FINAL SELECTION 65 



generation after generation, choosing always the 

 sweet-scented and rejecting the others, it proves 

 possible to accentuate and fix the quality of 

 perfume production without altering the other 

 characteristics of the respective flowers in 

 question. 



Again the quality sought may be a particular 

 color of blossom, and it may be desirable to pay 

 attention to this only, practically disregarding 

 all other qualities. Such, for example, was the 

 case with my experiments with the crimson 

 Eschscholtzia, commonly known as the Cali- 

 fornia poppy. 



The blossoms of the plant from which this new 

 type of poppy was developed had a narrow stripe 

 of crimson on the inner side of one petal. 



This was an anomaly that appeared "spon- 

 taneously." Doubtless it was due to some cross- 

 ing of ancestral strains that brought out a latent 

 character that had long been suppressed. But as 

 to this we can only surmise. The simple fact of 

 the matter was that a blossom did appear that 

 had this narrow stripe of crimson on one petal. 

 I seized on this individual blossom as offering 

 material for an experiment in color variation. 



Seeds from this plant produced the next year 

 several plants that had a trifle more crimson on 

 their blossoms. 



Vol. 3 Bur. G 



