LUTHER BURBANK 



Making application of a knowledge of this 

 affinity between disagreeable and agreeable odors, 

 I searched diligently among dahlias of various 

 races for a long time, hoping to find one in which 

 the disagreeable odor was supplanted by an 

 agreeable one. 



And at last the search was rewarded. I found 

 a dahlia that had a faint but very pleasing fra- 

 grance comparable to that of magnolia blossoms. 



Of course the seeds of this plant were saved, 

 and in the following season the most careful search 

 was made among the plants that grew from them 

 for fragrant flowers. And, as might be expected, 

 a certain number of these were found. 



By repeated selection, always searching for the 

 most fragrant flowers, and carefully saving their 

 seed, a race of dahlias was developed many of 

 which had a very agreeable perfume. Rather I 

 should say that there were several races, for the 

 quality of fragrance was associated sometimes 

 with one set of characteristics of size and form and 

 color, and sometimes with another. 



Selection being made in this case for fragrance 

 alone, as was necessary in order to intensify this 

 evasive quality, it was necessary mostly to ignore 

 the other qualities, and as usual in such cases, it 

 resulted that the new fragrant races of dahlias, 

 while having perfume that recommended them, 



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