on the wind or otherwise, the opportunity for out¬ 
side pollen has passed. The touch of the finger has covered the stigma 
with the chosen element and sealed it safe from further intrusion. 
In his choice of the unaided hand as the instrument of pollenation, Mr. 
Burbank has not only vastly simplified and' made more expeditious the 
act of pollenation, but there is also involved a profound tribute to het 
superiority of the trained hand in directness and delicacy for what lies 
within its unaided scope. Recourse to instruments and appliances is 
often essential, but, in many lines of human effort, the direct contact 
of the finger tip works wonders impossible with intermediaries. It is 
an interesting reflection that when Nature’s direct agencies, the bust¬ 
ling bees, are put to flight, the human hand enters directly for man’s 
specific purpose. Naturally, particular skill is acquired by long prac¬ 
tice, and some of Mr. Burbank’s most trusted employees have done 
much of this work for years. 
The seed resulting from cross-pollenated bloom is, of course, gath¬ 
ered with great care; seedlings are grown and the closest watch is kept 
upon their characters and habits from germination onward. The little 
seedling may disclose its combined parentage or give sign that it has 
drawn up something from the profound depths of the converging 
streams of its remote ancestry, long before it reaches blooming or fruit, 
ing stage. Tokens which would escape the ordinary observer become 
clear as milestones indicating the life coursesof the new plant to the skil¬ 
ful propagator. The art of selection begins, then, early in the develop¬ 
ment of the crossbred plants. Incalculable numbers of them may be 
destroyed for their too evident adherence to the old types, and only 
one or, perhaps, thousands, be retained because they give promise of 
breaking away from such bondage. Whenever such selected seedlings 
are capable of budding or grafting they are thus introduced to the 
forcing influence of old plants of the same class and hurried to flower 
or fruit in this well-known way. A single old plant or tree may thus 
NURSERYMAN. 127 
force its sap into the cells of hundreds of buds or grafts of new varieties 
and can be conceived to be as surprised at the multitude of strange 
forms and colors appearing on its old branches as a mother hen would 
be at hatching a brood of bluejays. 
Upon the motley throng of flowers or fruits thus secured again selec¬ 
tion is exercised—selection from all points of view and towardends still 
far remote, because desirable characters or traits may be distributed 
through many individuals They must be combined and concentrated. 
Cross pollenation, now, between such individuals must be employed, 
and from this new shuffling of the cards another discriminating, patient 
effort for arrangement into suits or sequences. It is a stupendous 
game of solitaire which the capable hybridizer plays among the innu¬ 
merable forms, colors, odors, flavors, textures, growing, blooming and 
fruiting habits, which surround him as his reward for disturbing the 
natural order of things in the plant world. Amid this indefinite variety 
there must be in his mind no confusion. He is wise if he has had an 
object from the beginning—a conception of something new and desir¬ 
able, perhaps a definite combination of objects to be attained. If he 
has a main object, say a certain color in a flower, he must pursue it 
faithfully, seizing upon the slightest trend in that direction. No mat¬ 
ter if the plant with that precious endowment lacks vigor, seize upon it 
still. Intensify the character if desired, and add vigor or other desir¬ 
able qualities by later crosses or still further selections. 
Take as illustration the group of forms including one of Mr. Burbank’s 
most popular recent creations, the “ Shasta Daisy.” It was built upon 
a combination of the grace of the Japanese, the tall, stiff stem and 
bold but coarse flower of the Europeans, and the whiteness and abun¬ 
dant bloom of the American species. After the combination was 
effected, size was secured by selection, but the bloom was flat, with 
large center; next, selection was made for cup shape and superior 
whiteness ; next, to secure doubling of the petals and to maintain size, 
and now a fully double flower has been reached, of good size, but 
not quite so large as the largest single variety. This work included 
numerous cross pollenations and the growing of hundreds of thousands 
of seedlings, all of which passed beneath the quick eye of Mr. Burbank 
in the process of selection. 
PECAN GROWING. 
As announced in this journal, a convention of pecan growers 
is to be held in the South this month. 
The new publication, The Nut-Grower, in the September 
issue contains an article on pecan growing, by Sam. H. James 
of Louisiana, one of the largest growers in the South. He 
♦ says : 
I planted my first pecan trees in the spring of 1878. Those trees are 
now large fellows and paying investments. After 24 years of pecan 
culture, I am now able to tell the public the essentials necessary to suc¬ 
cessful pecan growing. 
First, then, starting with the right kind of seed or trees. The great¬ 
est mistake a beginner makes is in planting nuts upon their size alone. 
A good grove can be had from plant-nuts, but they must be from trees 
that came into bearing very early and which bear abundant crops nearly 
every year. The pecan must be well filled out, of thin shell, and the 
parent tree must be a good grower. Then the kernel must be rich and 
oily. There are such pecan trees in the South. Woe to the man who 
plants big pecans, knowing nothing else about them, for failure is sure 
to crown his efforts. Where persons have ample means, a good grove 
can be had from budded or grafted trees. But here great caution is 
necessary as to whom you buy from. The country is literally overflow¬ 
ing with men who are selling wild pig nut trees at a dollar each, calling 
them grafted pecans. These men are usually traveling agents. Be¬ 
fore you buy pecan trees from any man find out all about him from the 
banks and the directors of the Experiment Stations. There has been a 
tremendous amount of fraud practiced in the last few’ years in the sale 
of pecan trees. 
Secondly, it is very important to get your trees the right distance 
apart. A great many men advise too close planting. The trees should 
have good distance in at least one direction. I planted my rows sixty 
feet apart and the trees thirty feet apart in the rows. 
