Luther Burbank (1849-1926) - American botanist, horticulturist and a pioneer in agricultural science. He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables. His 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 white blackberry. Burbank experimented with a variety of techniques such as grafting, hybridization, and cross-breeding. In 1986, Burbank was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.