Original subtitles

MICHURIN

Screenplay by, director - Oleksandr Dovzhenko

Co-director - Yu. Solntseva

Directors of photography - L. Kosmatov, Yu. Kun

Original music by D. Shostakovich

Production design by M. Bogdanov, G. Myasnikov Sound editor - N. Timartsev

Cinematography by V. Nikolayev, A. Kulyasov Time-lapse photography -A. Kudryavtsev

Assistant directors - I. Dolzhikov, M. Kucherenko, G. Natanson

Assistant camera - M. Il'in, A. Simonov

Makeup designer - N. Pechentsev Set decorator- M. Karyakin

Costume designers - K. Urbetis, M. Zhukova

Film editor - M. Timofeyeva Sound effects - I. Yevteyev-Volskiy

Scientific consultant - V.N. Stoletov

Production manager - G. Kuznetsov

Cast: M.I. Kalinin -V. Solovyev I.V. Michurin - G. Belov A.V. Michurina - A. Vasilyeva

Terentiy- N. Shamin Kartashov - F. Grigoryev Khrenov - M. Zharov

Father Christopher - K. Nasonov Bykov -A. Zhiltsov Postman - I. Nazarov

Ryabov -V. Khokhryakov Sinitsyn - D. Dubov Lesnitskiy- G. Pechnikov F. Myers-V. Isayev

W. Burd - S. Tsenin Interpreter- Yu. Lyubimov Peasant - I. Kashirin

Orchestra and Choir by the USSR Ministry of Cinematography Conductor A. Roytman

- Hello! Listen...

- Hey, buddy! Does Mr. Michurin live here?

- Yes.

- Hi. Take this suitcase.

- Buddy, can we now see Mr. Michurin?

- You can, I'm Michurin.

- What? You're Michurin?!

- Mr. Michurin, forgive us, please.

- Mr. Burd says that it is fun, he also liked to carry luggage.

He used to be... a porter. That was a start of his career.

- Really? That's very nice.

- Professor Myers - Head of Agriculture Institute.

- Nice to meet you.

- Burd, Wallace Burd.

- Mr. Burd is the richest man of America.

- Mr. Myers has specially come to visit you from America in the first-class cabin of the best ship.

- Really? That's very nice!

- Here, gentlemen, my wife - Aleksandra Vasilyevna, my best assistant.

- Mrs. Michurin, Mr. Myers is delighted and all...

- Burd, Wallace Burd.

- Mr. Burd.

- Mr. Burd is wondering, is there any other Mr. Michurin, who lives around here?

- Don't know. Never heard.

- Mr. Burd is wondering, is this yard the actual garden, because of which Mr. Burd has come from America?

Do you have another, large garden?

- Large? Why large? Have you come to see my garden? Here we are...

- Thank you.

- It's over my head! I can't understand a thing!

- Extreme situation we have!

- What's happened?

- Some breaking news! Special Governor Official has arrived with the National Award.

And guess who got it? Michurin!

- How come? Michurin?! Michurin?!

- No, wait, wait!

- How could it be possible? But why? Pourquoi?

- For the great contribution to the studies of gardening.

- Gentlemen, please wait, wait. It is impossible! It's some kind of a mistake!

- Definitely, it's a mistake...

- I can understand, gentlemen, if it was the garden of merchant Filippov,

or the garden of Frenchman De Lenau,

- Definitely, honey...

or, at least, father Christopher's garden. These are real Gardens!

- Do you envy? I shall tell you then: two or three Americans are coming to visit him.

- You must be joking?! - Scientists! Yes!

- Wait, wait, gentlemen...

- Semen Semenovich, may I say... They have already arrived...

- Who?

- Foreigners.

- Where are they?

- They went to Michurin. All town is going crazy!

My God!

- Semen Semenovich! - Wait! Semen Semenovich, why don't you say something? We should do something!

- Have a look, a violet lily, it's unique.

People haven't had the faintest idea of what a lily smells like.

- Mr. Michurin, lilies have no smell or smell with mould.

- Here, smell it.

Yes, it is a long story. I cultivated it from yellow and dark red lilies.

First and second generation hybrids were yellow, but in third generation some interesting lily samples have appeared -

black pollen and, as you can see, smell. Four new characteristics. Pre-ancestors have never had such characteristics even in the hidden state.

These new qualities, gentlemen, break Mendel Law.

Yes, Mendel Law doesn't explain the development of fruits, but I started the creation of a new plant.

Using the instability and weakness of young plants, I'm directing his idea, forming a quality.

- Mr. Michurin, you need a wider scope in your work. You belong in America!

- America? Why America?

- Ivan Vladimirovich...

- Wait, quiet...

- Mr. Michurin, please think.

- No. I'm staying here until I get what I want. - What do you mean, Mr. Michurin?

- The most important is to move fruit-bearing plants up North...

- Mr. Michurin, I repeat once more: you belong in America! I'm ready to buy all you got here.

We'll put all of it - garden, yard - onto a boat to America!

I guarantee you, eight thousand dollars a year, laboratories and one hundred assistants!

- No.

- Mr. Michurin, if it's hard for you to part with this view, we'll make an exact replica of it in the States.

You don't know what you are worth, Mr. Michurin... You're a golden man!

- I'm a Russian man. There is no such money, nor ships, which could take me away from my motherland.

- Mr. Michurin, it is worth it!

- No, this is out of the question, gentlemen. No, no. Come in about twenty years, we'll see then...

- Hello, Mr. Michurin! - Hello. Hello. Where from?

- From Ural. Siberia. - From the Far East! Here is a letterfrom Mr. Kurosh.

- Thank you! Sasha, here is a dear guest!

- Lesnitskiy, Fedor. Accept these seeds. Here are almonds, Mongolian laburnum...

- Laburnum, my dear, I'm dreaming! I have really big plans about these seeds!

- Taiga pear, Chinese apples, nuts. - Thank you!

- Actinidia, schizandra... - Schizandra! - Grapes from Khudyakov. - Thank you! Sasha, this is the true wealth!

- Thank you!

- Mr. Michurin! Come to the Far East! This is where your kingdom is, this is where the power is! All world herbs probably grow there!

It's so beautiful! Though there aren't any true fruit trees, Mr. Michurin.

Everything that has been brought from Ukraine can't adapt to that climate, all freezes to death.

- Gentlemen, you should learn the process of acclimatisation then.

- We already lost our hope, but I had read your article and I said to the gardeners: we shall have gardens in the Far East!

- Of course, my dear! Siberia will be full of gardens! - Hope so... However we have very rough Nature. Cruel Nature!

- Gentlemen, lets agree: the Nature can't be cruel or kind. Its laws are indifferent either to snake or tsar, to spider or cholera infection.

We shouldn't wait for favours from the Nature. To take them from it-that is our task!

You shall see now, so to say, laboratory view of the tree.

You will see, what I managed to get from Crimean kandil-sinap and Chinese apple.

There is something fascinating about the form, durability and colour of the fruit.

Can you believe that I can't even come close to it without trembling. You shall see them now.

Oh! Terentiy! Terentiy!

- A-a-a!

Liar, liar! I got you!

I got you! No, you are lying! Got ya!

- Silence! - Don't shout at the child!

- Oh, you little thief!

- Quiet. Let's go and drink some tea. I won't hurt you.

Let's go! Go, go...

- It's a shame you, Ivan Vladimirovich, refused to go to America.

If I were you, I would have gone farfrom these devils not only to America, but even to Japan.

- None of your business... - Yes, you're right, of course... But shame, everyone in Kozlov would have been burnt with envy!

(Singing) On Saturday...

...a nasty day...

- Stop singing, singer...

- What a God's curse! Don't walk, don't knock, don't breathe, don't sing! There was no such agreement...

- Foreigners are criticising our country, and there are no words to defend it with. I'm asking you, don't sing.

- Why shouldn't I sing?

Let's all rejoice and celebrate the triumph! Ivan Vladimirovich! You have glorified our town Kozlov!

Aleksandra Vasilyevna, congratulations!

- Thank you, father! - Who is it? - Father Christopher.

- Father Christopher... - What does Father Christopher require? - About watch...

- Don't lie, your watch will be ready in two days. You know it. - Well, let's assume I just popped in to see you.

- Priests don't just pop in. There is no christening, no funeral. Have you come to gather gossip, father Christopher? To find out something more?!

- I have come here to talk things over. - Talk things over? What a complicated personality! Father Christopher!

- Don't you laugh at me, Ivan Vladimirovich. Don't laugh.

Twenty five years ago I was an ordinary student and not father Christopher yet.

- And now you are an ordinary priest.

- Wait, not exactly, not exactly...

So, I finished my studies, I had faith, prayed and worked in my garden.

But then I read Mr. Darwin,

and my faith...

...has gone with the wind. The world exists without any God's interference. But you should have served the God,

take your place. Too lazy to study and no wish to become exciseman.

- Wait, not exactly, not exactly...

Well... Then one day I read Gregor Mendel's works, who crossed...

...who crossed green and yellow peas and proved, that inherited traits are inconceivable

and can't be influenced and changed? So, then what?

- So I put plants in and see, that traits really stay unchangeable in future generations.

And every day nearthe soil my faith in God becomes stronger.

- Why does God freezes your garden every winter?

- Climate!

- Climate? Intellectual laziness and indolence, nothing to do with climate. Why my garden doesn't get frozen?

Why? Here, look! See? Peach!

- So?

- So, I will make it grow near Tambov!

- Peach? Near Tambov? How come?

- I'm taking Mongolian laburnum and crossing it with southern peach.

Then, when I see...

- This is a sin, not a peach! Ivan Vladimirovich, don't blaspheme!

Don't make an obscenity out of the God's garden!

- Ignorance!

- Don't tempt me!

You're snake!

You corrupt people! Aleksandra Vasilyevna! Terentiy!

Oh, I can see you! I can see who leads your hand to desecrate this holy land,

the mother of all the living!

- Wait, dear philosopher, if you are talking about land, then let me mention,

that the Earth rather plays a role of a father, than a mother in the life of plants.

- Why father? And who is the motherthen?

- Outer Nature is! It is the real mother - teacher! You must understand!

You must have imagination!

- Wait, wait! - I won't! - Don't interrupt me!

- Let the man speak! - Don't interrupt me!

- I'm telling you, don't interrupt me.

You understand nothing about Nature or you just lie... Sit down!

- Well, ok. Let's assume I understand nothing, but I shall tell you: this is as absurd, foolish and sinful,

as if you copulated a dog with a pike.

- Nice comparison, however you are not the one I can talk to about such matters.

- Fair enough!

- Yes. Once I create a new peach tree I will write directly to the Academy of Science.

- Well, this is not Academy's matter, rather it is of the holy synod.

- Sasha, do you hear this? I understand...

You should know then, I will also write to the holy synod.

- What will you write? - I'll write that you don't believe in God.

- Ivan Vladimirovich, watch your words! - Aleksandra Vasilyevna, Aleksandra Vasilyevna, you shall be my witness!

- Witness of what? You are a priest and you dared telling me,

parishioner, in my house, that you don't believe in God!

- When? I was just saying about the delusion of youth! - Cut it off! There is no way back. There is no God in you!

You are an empty man, just a synod official in cassock and nothing more... Heh, scientist!

Cultivating peas! He doesn't believe in peach, he believes in nothing!

- Bless you, Ivan Vladimirovich.

- Oh yeah? Oh right! - Yes! Yes!

And no cassock will ever save you! - Now I understand you! You're mad with anger!

You are a slave of your desires and delusions! You depress the nearest neighbours!

- But I serve the distant followers.

Who are you? Why each time I see you I get the feeling of sadness and weakness?

I won't repair your watch. You don't need a watch.

Yourtime doesn't flow, you are eternal as indolence. Leave me alone!

- Ivan Vladimirovich... - Leave me alone! Leave me!

- Please, calm down, Ivan Vladimirovich. - Fine. I shall leave.

- Calm down! - I'll go, Ivan Vladimirovich!

- Don't be so nervous, Ivan Vladimirovich! Good morning! Good news! Forget about them...

Just look how much correspondence I've got for you! All post is talking over this event...

Today, Ivan Vladimirovich, we have won the prize!

Sixty letters, six parcels and four from abroad, here!

Take it all with the bag, all yours! No point to worry...

All of these priests and merchants will never get any respectable letter like this one,

even if they live a hundred years. Trust me!

- Thanks... thanks.

- Here! Look. Persia, see?

And here is England and Holland.

Wait a second... here we are! Stamp - some king! The beauty!

This is great! And you are worried about something silly!

It's not all, there is also America... - Really?

- Yes. Where is it? Ah, here...

A lady with a candle. - Seeds... from the Far East.

- Ivan Vladimirovich, may I have a look?

Here it is... a seed...

Well, grow high and strong, welcome!

We shall see if you make us happy.

- Thank you, Fedor Kuzmich! There will be happiness. - For sure...

It is a must for a happiness to visit such people like you are.

- Thank you, Kuzmich!

- And thank you too, gentlemen, from all the kind people...

- Thank you, Fedor Kuzmich!

- Bless you!

- Thank you. Goodbye!

- No, Sasha! It seems we are still far from the peach.

- Yes. There were so many saplings and none have survived!

- Write down: "Wild almond doesn't cross with a peach!"

Who to blame? Me or the peach?

Of course it is me. Not enough observation mastery. Let's carry on!

After numerous experiments with different sorts

I have come to the conclusion, that it is necessary to provide a mediator

between the peach and the almond,

which should have high frost-resistance,

but should also cross with the peach.

I have finally found it

from Mongolian amigdalus and Davidian amigdalus.

- Sasha! - Yes!

- Sasha, look, it finally deviates towards the peach!

Or not, it seems we made a mistake...

Years were passing by. It became very cramped in the garden.

Thousands of observations filled up my head.

They required conclusions, decisions. Many unexpected things kept worrying me.

- It seems like I know nothing at all!

- Don't slander yourself, you know more than anyone else.

- No... I only know that it won't work! That's what I know...

- You are crazy! Do you remember what foreigners said? There is no other one, like that in the whole world!

- What do they know, your foreigners! - Oh sure, you think all people are ignorant fools.

- Sasha! - And you are always unhappy about everything!

- Sasha, I'm asking for attention, not critics!

I have decided to move this garden to a different place. - How come? We already moved it...

- It means that we moved it to a wrong place. We'll have to do it again.

What else I should do, if I didn't get it right at the first try.

The soil is too fertile... That's why we get anything, but not hybrids. "Mama's boys"...

They will freeze to death anyway.

- Where should we move it to?

- To northern Don. - Agreed.

- Here we go then. - Dirty! - The most clean. A bit rough...

- Trying to flatter me? - Yes, some great soil is there: sand, ravines.

- Too much water! - That's good! If it survives there, it will be a proper tree, not some " mama's boy".

- And money? We hardly manage to survive... Vanya, think. - I'm thinking! Thinking, thinking, thinking!

It's been two years since I started moving my garden to the desired land with harsh soil... It was a hard job.

There were so many pits dug out, loads picked up, so much dirt mixed up and sweating.

My wife and I thought about it later on for many years and wondered... how could we manage.

However, it wasn't soon when the happiness came to us.

Most part of the trees died during the transplantation. Many saplings were lost due to the spring flood.

Although the survived samples confirmed our believe in victory,

the poverty started knocking at our door.

Then I gained some courage.

After getting advice from the local agriculture official, the man of great mind and moral,

I turned to the Ministry for help.

- Next room, please.

- Mr. Michurin, we can't subsidise you. - Why not?

- Mr. Michurin, we can't subsidise you. - Why not?

- You don't have any citation of authorities. There wasn't anything like that in the science before.

- But that's good! From this moment the science will have it.

- Tell that to somebody else!

- Listen, this is a disgrace! What hybrids are you talking about? What hybrids?

You are an old man! Shame on you!

- Listen, who sent you here?

- I was sent by Tambov's agriculture inspector, Mr. Marfin.

- Mr. Marfin? - Yes, Marfin. Academician Pashkevich, professor Kichunov.

- Mr. Marfin, you are fired from the position of inspector. - But why?

- For your interference in nothing of your business! It's been so many years you have been helping this suspicious character!

Not only he is doing something completely absurd, you also want the government

to subsidise this depravity with Nature. Do I understand right?

- I hope you are not considering the Michurin affair? - Yes, considering Michurin affair. Listen, what's going on?

- What is?

- Read what they write about him abroad! He is the greatest selectionist-originator!

- What?

- Selectionist-originator! The first in the world! He is our Russian pride! Oh!

- Please, don't start blaming me with pride.

I also have pride, dear lord! The department has offered him a grant.

Of course, under the circumstances that he would start experiments, initiated by us. But he refused.

- He wants... he wants to do scientific work.

- My fault!

- Let's go from here, Mr. Michurin. Curse them! I only ask you not to lose hope.

By the way, come to Academician Pashkevich today.

He wants to see you. Think things over. Celebrate the New Year.

- I appreciate your offer!

- I am not only angry with our departments, gentlemen!

But when even in Canada, where all cherry-trees got frozen, only one survived, Michurin's, ours,

when half of the world finally got a new chance of fruit growing, based on new scientific

Russian discoveries, why some "officials" and protectors of Nature say nothing?

- This is awful!

- Yes, I'm also shocked by the callous behaviour of our department. However, I must note, gentlemen,

that Michurin, since he has no special theoretical education, is a practitioner...

- And thanks God!

Almost all great discoveries were made by such people.

I confirm, that Michurin's practical work is worth more than our theoretical knowledge.

It has not only universal virtue, but the actual reality,

from which you, Yevgeniy Grigoryevich, are too far, sorry!

- I don't agree. - Of course, it's too much for you to accept his views! - Why?

- Because in this case, you will have to throw away the half of your life's work.

- I don't think so! I only consider that Michurin contradicts with Darwin, subconsciously maybe, but still.

- Defender of Darwin! Vasiliy Vasilyevich!

- In my opinion, Michurin actually continues Darwin's ideas. Darwin explained evolution...

- But he wants to create it.

- He's coming! - Coming!

- And our goal is to help him.

- Gentlemen! Mr. Michurin... Mr. Michurin, here are your friends!

- Gentlemen, I'm sorry, I'm late!

- Welcome, gentlemen! Please, gentlemen, New Year is coming! Ah, Mr.

Michurin, there has been a real fight over you! Welcome...

- The last minutes of the nineteenth century. I can see millions of eyes, looking into the future.

The Twentieth Century!

What will it bring to the science?

To Russia? To humanity?!

At this special moment let's look at our people,

look over the past century.

What an incredible power the Russian people showed, even under harsh circumstances!

Giant Pushkin, magician Glinka, Gogol...

- Repin! - Belinskiy! - Herzen!

...Chernyshevskiy, the great democrat, "the true honour of Russia"!

- Timiryazev, Pavlov! - Mendeleyev, the pride of world science, our Russian pride!

It is such a joy, to realise the amount and the variety of talents, who were born by Russia of the nineteenth century.

To people! To the genius of people!

Let the incoming twentieth century bring prosperity and freedom to our motherland!

Let Russia rise

to the good of all humanity!

To you, thinkers, exiled from departments, from motherland, proud prisoners, prophets of the future!

Happy New Century!

Ivan Vladimirovich, your wish?

- Many wishes worry me. What I mean is only one wish I would like to say, gentlemen, at this very occasion.

- Which one? What is it? Please, say!

- I would like to encroach upon the world's order in this century!

- That's a modest wish.

- It's been nineteen centuries of our era since the man observes how the Nature mysteriously changes

under the influence of ever changing environmental conditions.

But what if I rise, so to say? Rise and create the change in Nature the way I wish.

I mean the creation of inherited changes, that can be planned in advance.

- Bravo! - Bravo, bravo!

- Quiet, gentlemen, quiet!

- What will dare to come across the power of people?

When the land work will become a form of creativity, art! And all the things become different.

- Bravo! Bravo!

- It is too much for the New Year's speech! - But forthe century, once in one hundred years, seems fine! - True!

- This sounds incredible, Mr. Michurin! You should write a book, that will touch the whole world!

- Well, I'm still too far from writing a book!

- No way! Do you know what daddy says? He said that you are creating a new science of agriculture for the whole humanity.

- Tell us, how did you come to this?

- Where does your understanding come from?

- From father and grandfather.

I'm growing trees from the age of four. All my life I sit near the soil... and observe.

- Ivan!

- Ah... it's you, Sasha... Aha, this is very strange. I had a very strange dream.

- Well? - As if we had a wedding, and our daughter was getting married...

And she is the cherry-tree. - You were probably thinking of something.

- Then I hear music, music, music... then everything is starting to change... all is changing, changing, changing...

and we are looking at her, and she is no longer cherry tree, but Japanese bird cherry tree...

- You were probably thinking of something...

- No, no, no... Wait... wait... What do we have now, erm... today or tomorrow?

- Today. - Heh... Ok, what, what, what?

- Ivan, the war has been declared. - War?

- Hello, Ivan Vladimirovich! Something very important has happened in the world...

- Wait, wait, wait... - Today is the first day during the last twenty five years, when there is no letterfor you.

Aha, no letter... No letter?

None... It feels like the life stopped.

- Hello, Ivan Vladimirovich! - Hello. Any news?

- Bad news. My son died in the Carpathians. - Poor boy! What a shame.

- Daughter is sick. Nowadays I'm not delivering letters, but sickness and grief.

- Right, I'm off to visit a sick person. See you later...

It means you will have lunch without me. Why are you looking at me this way?

- My head feels as if it is made of glass. Listen, I'm not here. Do you understand?

- Hey... hey, have you seen this, Fedor Kuzmich?

- Come here, come here...

Look: here, you see?

- Not again? - No.

- Does it mean all these years were wasted?

- Why wasted? I said no. And it means a lot, my darling...

Now I know, what I have to do.

A mistake... it is very good, very good. Thousands of fools, like me, repeat this mistake year by year,

and why? Because of mind indolence, ignorance and slacking...

What a power of inertia is placed within the human! That's why they, southern "mama boys", froze to death.

- I told you, Ivan Vladimirovich, do you remember? Well, not me, but you told me!

Well! - What shall we do now?

- I will make new trees, Sasha, completely new! - But you have been telling me that for years.

- But you agree, right?

- Yes.

- Fine. This is what I need the most.

Nature! Goddess of beauty, so what?! I don't need any mercy! I'm a human, Sasha,

I will create trees by myself even better than Nature can!

- Birds are flying... Look, oh my God!

- That's enough of incense. I understood everything. I got it all...

- Well, well... I'm off then.

- Now I only hope I have enough lifetime. I understood it all!

- People say there is a cholera plague in town.

- Ivan Vladimirovich!

- Fine!

Sasha, what I'm going to read now

is almost a law. That's where my thought has always been!

Remember for all your life... our happiest day! I'm going to read now the beginning, Sasha. Listen:

"We live in one of the time lapses of the unceasing creation of new organic forms by the Nature,

but due to the lack of foresight we don't notice it..."

- Yes!

- " Characteristics do not pass without any changes from one generation to the other.

Rather, they are formed in each generation anew, during the whole process of development, from the sprouts to the grown-up state..."

- Oh, oh! Ivan!

- Just a minute! Just a minute! Sashenka! My head is so clear now! I can see far now, my darling!

- Ivan, I'm not feeling well!

- Hey, what's wrong? Are you ok? Hey, hey?! Sasha... What's wrong, honey?

Terentiy!

- No doctor. Gone hunting.

- What you mean gone? - Quiet... - Where is he gone?!

...quiet! What is there, in the garden?

- Autumn, barometer shows...

- I'm asking about the birds...

- The birds are gone.

- Eh, Ivan Vladimirovich, we haven't saved the...

- Go away!

- Please, quiet. I want silence...

- Fair enough, be quiet then.

- Ivan, do you remember, when we were still young...

I always remembered it and lived with these memories. Do you remember, you told me?

Ivan, where are you? - I'm here, do you see me?

- The time is running out, Ivan.

While the light still shines, please, remember what you told me.

- I told you then, Sasha...

"Sasha, my honey, I want to tell you... You know, Sanya, I think we shall live all our lives not like other people.

Completelydifferent. Wewill improveour scienceandturnallourland intoa paradiseon Earth.

Our poor willowed and aspened Russia we will turn into a garden of such beauty, that humanity hasn't even dreamt of.

Do you hear me, Sasha, do you hear my heartbeat?

- Yes, you are so handsome! - You are so beautiful!

- And during our whole life we won't say a single bad word to each other.

- Yes... - Never! - Never!

- But then we left our sweet youth and entered harsh reality.

A lot of beautiful moments were lost on the way.

And now they can't be returned, we can't return them ever.

Other matters became more important to our hearts. Other plans, worries, and sometimes I felt as if I was absent...

I was bottled up, concentrated and tough...

- Why are you quiet, Ivan? - Don't ask me! - Why are you always quiet, Ivan?

- I'm telling you, don't ask me! - Don't shout at me! - I'm not shouting, I'm suffering!

- Do I bother you? You completely belong to trees now!

- Listen, don't you understand? They are my creations, and the further I create, the further I see,

how difficult and complicated this all is.

- There used to be time, when you said: "All is easy and clear".

- It was youth, blossom of life, its greatest enlightenment.

- Don't you see I love you? Is there no love anymore?

- Well, no, understand... Listen... if there is... - Oh, you're so difficult!

- Yes, of course, if a person, who has the goal of his life to rise the humanity by the means of science is difficult,

then yes, of course!

Oh God, when will we understand it!

- Ivan, tell me that you love me!

- Sasha, darling, I'm telling you the most tender and dear words,

thousand times, thousand times I take them from the bottom of the sea. Honey, darling, my love, my dear friend,

my little quiet dove! What shall we do?

The years have passed, we became weak. We have to carry on,

but the way is hard!"

- Aleksandra Vasilyevna passed away...

- You shouldn't have talked to him that way, father, shouldn't have cursed him. Really shame.

Wife died, people started to talk.

- No way! - I swear! - I'm even worried, hope there won't be any confusion.

- What do you mean? - I say it's a shame. His brandy was much better than yours!

Well, true, he has a bad temper, but, father, no one can satisfy all.

- Semen Semenovich... - Maybe it's inborn? Ah? Personality?

You, father, believe in heredity... And I, even though a simple man, policeman, but also accept heredity.

- I'm sorry, gentlemen, professor Kartashov from Petersburg.

- Let me introduce myself.

- From Petersburg? Nice to meet you! How can I help?

- I have an order from the Academy of science to the gardener Michurin. I'm asking you, gentlemen, to take me to him.

- With great pleasure. We will take you to him tomorrow.

- It's very nice of you, but I would like to... - Oh, no, no, no. Please come, lunch time...

- Thank you, but I'm in a hurry. - I'm really asking you...

- Please, don't upset the head of the city, father, even though you're a scientist.

- Michurin is a very interesting person, but... - ...a bit out of his mind.

- No, don't say that, difficult person. - Not enough to say...

- Yes, yes. Difficult person and, sure, dangerous! Who knows, he disagrees with everything. Definitely...

No matter what we say or do, it is still not good for him!

- Oh, come on, gentlemen, why are you saying that?

- He used to have a garden, but he moved it to the sand, to abandoned land. All town was laughing at him! It is, well...

How could someone even imagine that! Of course, half of the garden died out.

- Who knows! Some mixture of Tolstoy, Kropotkin and Darwin.

- Horrible! When he's passing next to our house, I always feel some sort of pressure!

- What a horrible stage of arrogance!

- Sasha! Sasha...

- Professor Kartashov. Please, come in. - So? - How did it go?

- Have you seen him? - What can I tell?! I don't understand this person, gentlemen! No, I don't understand!

- Aha, what did I tell you? So, you see! - Sure, there is something in him.

- Something, you say? - Of course, the whole range of experiments in the area of selectionism and further hybridisation.

This, surely, deserves some serious attention. It enriches practical gardening.

But, gentlemen, his theoretical claims and familiarity

with which he treats the greatest laws of Nature - I just don't have the words to describe!

- Oh my God, you see? You see? I have always said, this is the most suspicious affair...

- No, gentlemen, as I said, he has something special. - Has he? - Howeverthere is no scientific basis for it, but just simple empiricism.

- Poor man! Gentlemen, maybe we can make him move all of it to the vegetable gardens forthe military hospital?

- No way! How can you even say that?!

- Yes, but we must help him to improve somehow.

- Terentiy, hi! How are things?

- Angry. - What happened? - A scientist came from Petersburg.

Almost had a fight. - Oh, oh, oh!

- Damn, couldn't even send a better scientist! Yourtrees are illegitimate, he said.

- What a scoundrel! And what did he say?

- Kicked him out, then cried so sadly. Grieved over his wife, then wrote all night. Writes at night, gardening through the day, and what's the point?

Well, plants kill each other on this piece of land. Well, it's obvious!

- Yeah... And where is the solution?

...The solution has come to people and to me at the same time. It was brought by the Great Proletarian Revolution!

Good day, respectful and venerable comrades! - Good day!

- In the name of this greatest and historical purpose the workers make this titanic,

historical work, since they have this enormous force of revolution... Comrade Lenin said so!

...As a great scientist Darwin proved and explained to us,

how in the fight for survival, different characteristics in the generation from the same parents appeared.

- Come to the point, comrade! - What does this citizen need? - What do you mean, what I need?

At first I have come here to greet all with the victory of revolution. At second, I would like to get a clear confirmation

whether you will protect my farm or not? - Of course we will!

- It depends who to protect for. Look at this landlord, heh.

- Yeah, dressed up in a frock-coat! - Ryabov, stop!

Hello, Ivan Vladimirovich! - No, wait!

I have lived through three tsars and physically suppressed by that old epoch. Forty four years I spent here, on this land. I started my farm on an empty land in the search of new ways to create the best fruits for Russia.

And now I'm not interested whether it will be my personal farm or not. For me personally it is important only for the common good of the nation.

That is why I put on a frock-coat! Not for you...

- Don't you worry, Ivan Vladimirovich! He is a nice man. He just has a hot temper.

He has dreamt about you all his life. Agronomist... We approved him as your assistant today.

He will be the first to lay his head to protect and save yourfarm for socialism.

- That's more like it.

If Proletarian Revolution has brought you here to rebuild the world, and this is definitely what needs to be done, the first thing,

what we should do...

Yeah, the first thing, that we should do, is to introduce the subject of selectionism in all Russian schools and as urgent as possible!

Slow, lazy people and garden enemies should not be offered any job. What is more, we must forbid them to marry.

- This is impossible! - I forbid!

Within twenty years all towns and villages, which have no gardens must be burnt! They are no asset to our country.

- Michurin... - Take a pity on towns. Otherwise we will have to burn all the country.

- Don't take my words literally! This is silly. Otherwise we will truly burn all Russia.

- Here we are! - Thank you! I'm your old friend, Ivan Vladimirovich. Do you remember the Americans? - Try it!

- Here we are! - Thank you! I'm your old friend, Ivan Vladimirovich. Do you remember the Americans? - Try it!

- It was me, sitting on your tree! - Oh... so that was you then?

- Me! Terentiy caught me that time. I had tea with jam at your home, remember?! - Well, goodbye my garden!

- No, Ivan Vladimirovich! Since then I haven't stolen a thing, even from the priest.

- Write down the protection licence. - It's ready, we made it yesterday!

Here is your protection licence, in the name of revolution and order to maintain and develop the farm.

Professor Kartashov was sent from Moscow to help you. - Who?

- And here is a governmental subsidiary fortwo hundred and fifty thousand roubles to start with. - How much?

- Two hundred and fifty thousand. - Are you crazy? Take it back! You hear me? Return it now!

Return it! - Wait, wait! - Terentiy, give it back! - No, I won't. I'm not stupid! - Give it back! Terentiy!

- I won't! - We will get confused in reports and will get in court! - Don't worry, Ivan Vladimirovich!

We will take your garden to the road of history. - Will take it to a larger, state scale.

- We will take your gardens to the open fields, to the squares. Let the land renew, comrades,

and let the people stop near these prominent trees, holding

their breath, as they do while looking at some famous paintings and statues.

- Explain, where are you from? Who taught you this understanding?

- Lenin. Lenin, you, Ivan Vladimirovich, and my father Lesnitskiy, your student from Altai. Remember?

Do you know what they call him now? Michurin of Altai. - Are you serious?

- Yes. There is also Michurin of Siberia. Ukrainian one as well, I'm sure, every region now has its own Michurin.

- I am so happy, Ivan Vladimirovich! Congratulations, thank you, I'm very proud of you!

- I have been thankful to you all my life. I remember everything, your care about me and our unforgettable meeting of the twentieth century.

- Eight hundred different kinds were collected here by Ivan Vladimirovich for the past years of his work.

One hundred and fifty new sorts were created by him before the start of the Great Proletarian Revolution and he gave them all away to people.

From the name of the city committee of the Russian Communist Bolshevik party and executive committee of the workers

and farmers union, I'm opening this first exhibition of his works, we are full of the highest and warmest feelings...

The word is given to Ivan Vladimirovich!

- I would kindly ask all present here to eat half of the apple number one and look at me at the same time.

So? - Delicious! - Fathers agree with the voice of the children, Ivan Vladimirovich!

- Ivan Vladimirovich! This is a great apple, this... You are making us children as well!

It seems there is no better fruit in the world!

- Agreed. Exactly due to the reason, that there is no such other fruit like this one, and among all the sorts this is the best.

Let me tell you more about it. I suppose, that every conscious modern person should know about it,

every worker, farmer and every scientist.

Here are the parents: this is a mother, and this is a father and this is their heir...

- And why the parents are small, while the apple is so large?

- One moment! Mother - is a southerner. After arriving here, into continental, more harsh climate conditions, it, surely,

withered away and could hardly bearfruits. Fruits were rare, small and undeveloped.

So in 1900 I used pollination from Chinese apple tree on its blossom.

Mature seeds were replanted during the same autumn. It turned out that all saplings deviate towards the mother.

However one of them stands out because of its large size.

I replant it two more times and in seven years I get a fruit, hybrid of excellent taste and size.

And why? Because during the hybridisation the fruit gained not only inherited characteristics of its father and mother,

as some poor theorists claim. The hybrids contain combination of the whole groups of very distant relatives:

grandfathers, great grandfathers, great grandmothers and even more distant relatives from either side.

- What an idea!

- They come to life due to hybridisation, as an explosion. Even if they were sleeping hundreds of years before in the hidden

state. Please note, that all hybrids, which were gained by crossing different kinds and varieties of the most distant

by location plants have the highest adaptability to the conditions of the new location.

Yes. However, this is only the beginning of biography. The new sort also gained new disadvantages. Fruits started to mature earlier.

By the end of August they became rotten. Then I decided to add a mentor, that is implant another old sort grafts to the lower branches,

near the trunk. And after a few more years six grafts of some other winter sorts.

The way, how the fruits changed from year to year, how they became heavier, firmer, more juicy, full of scent

and started to mature later and later - it was a striking picture, comrades!

And the new tree, with the combination of qualities from the three nearest producers, has become very large. It is not afraid of any winter nor spring

frost bites. It is not afraid of anything...

Don't, don't, don't! Don't make me worried!

After another fifteen years I implant it into the crown of an old twenty year-old one and a half pound antonovka tree.

As a result- large harvest. Fruits, as you can see, achieve the largest size possible. Do you feel the flavour of antonovka apples?

- No! No! - You little thief, taster! Tried them all!

There is no flavour of antonovka. It means-the new sort has developed a full independent stability and doesn't fall under vegetative influence of the stock.

- It is classic, Ivan Vladimirovich! It is great! - What an incredible precision of thought!

- It is mutual love and agreement. I artificially provided Nature with favourable conditions

forthe creation of a new sort and, thanks to this attention and devotion, the beautiful lady was conquered.

This "love affair" was going on for twenty five years.

- It is a very fascinating love affair. Though, Ivan Vladimirovich, I'm afraid...

- Oh well, you are always afraid of something!

- Yes, yes. Well, no, not really! Wait! I just wanted to note that it has no future trends in evolution, Ivan Vladimirovich!

- What do you mean? - Can I be frank with you? - Yes. - We would like to ask you... ...not in public, please! - Without the people.

You, surely, understand, Ivan Vladimirovich, that all of it is exceptionally serious case.

You, obviously, understand, that the point is not only in apple as such.

- That the apple is, so to say, some symbolic fruit of knowledge.

- Why symbolic? By the way, there is not only this apple, there is more. There is, for instance, very real vegetative hybrid of apple and pear.

- Apple and pear? - Yes. - There is no such fruit. - Why not?

- Because it's impossible! - Really? But you're holding it in your hand.

- Ivan Vladimirovich, Ivan Vladimirovich, Ivan Vladimirovich, I don't understand you.

- You try. - I can't try what doesn't exist.

- Sorry, but lets assume that it exists. Assume that this random modification could take place...

- Yes, yes. - How, how, how? - Random modification. - One moment, one moment!

Yes, I can assume, but conclusions, Ivan Vladimirovich, that you publicly declare... I'm sorry, but it's too much...

- Why are you hiding me? - Wait, wait, wait!

- Why do you isolate me from the world in the garden? - Wait, wait, Ivan Vladimirovich!

- I'm asking you! When will you stop concealing my scientific work?

- Who isconcealing? -We recognise hybridisation. Interspecificandeven intergeneric!

- We recognise some influence of the mentor, that you discovered. - Yes, but you said...

- I said not in public, so not to shock you as a great gardener, that vegetative hybridisation doesn't have any future trends in evolution.

These are randomly obtained new characteristics, they are not erm... ...not inheritable. - They aren't strains... That's right.

- They are not random. They were planned and created by me under the conditions of new environment.

- You are wrong! Organic matter in its development is independent of the environment. Yes, yes, yes!

- Ivan Vladimirovich, let's agree that the reasons of change in heredity are inconceivable.

- Not true!

- Ivan Vladimirovich! - Gene and chromosomal mutations happen randomly! - Yes they are random!

- And the direction of mutation process is also random.

- Also random. Please, understand, the point is, surely, not in apple, but in science.

You must take it into consideration, Ivan Vladimirovich!

- The point is in revolutional agriculture and farming, in grapes and grain near Moscow, in people's wealth.

- You are evading the topic. - You're simplifying!

- No... It is not a scientific talk! - Yes, it is scientific talk! And who should, if not biology, come off that pedestal down to Earth

and start speaking the language of people,

instead of getting lost in the fog! Random... impossible! What kind of science is that?! To hell such science!

- Ivan Vladimirovich, don't upset me, don't make me so unhappy!

- Yes, yes, yes! Fine, fine. But you should know, you will never run away from it. You will have to taste it.

And the later you try it, the more bitter it will taste.

- No! - Never!

- You will taste it, what is more - publicly, in front of all our country! Please, leave me...

Scientists! They don't see, that organic matter and its conditions of inhabitancy are a unity... Hm! I can't understand!

It can't be that they think, that all 300 000 types and sorts of plants were created only by the means of

inherited transfer of parents' characteristics? What is it - are they blind or... Strange people!

- Enough! I can't carry on like that! Send wherever you wish!

- Don't shout!

- I'm not shouting, I'm going to expand the land, enlarge the garden by ten times, get the finance and bring this case to the governmental scope.

- And then what? Well, what?! - I'm organising an exhibition in Moscow! I'm writing report to the Council of People's Commissars.

The Council of People's Commissars replied. I asked him to visit Moscow immediately, but he refused!

It's a fact, comrades, fact! I'm bringing this garden to the historical road! - Comrades, stop shouting, he's sick.

...Dear comrade Lenin! I would be happy if I could visit you, but unfortunately I can't do it.

I am late. I'm very old and weak, but there is still so much to do, that I can't leave it even for a moment.

I'm stuck at my farm with my poor creations for almost half a century.

And what kind of reporter I am!

Have you written - "reporter"?

Carry on: "what a reporter!"

Be healthy and wealthy! Please, come to visit me and relax in my garden and think about the future of humanity. Yours Michurin.

- There is a limit to our patience, comrades! The experiments are not supposed to be lead at such temperatures. This is not frost, this is fire!

- Definitely, fire! Such frosts can't be found in the whole world!

- He ordered to bury at least one line of seeds deep down and cover them with straw.

- I wish scientists came up with some ideas! Instead they invent something silly, parasites! Look! Ivan Vladimirovich!

- Ivan Vladimirovich! What are you doing?! You promised not to leave the house! Put on your hat!

- Take off your hats! - What happened? - All of you take the hats off!

Lenin has passed away!

- Lenin died! - Lenin... Lenin is not with us anymore!

- How could he die?! Scientists, what's wrong with you?!

- During his own life he brought more good to humanity,

than all the greatest people in the world during the past ten centuries.

The greatest dreamer will no longer come to our garden! Listen, my dear comrades! In the name and honour of immortal man,

who took our country to the top position in history, who discovered us all, let's continue his deeds!

Let him be with us, flourishing, immortal,

as the Earth and peoples, who brought him up within the eternal rising...

- There is a great interest in you, Ivan Vladimirovich. I even give lectures about you!

- Me too. - And me too, Ivan Vladimirovich.

- Me too. And the most important, the questions, which they ask. People have changed so much!

- Very interesting!

- What is the point in crossing particularly plants of different sorts, you shall say? Explain to me practically!

- There is a huge point! Apple with pear, with hawthorn, apricot with plum, almond with peach, mmm, huge point!

We gain unlimited opportunities to obtain new plants with incredible characteristics.

From the deepest, so to say, future centuries, we summon trees, that otherwise would have had to wait for thousands of years of slow evolution before coming to life.

And not only trees...

- I spent two years here, in this silence, as a hermit. Here I put in a lot of work into critical development of empirical ideas of Michurin.

- Who is talking silly there?

- Professor Kartashov with students.

- Ah, hello, Ivan Vladimirovich! - Hello!

- Oh dear! I can't stand this man! As soon as he is in my sight, my personality gets spoilt completely!

- Well, now, comrades, you can trust me - the day is wasted! Most favourite opponent of Ivan Vladimirovich has arrived!

- Well, my victories and mistakes will be explained and shown by others,

while I, for the first meeting, shall show you the land of bloodless, mysterious, but hard fights...

Here, have a look... A peach. It's been many years, so many saplings, and not a single frost resistant hybrid. It splits either into almond or peach...

So, what shall we do? - I'm sorry, but it can't split. It's a law.

- You believe in the laws of Mendel to the point, that rather soon you won't even be able to move yourfoot. So, what shall we do?

- Continue, we'll work it out. - Here! I proclaim him a professor. I pass him this particular problem!

People will thank him for the northern peach, and you will later...

- Ivan Vladimirovich, I would, finally, like to have a word with you, privately!

- Oh right! Fine! - What is more, I'm asking you...

- Please, please, please... Fedor Stepanych, please take care of the students, while I have a talk with Yevgeniy Grigoryevich.

Please, come in!

So, are you displeased with me?

- Yes, I demand at least... at least outer... outer propriety. Yes!

- Let's assume you already have it. Although, at the same time I can demand some inner propriety.

- Oh please, Ivan Vladimirovich!

"Empirical ideas"...And you said that to your students with such a flavour, as if you came to visit Terentiy, and not me!

- Wait, wait, when people say in our Academy that you are very talented and great gardener and empiricist...

- I don't care, what people say about me there!

- I mean that I don't see anything bad in it, you are truly the most talented empiricist deductionist...

- And you are a bureaucrat!

- And... and... Ivan Vladimirovich, don't insult me, we can be heard.

- Don't worry, there are only bees around here, and they are busy. I used to have scientists here. They never gave out titles!

They took their hats off in my garden, and you are spoiling your students with gossip.

- Wait, wait, I'm reading the course of genetics.

- I know. I read your essays with a great sympathy, which are full of pitiful mistakes. This is a result of serious lack of practical knowledge.

Don't forget, that students are the children of workers and farmers. They are called to rebuild agriculture at revolutionary

pace, and not drag along for centuries with your poetic discussions: "Nature is unchangeable"...

- Noone is saying "it's unchangeable". I'm just stating that its changes are unpredictable.

- Here we go. It is so for your graduate day-dreamers! Do you think this apple blossom will exist forever? Nonsense!

Change conditions, and this apple will become a plum or something else in one thousand years. Do you want me to change it in five years?

- This is impossible! - I've heard it already from a priest.

- I serve Darwin, not church. - And I serve people.

For you Darwin is a God, and for me he is just an order for action. That is why I'm his follower, and you are his dependant,

honoured dependant of Darwinism! Damn you!

- Oh, you're so angry! I would have never thought that unity with Nature made you so tough.

- Not unity... the fight with amateurs and dilettantes, like you are. Why do you come to me? What brings you here?

- I honestly...

- Leave it alone, because all the party, national, social, leading from all republics, everything is attracted to my garden.

Wait, the students will leave you in a week's time.

- You are taking too much on yourself.

- Yes. I am the follower of Darwin in the Soviet state, and I have taken too much!

I'm not the admirer of Nature's laws, I'm a creator. That's it. The end of story.

- Thank you, erm, I thought we would talk as a scientist with a scientist, but all what you told me

and all your temper, all your intolerance, Ivan Vladimirovich... - It ignores all types of scientific views...

- Not all types. ...All types of scientific views, unfortunately, prove one more time, that all your experiments...

- Leave me, leave me alone! - No need to be rude.

- Ivan Vladimirovich! - I don't want to see anybody! - Ivan Vladimirovich, you have a visitor! The Chairman of All-Union Executive Committee, Kalinin Mikhail Ivanovich.

- Are you serious?! - He is coming here. - Oh my God, what are you doing to me?!

- But really, Ivan Vladimirovich! Just imagine that every single farmer has brought up two fruit trees.

- That's right! - One for himself, and one for his imaginary city comrade, who was deprived of the happiness to work with land.

It means two hundred million of fruit trees.

- In fifteen years that would be half a billion.

- Yes, it is a question of food... - Food, landscape, climate. - Hmm...

- High aesthetics, if you like.

- Yes, you are doing a virtuous deed, Ivan Vladimirovich! I can imagine how the best qualities of our people will flourish with such education.

The manners will become softer, personalities will improve. - What a splendid picture!

- Comrade Stalin says that we have come to the new form of agriculture - social.

Remember, Ivan Vladimirovich, all great future of our natural science belongs to collective and state farms.

- Yes, my time has come.

Please.

Create gardens in steppe, bring science out to the fields, to people - can you imagine what will happen?!

- It means to arm people for the fight forthe years of plenty.

- Exactly. And it will be so.

Yes, there will be no us by that time, but this... it will exist. It will fight the draught and lack of harvest. It's a shame that the real knowledge comes too late

and lots of time was lost to making mistakes. There could have been much more!

- It's nothing, Ivan Vladimirovich! We will give you everything, just tell us what you need.

- Fifty years of life. - No, my dear, no!

- I know, I know. - But I'm sure that thanks to you, Ivan Vladimirovich,

our grandsons will talk about it in a different way. It is Faust, eternal topic. And you are solving it.

- I believe. We are the ones who are solving it.

- People's destinies are solved mainly by the millions of workers.

Workers and farmers, who create the good of life, who feed and dress the whole world. They are the real heroes and creators of a new life.

There are two ways: the way forward - to socialism and the way backwards-to capitalism.

There is no third way.

- Great words, great events.

Farmers have taken the collective-farming way. The history of agriculture is getting filled with new forces,

full of other, higher meaning. It is not simply agriculture anymore. It is governmental activity of the millions.

Farmers, reformers, practitioners- our pre-rising dawn!

How bright, enlightened and full of joy will be our forecoming day!

- Gardeners of the Motherland! I'm sending you in a journey through a very special time. Yesterday I listened to the program of world reformation.

I kneel at this program, at its great author and performers!

My dream comes true. But, Young Communist Leaguers, I am old and I have realised that human life is not enough

even to observe the destiny of two-three generations of saplings up to the period of fruit bearing.

In your youth I see my continuation. I'm cloned within you and in your quantity I have my hope!

To the good timing! Remember: every collective farm should have a garden. Use our method, which is the best. In steppe - rows of gardens and berries!

Train enthusiasts selectionists. Organise experimental laboratories. Closer to people, to collective farms, and observe, and listen to your hearts.

Great deeds are performed there. Look through everything: steppes, mountains, forests.

To the good timing! Move all to the North, to the far North! Harden them!

- My garden is in blossom. Since that moment, when the great Lenin thought of me, all my life and work have changed.

My possessions expanded. Selectionists, geneticists, biologists, agrochemists, soil scientists

from all the republics have filled the laboratories, my farms. My national work has taken a very wide scale.

The town has become the capital of scientific gardening. Scientific-research institute was created.

Enthusiasts went on to find new plants. My obedient plants were moved above the polar circle, where nothing has ever grown, apart from moss and lichen.

Far Kazakhstan,

Siberia,

Sub-tropics,

Altai, the land of my heart.

Don,

Ukraine...

The map of plants, created by me, has become very wide.

Natural science has come to the unlimited borders of collective farms.

It won't take long until the grain, devoted to Lenin, will grow near Moscow and it will be unique in history.

The harvests of my students will inspire the world. And people will conquerthe time and summon to life the creatures from the future,

which were supposed to wait for long centuries of slow evolution before coming to existence.

- Hello, Ivan Vladimirovich! - Hello, Ivan Vladimirovich! - Get ready, teacher, it's time!

- I'm always ready! - Good words! - To people! Square, streets, theatre, all the Union of Republics!

- Pioneers of the North and East- welcome you! - Scientists, gardeners, artists, singers!

When we saw this army, we understood, how big your world is!

- Ivan Vladimirovich! The town was given your name - Michurinsk!

- Oh, shame on you! Oh, oh, shame on you!

- Stalin greets you with all the great Stalin's heart. He wrote it:

"With all my heart I greet you, Ivan Vladimirovich, with sixty years of your work for the good of our great Motherland.

I wish you good health and more success in the area of gardening! Shaking your hand. Stalin."

- Town Michurinsk! The capital of Russian gardening science! We are so happy, Ivan Vladimirovich!

"Dear Iosif Vissarionovich! Your telegram came to me as the greatest reward for all the eighty years of my life.

It is more dear to me than any other praise. I am happy to accept your greatest attention!"

- Oh so, well! Good! Very good! So...

Michurinsk, you say? - Michurinsk, Ivan Vladimirovich! The capital of the Soviet gardening science.

- Interesting! Fair enough! I mean thank you. I'll go. I will definitely go to see what the town is like! I have never seen it before. Probably some deserted place, eh?

- No way! - Bad town!

- No, it is an excellent town, Ivan Vladimirovich! Pack faster, Ivan Vladimirovich!

- I'm in no hurry, my children. - All are waiting to honour you. - I have no vanity.

- The people want to see you, Ivan Vladimirovich! - People? I understand, I'm coming! Where is a mirror? Give me a chair.

Oh God, I hate these wrinkles, they are so ugly! - Not true! - Horrible! - They are beautiful.

- I would have given all away: academy, titles, the best town in the world, and not some kind of Kozlov city, and all this honour if only I could get my twenty black horses back! No, they won't return.

There is so much to be done, so much to be understood!

Michurinsk, you say?! Fair enough, let it be.

Bless the work of the people! And bless the names, who brought me to this pedestal - Lenin and Stalin!

Great people, I'm acting along with you during the greatest time and the part of this immortality I have taken for myself. The dream of people comes true.

My dream comes true. I can see the future of our Motherland in blossom and I say: I am happy! Go forward, contemporaries!

Let the Soviet land be a garden! Let it adorn the humanity!

Hurrah!

THE END