THE FRAGRANT CALLA 13 



commonly speak of as the calla's flower, and 

 also the normal habit of this flower in producing 

 only the musty odor which is rather disagreeable 

 to us, but which is obviously attractive to the 

 particular insects which the calla needs as coad- 

 jutors. 



But it does not explain how it chanced that 

 among a large quantity of seedlings of a tribe 

 of calla, known as the "Little Gem," I one day 

 found a single specimen that not only lacked 

 the disagreeable smell of the -others, but had a 

 mild yet unmistakable aroma that was distinctly 

 pleasing. 



Explanations aside, such a specimen did 

 appear among my callas, and it was by raising 

 seedlings from this anomalous specimen and 

 carefully selecting the best specimens for succes- 

 sive generations that I developed the perfumed 

 calla. 



The first plants that grew in the first gener- 

 ation from seeds of the first fragrant calla 

 showed no improvement over their parent in 

 point of fragrance. But in the second gener- 

 ation, as so often happens, there was a marked 

 tendency to variation, and from among the 

 numerous seedlings of this generation I was able 

 to select one that had a fully developed and 

 really delightful perfume. 



