The Training of the Human Plant

NY: The Century Co., 1907. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. Signed by Author(s). 1st Edition. 1907, 1st edition, 1st printing. Inscribed by Luther Burbank- superstar botanist, American plant breeder, pioneer of agricultural science. Beginning in 1880s, Luther Burbank developed 800+ strains and varieties of plants during his 55-year career. Burbank gained fame by saving U.S. potato crops from the deadly blight through cultivating russet potatoes-- thus cementing public opinion of Luther Burbank as a major influence in American botany, horticulture and agricultural science. Burbank's plant studies led him to become a major and influential proponent of Eugenics, the dominant social philosophy of the Western world in 19th to mid-20th century-- advocates included American President Woodrow Wilson & birth-control activist Margaret Sanger. "The Training of the Human Plant" is a highly readable book of Luther Burbank's views on Eugenics and how best to raise children into capable, healthy adults. Burbank's experiences in horticulture and agriculture led him to consider raising kids the same way we tend and treat plants to grow big and strong-- in a poetic closing, Burbank asked to "set our children free to thrive in nature".