LUTHER BURBANK 



another race of fragrant verbenas, which was 

 introduced in 1901 under the name of Elegance 

 verbena. These are the two stocks from which a 

 large number, at any rate, of the fragrant verbenas 

 now under cultivation have been developed. 



My first fragrant verbena, the Mayflower, was 

 developed after I had worked for many years with 

 this flower and had grown great quantities of the 

 seed for distribution. The plant from which the 

 fragrant race was developed was found among 

 many thousands, most of which, as is usual with 

 the cultivated varieties, have a rather disagreeable 

 odor. 



I had noticed, however, that there were mem- 

 bers of the verbena colony that had a very slight 

 fragrance, especially in the evening. So I began a 

 careful search among them to find a plant the 

 flowers of which had the most pronounced per- 

 fume. 



After a long search among the thousands, I 

 found at last a plant that was distinctly fragrant, 

 markedly surpassing in this regard any of its 

 associates. 



This individual was of course carefully isolated 

 and its seeds were gathered. In due course I had 

 a number of seedlings among which some were 

 found that produced flowers more fragrant 

 than those of the parent. The selection was con- 



[108] 



