The horticultural methods of plant breeder Luther Burbank, famous for his spectacular new varieties of fruit, attracted the interest of professional biologists. In 1905 the Carnegie Institution, a foundation interested in backing useful scientific projects, looked into Burbank's methods and results. The institution's president, Robert S. Woodward, went so far as to visit Burbank's farm. Burbank, Woodward reported to his board, "is like a mathematician who never has to refer to his formulas; all information he possesses he can summon in an instant for his use. . . . He is not a trained man of science; he lacks knowledge of the terminology of modern science. He often expresses himself in a way quite offensive to many scientific men, if due allowance is not made; but he is a man who unconsciously works by the scientific method to the most extraordinary advantage. I think anybody...