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two to three year old berry bushes! How many had he decided to
keep for further study? Just less than two dozen!. Throughout his
efforts to force nature to obey his orders, Luther Burbank found
out ways to increase the efficiency of experimentation. An acre on
Not to be republished
his farm yielded several thousand different varieties of fruits. This
wonderful achievement was made possible by grafting many twigs
on a single tree. In this manner, he was able to grow, for example,
526 different types of apples on the same tree. It was possible for
him not only to save space but also to speed up his experiments.
©KTBS
Instead of waiting for 15 years for a tree to give fruits, he would graft
a twig from a young plant to a fruit - bearing tree and get fruits in
just two or three years!
11. Burbank carried out more than 10,000 separate experiments
with 600 different kinds of plants. To give a complete list of his
achievements is impossible, but some of his world famous products
deserve mention. He developed an improved cherry, a thornless
blackberry, a cactus without thorns that is largely used as food for
livestock, and a Peach tree that can withstand freezing weather. He
delighted flower lovers with 73 new flowers including the Shasta
Daisy and a rose that bears his name.
12. Naturally, many of his efforts ended in failure. At one time, he crossed
a tomato with a potato. Though a vegetable was produced, it had
no commercial value. But his devotion was so deep and strong
that nothing could disappoint him. In the present times, miracles
are happening in steel mills, automobile factories, and markets of
commerce and industry. Burbank worked with the simple elements
of nature to produce effects that were as remarkable as shiny cars,
bridges, tunnels and singing wires.

glossary :
plums : an oval shaped fleshy fruit, usually
purple or yellow when ripe.
desert cactus : thorny desert plant
blackberry : a black fleshy edible fruit
breeder : producer of new and better kinds of
animals and plants.
miracle : extraordinary event attributed to
supernatural agency. ¥ÀªÁqÀ
horticulture : the art of growing fruits, flowers and vegetables

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