THE SCENTED CALLA 



but which is obviously attractive to the particular 

 insects which the calla needs as coadjutors. 



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 successive gener- 

 ations that I developed the perfumed calla. 



The first plants that grew in the first generation 

 from seeds of my first scented calla showed 

 no improvement over their parent in point of 

 fragrance. But in the second generation, 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. 



By propagating this specimen as usual, by 

 division, scented callas precisely like the mother 

 plant were soon developed in quantity. 



Other races showing the quality of scent- 

 production in varying measure were produced 

 from the seed, but no one of the seedling varieties 



[79] 



