ON LILIES 



The manner of production of my fragrant calla 

 was described in an earlier chapter. 



It will be recalled that this anomaly was pro- 

 duced through selection from an individual found 

 among a large company. 



The question of odor and its variation in 

 flowers was further discussed in a recent chapter. 

 There appears to be, in point of fact, as wide a 

 range of variation among flowers in the matter of 

 odor as in regard to color. But inasmuch as most 

 selective experiments have been made with refer- 

 ence to color and quite without regard to the mat- 

 ter of odor, the cultivated plants have naturally 

 developed along the lines of color variation, and 

 even those that were originally fragrant have in 

 many cases lost their perfume. 



Improving Essential Oils 



In recent years, however, much more attention 

 has been paid to this matter. In particular, the 

 studies of the chemistry of essential oils, with 

 reference to the production of artificial substitutes 

 for the natural ones, has given clues that the plant 

 developer is beginning to take up. 



I have been invited, for example, to improve 

 the clove and the cinnamon, as well as the coffee 

 plant, in the production of races having a higher 

 percentage of the various essential oils for which 

 they are prized. 



[245] 



