16 LUTHER BURBANK 



On this basis alone I selected this particular 

 flower, put it in a plot by itself, gave it every 

 encouragement, and determined that its progeny 

 should live and perpetuate the particular strain 

 it represented; whereas but for this single 

 feature of variation, that individual plant would 

 in all probability have been destroyed along 

 with hundreds of others. 



The development of the fragrant calla, then, 

 through artificial selection based on the recog- 

 nition of the value of fragrance as an addition 

 to the attractiveness of this flower, represents 

 in a small way and in epitome the history of 

 the development of numberless races in nature 

 through the operation of natural selection. 



In this particular case, natural selection prob- 

 ably would not have resulted in the production 

 of a race of fragrant callas, because, as already 

 pointed out, fragrance of this character has no 

 value for this particular flower. It might even 

 chance that the fragrance which to our senses 

 is exquisite would prove unattractive or even 

 repellent to the flies that normally frequent the 

 spathe of the calla and aid it in perpetuating its 

 species. 



In that case natural selection would certainly 

 insure the early destruction of the race of fra- 

 grant callas. It may well have been through such 



