1849–Horticulturist, Luther Burbank, is born in Lancaster, Massachusetts. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank grew up on a farm and received only an elementary school education. The 13th of 18 children, he enjoyed the plants in his mother's large garden. Years later, in Santa Rosa, California, Burbank purchased a four-acre plot of land, and established a greenhouse, nursery, and experimental fields that he used to conduct crossbreeding experiments on plants. His friend and admirer, Paramahansa Yogananda, wrote in his Autobiography of a Yogi: “His heart was fathomlessly deep, long acquainted with humility, patience, sacrifice. 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.”