212 LUTHER BUKBANK 



blossom instead of a peculiar conformation of 

 leaf. 



By "line-breeding" and careful selection, I 

 was enabled in a few generations to isolate a calla 

 that has delicious fragrance while retaining all 

 the other qualities of the flower unchanged. 



The seedlings of this selected calla are not in- 

 variably fragrant. By careful inbreeding the 

 fragrant calla could without doubt be made to 

 breed true to the quality of fragrance. In the 

 particular case of the calla, this is of no special 

 importance, as the plant is propagated by 

 division. 



But in plants that are propagated solely by 

 seed, the fixing of the quality of fragrance would 

 be essential. 



Fortunately it presents no special difficulties 

 once a fragrant variant has been found. 



In a later chapter we shall learn of other ex- 

 periments in producing fragrant flowers, and 

 details will be given of the story of my fragrant 

 verbena which was introduced under the name of 

 Mayflower. The amateur who wishes to experi- 

 ment along these lines may begin with almost 

 any odorless flower in the garden. It is only 

 necessary to search for delicate traces of fra- 

 grance, and to learn to recognize nice shades of 

 distinction among odors. Anyone can readily 



