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Luther Burbank - circa 1902
Luther Burbank - circa 1902
Luther Burbank - "The Wizard of Horticulture"
Luther Burbank - "The Wizard of Horticulture"

Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849 – April 11, 1926) [1] was an American botanist, horticulturist and a pioneer in agricultural science. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1849 ( MDCCCXLIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life Horticulture is the art and science of plant cultivation Horticulturists (or horticuluralists) work and conduct research in the fields of Plant propagation Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact natural economic and Social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding

He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. In biology strain is a low-level Taxonomic rank used in three related ways In Botanical nomenclature or biological nomenclature variety is a low-level Taxonomic rank below that of species and signifies members of different populations can Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also Grass is the common word that generally describes Monocotyledonous green Plants The family Gramineae ( Poaceae) are the "true grasses" and include The term " vegetable " generally means the edible parts of Plants The definition of the word is traditional rather than Scientific, however He developed a spineless cactus (useful for cattle-feed) and the plumcot. A cactus (plural cacti) is any member of the Spine plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The Plumcot is a ½ and ½ hybrid between an apricot and a plum.

Burbank's most successful strains and varieties include the Shasta daisy, the Fire poppy, the July Elberta peach, the Santa Rosa plum, the Flaming Gold nectarine, the Wickson plum, the Freestone peach, and the Burbank potato. The Shasta daisy ( Leucanthemum x superbum) is a commonly grown Herbaceous Perennial plant with the classic daisy appearance of white petals (ray florets Papaver californicum is a species of poppy which is endemic to California where it is found in the coastal counties south of the San Francisco Bay Area The Russet Burbank potato is a large brown-skinned white-fleshed Cultivar of Potato. Burbank also bred the white blackberry. The white blackberry is an unusual white variety of Blackberry developed by plant breeder Luther Burbank, also known as the "Iceberg white blackberry" or A natural sport (genetic variant) of the Burbank potato with russet (reddish-brown) skin later became known as the Russet Burbank potato: this large, brown-skinned, white-fleshed potato has become the world's predominant processing potato.

Contents

Life and work

Born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, Burbank grew up on a farm and received only an elementary education. Lancaster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. The thirteenth of 15 children, he enjoyed the plants in his mother's large garden. His father died when he was 21 years old, and Burbank used his small inheritance to buy a 17-acre (69,000 m²) plot of land near Lunenburg. Lunenburg is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States.

Burbank developed the Burbank potato, 1872 to 1874. Year 1872 ( MDCCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Burbank sold the rights to the Burbank potato for $150 and used the money to travel to Santa Rosa, California in 1875. Santa Rosa is the County seat of Sonoma County California, United States Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Later, a natural sport of Burbank potato with russetted skin was selected and named Russet Burbank potato. The Russet Burbank potato is a large brown-skinned white-fleshed Cultivar of Potato. Today, the Russet Burbank potato is the most widely cultivated potato in the United States, prized for processing. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the McDonald's french fries are made exclusively from this cultivar. French fries ( North American English; sometimes not capitalized chips ( British English) fries or French-fried potatoes (formal

In Santa Rosa, Burbank purchased a 4-acre plot of land, and established a greenhouse, nursery, and experimental fields that he used to conduct crossbreeding experiments on plants, inspired by Charles Darwin's The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication. A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse or hothouse) is a building where plants are cultivated A nursery is a place where Plants are propagated and grown to usable size A crossbreed or crossbred usually refers to an animal with Purebred parents of two different breeds varieties or populations Charles Robert Darwin (February 12 1809 &ndash April 19 1882 was an English naturalist, who realised and demonstrated that all Species of life (This site is now open to the public as a city park, Luther Burbank Home and Gardens. Luther Burbank Home and Gardens (1 acre is a city park containing the former home greenhouse gardens and grave of noted American horticulturist Luther Burbank ) Later he purchased an 18-acre plot of land in the nearby town of Sebastopol for more experimental growing called Gold Ridge Farm. Sebastopol ( pronounced /səˈbæstəˌpʊl/ is a town in Sonoma County, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco Luther Burbank's Gold Ridge Experiment Farm is the official name of the that remain of the farm originally purchased in 1885 by famed plant breeder Luther Burbank [2]

Burbank's creations included:

Shasta daisy
Shasta daisy
Burbank tending young spineless cactus plants c 1890.
Burbank tending young spineless cactus plants c 1890.
Luther Burbank with spineless cactus circa 1908
Luther Burbank with spineless cactus circa 1908

Fruits

Russet Burbank potatoes
Russet Burbank potatoes

Grains, grasses, forage

Vegetables

Ornamentals

Burbank was criticized by scientists of his day because he did not keep the kind of careful records that are the norm in scientific research and because he was mainly interested in getting results rather than in basic research. A plum or gage is a stone fruit Tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. A prune is any of various of various Plum species mostly Prunus domesticus or European Plum (commonly referred to as a Sugar Plum A cactus (plural cacti) is any member of the Spine plant family Cactaceae, native to the Americas The BlackBerry is a Wireless Handheld device introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager The raspberry (plural raspberries) is the edible Fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Idaeobatus of the genus Rubus The Quince (kwɪns or Cydonia oblonga, is the sole member of the genus Cydonia and native to warm-temperate southwest Asia in the Caucasus The Plumcot is a ½ and ½ hybrid between an apricot and a plum. This article is about the Cherry berry also classified as fruit for the ornamental tree See Cherry Blossom. Garden strawberries are a common variety of strawberry cultivated worldwide The apple is the pomaceous Fruit of the apple tree Species Malus domestica in the Rose family Rosaceae. The peach ( Prunus persica) is a species of Prunus native to China that bears an edible juicy fruit also called a peach Chestnut ( Castanea) (including some chinkapin or Chinquapin) is a Genus of eight or nine Species of Deciduous The peach ( Prunus persica) is a species of Prunus native to China that bears an edible juicy fruit also called a peach For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is A pear is a pomaceous Fruit produced by a tree of Genus Pyrus. Walnuts (genus Juglans) are Plants in the family Juglandaceae. Ficus is a Genus of about 850 Species of woody Trees Shrubs Vines Epiphytes and hemi-epiphytes in the family The Almond ( Prunus dulcis, syn Prunus amygdalus Batsch Amygdalus communis L Jules Janick, Ph. D. , Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, writing in the World Book Encyclopedia, 2004 edition, says: "Burbank cannot be considered a scientist in the academic sense. The World Book Encyclopedia is according to its publisher in the United States, "the number-one selling print encyclopedia in the world "

In 1893 Burbank published a descriptive catalog of some of his best varieties, entitled called New Creations in Fruits and Flowers. Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

In 1907, Burbank published an “essay on childrearing,” called The Training of the Human Plant. In it, he advocated improved treatment of children and eugenic practices such as keeping the unfit and first cousins from marrying. Eugenics is a social Philosophy which advocates the improvement of Human Hereditary traits through various forms of intervention

During his career, Burbank wrote, or co-wrote, several books on his methods and results, including his eight-volume How Plants Are Trained to Work for Man (1921), Harvest of the Years (with Wilbur Hall, 1927), Partner of Nature (1939), and the 12-volume Luther Burbank: His Methods and Discoveries and Their Practical Application. Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar Wilbur Hall, sometimes billed as Willie Hall, was a United States trombonist and Entertainer. Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

New Creations in Fruits and Flowers cover.
New Creations in Fruits and Flowers cover.

By all accounts, Burbank was a kindly man who wanted to help other people. He was very interested in education and gave money to the local schools. He married twice: to Helen Coleman in 1890, which ended in divorce in 1896; and to Elizabeth Waters in 1916. He had no children.

Burbank also had a mystical, spiritual side. His friend and admirer Paramahansa Yogananda wrote in his Autobiography of a Yogi:

"His heart was fathomlessly deep, long acquainted with humility, patience, sacrifice. Paramahansa Yogananda ( Bengali: পরমহংস যোগানন্দ Pôromohôngsho Joganondo, Sanskrit: परमहंस योगानं‍द His little home amid the roses was austerely simple; he knew the worthlessness of luxury, the joy of few possessions. The modesty with which he wore his scientific fame repeatedly reminded me of the trees that bend low with the burden of ripening fruits; it is the barren tree that lifts its head high in an empty boast. " (Yogananda, 1946, p. 352)

In a speech given to the First Congregational Church of San Francisco in 1926 Burbank said:

"I love humanity, which has been a constant delight to me during all my seventy-seven years of life; and I love flowers, trees, animals, and all the works of Nature as they pass before us in time and space. Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently What a joy life is when you have made a close working partnership with Nature, helping her to produce for the benefit of mankind new forms, colors, and perfumes in flowers which were never known before; fruits in form, size, and flavor never before seen on this globe; and grains of enormously increased productiveness, whose fat kernels are filled with more and better nourishment, a veritable storehouse of perfect food--new food for all the world's untold millions for all time to come. "

In mid-March 1926, Burbank suffered a heart attack and became ill with gastrointestinal complications. He died on April 11, 1926, aged 77, and is buried near the greenhouse at the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Luther Burbank Home and Gardens (1 acre is a city park containing the former home greenhouse gardens and grave of noted American horticulturist Luther Burbank

Legacy

Burbank's work spurred the passing of the 1930 Plant Patent Act four years after his death. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Plant Patent Act of 1930 (enacted on 1930-06-17 as Title III of the Hawley-Smoot Tariff, ch The legislation made it possible to patent new varieties of plants (excluding tuber-propagated plants). Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store Nutrients They are used by Plants to overwinter and regrow the next year In supporting the legislation, Thomas Edison testified before Congress in support of the legislation and said that "This [bill] will, I feel sure, give us many Burbanks. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses " The authorities issued Plant Patents #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #18, #41, #65, #66, #235, #266, #267, #269, #290, #291, and #1041 to Burbank posthumously.

In 1986, Burbank was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The National Inventors Hall of Fame is an organization that recognizes Inventors and invention everywhere promotes creativity and advances the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship The Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, in downtown Santa Rosa, are now designated as a National Historic Landmark. Luther Burbank Home and Gardens (1 acre is a city park containing the former home greenhouse gardens and grave of noted American horticulturist Luther Burbank A National Historic Landmark (NHL is a Building, site, Structure, Object, or District, that is officially recognized by the Luther Burbank's Gold Ridge Experiment Farm is listed in the National Register of Historic Places a few miles west of Santa Rosa in the town of Sebastopol, California. Luther Burbank's Gold Ridge Experiment Farm is the official name of the that remain of the farm originally purchased in 1885 by famed plant breeder Luther Burbank The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of Sebastopol ( pronounced /səˈbæstəˌpʊl/ is a town in Sonoma County, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco

The home that Luther Burbank was born in, as well as his California garden office, were moved by Henry Ford to Dearborn, Michigan and are part of Greenfield Village. Henry Ford ( July 30, 1863 &ndash April 7, 1947) was the American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of Dearborn is a city in the US state of Michigan. It is located in the Detroit metropolitan area and Wayne County, and is the tenth largest The Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark, (also known as the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, and more formally as the Edison Institute

The town of Burbank, California, does not take its name from Burbank, but from the Los Angeles dentist David Burbank; however, the horticulturist gave his name to:

References

  1. ^ Invent Now | Hall of Fame | Search | Inventor Profile
  2. ^ Gold Ridge Luther Burbank's Experiment Farm

External links

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