AMERICA'S GREATEST BOTANIST

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 17, 21 January 1939, Page 10 (Supplement)

AMERICA'S GREATEST BOTANIST

Had Luther Burbank gone selling his wares ill tlic market place of the world like the old African magician : of the Arabian Nights 6tories, he would surely have cried, "New plants for old!" instead of "Kew lamps for old!" By patient wort; he developed thousands of new varieties of plants. These plants he created by selection and hybridisation. He opened a whole world of possibilities for those who came after, and lie was eager in his encouragement or youtli to take up the work he had commenced. There were, lie said, possibilities in the field of plant development to which he could see no limit. "I have spent a lifetime in the fascinating work," he wrote, "observing, directing and speeding up the process of Nature, and out of more than one hundred thousand separate, costly and often bold experiments, I have added more than I can estimate in value —new-wealth—to the gardens, fields and orchards of the world. This is not written boastfully, but, in the hope of encouraging others to enter this poorly-explored territory of applied science. For I have hardly scratched the surface of the illimitable field. And if I could stir even half a dozen young men or women (for the field is equally open- to women) I would feel that I 'had done even more than I have in actual creations and discoveries." How and when did this wonderful work begin ? It ibegan with a potato —the Luther Burhank potato. Midway through last century Luther Burbank was born and he spent his early years in New England. The potatoes grown there were for the most part 6mall and poor keepers. He determined to discover a bigger and better potato. He tried cross-pol-lination to get new seed, but the hybridised blossoms produced no seed. Then lie had a lucky find—a potato seed ball. A rather unusual thing among potatoes. From this he got 23 seeds which grew into 23 seedlings. By careful selection two plants were chosen, and from them the Burbank potato was developed. In 1875 he went to California, and with him went 10 of his potatoes that he had heen ajble to keep when lie sold the new strain to a New England" 6eedsman. In California he went on with his work among plants. He realised that he would have to conduct his work

on a wide 6cale to make a success ot it. Just as his activities were increasing he received an'order for 20,000 prune trees. It was a rather staggering request for Luther Burbank did not have the plants and he had no place to get them. He took 24 hours to consider the proposition and the next morning accepted' the order. Just 1 how was the horticulturist going to fill this order? Well to begin with he planted 20,000 almonds. Rather odd you will think to expect prunes from almonds. But let the plant wizard tell his own story: "Meanwhile," he writes, "I had arranged with a neighbour to furnish me with 20,000 prune buds, and I had a large force of'experts budding the prune buds into the almond seedlings. Then in order to force all the nourishment into them I had to find a way to eliminate the almond side of the family without killing the young trees. If I had cut the almond twigs and leaves off summarily the seedlings would have died. Instead I broke off the tops, and left them hanging. There was still a connection, but. most of the strength was diverted to its adopted cliild, the prune hud."

When the'time came for tne . order to be filled 19,500 prune trees were ready/for delivery, and.the customer paid his bill. with great satisfaction. He always carried,on hie experiments on a large scale. At one-time he had as many as 500*. "different plums growing on 12 trees, a wonderful feat of • grafting. • - Some of his most valuable, work has done with plums—many varieties, of: them, especially the one that yields one of our most popular dried- fruits, the prune. : . •'? , • To get the qualities! lie wanted "'he had to keep on selecting'and selecting from thousands of . plants. -Most were worthless and he was ruthless in his destruction' of unwanted plants. It was an; expensive 1 job. Flowers and grasses! were generally easier to adapt, being, more rapid i in their growth. Fruit, trees would not root, grow, blossom and bear;fruit in a few months. But Luther Biir : bank adopted another method. • He used budding as a method for speeding up Nature's work. Sometimes lie would have as many, as 300 .buds grafted.into one tree. » • I The type of work, that he . loved best was that which brought *.liim into the orchard at blossom .time when the trees were decked out in their dainty flowers and "the air. was heavy with perfume. Then' he would take his forceps .and glass pollen trays and begin to cross-pollinate! "I do not know anything," he wrote, "in the life of ; the. plant developer that ' offers'" Kim : "more pleasure and satisfaction than this process. Fellow to the bee, the hum-

ming bird, the ant and the butterfly, he goes from blossom to blossom not attracted as they are, by the flam boyant colours, but by the ricl possibilities inherent in the work; guided not •by fragrances, as they are, but by his own records of the characteristics of the fruit, noted in the previous year. In mj' pocket ] carry a packet of sheets, on which are noted the working name of the individual fruit, its size, shape, bearing qualities, flavour, colour, size of pit. texture of flesh, and so on; on each tree I have a marker that identifies the individual and refers me to its record. Like a painter choosing the colours for his palette I choose the qualities that I desire to combine in the fruit." By studying the records of all the 3iflferent trees he could determine which pollens to cross to gain the best results. Then there are weary months of waiting till the fruit ripens in autumn. Till then all sort* of disturbing questions worry the plant breeder. "Will it pick welU Will it keep? Will it cook well\ Will it make a good jelly?" Test [ifter test and . trial after trial is made till the desired type is evolved, There is the story of the pea. A ;anning factory in America was dissatisfied with the variety of pen offering for canning. The ennnet *poke to Burbank about.it; there iv on id be a good market for a small >weet succulent pea for canning. The plant wizard knew what the lanner wanted. He promised him the new pea in eight years, perhaps less California's climate enabled him to plant two generations of peas in one rear and in six generations at the ?nd of three years he had the new ready for the market—five years ?arlier than promised. He did not confine his research to ruit and vegetables. He created uindreds of new varieties of flowers —improved their shapes, colours and terfumee. . / • . • But of all his work, Luther Buriank was proudest of what he did o the cactus. He wanted to create spineless variety and with this aim n view he planted and studied more han 000 of the 1000 odd known •arieties. He spent more than 1G .'ears 011 this study. V _ He wore gloves at first when handing the cactus slabs. of'o»i .iMi|»Uprug 0000 in one time. But he disovered that they iui|>eded his work, o he gritted his teeth and went loveless into the fraj\ He emerged carrcd, pitted, and as full of spines is a pincushion. Burbank's aim in roducing the spineless cactus was to rovide both nourishment and loisture for cattle in country where ho rainfall was too low to' support ther vegetation. Nothing much hns ceil done with the plant yet, but a ortune must await those people who .'ill exploit its use. Despite the huge orders he filled, jUther Burbank was never a rich nan. Host of his wealth went back nto his work. It was not till he was 5 that he received his first public nahcial recognition. In 1904 the 'arnegie Trustee allotted him £2000 year to carry on his experiments free from money worries. When he ied, .California declared a State holiay on the anniversary of hie birth.