Historic, Archive Document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. A Dahlia Chat DAHLIA growing in the big State of California is different from other parts of the country. Here, the rainy season is only in the late fall and winter months. Consequently irrigation during the growing and blooming period is necessary. Possibly this is why dahlia blossoms are produced in such great profusion, as the dahlia needs plenty of moisture. San Mateo is twenty miles south of San Francisco, in the famous sunny Peninsula district. The Bessie Boston exhibition garden is on the main highway connecting the Northern and Southern sections of the State. The garden is always open to the public. Our growing fields are in other parts of the City of San Mateo — pronounced San-May-tay-o. All our dahlias are grown under simple field culture. No manure is used ex- cepting where the soil has grown a dahlia crop for successive seasons. In dis- budding we remove the superfluous buds and the first pair of laterals. All dead flowers are cut off and carried to a pile to be burned. Cleanliness is an important factor in keeping our bushes thrifty. Yes, I am proud of my gardens and visitors tell me they are the best kept in the State. Planting begins in late April and lasts until June. Digging depends on the frost, which this year first occurred December 12. The long growing period pro- duces strong root stock. My dahlias are grown from roots, not cuttings. Increase is slower this way, but I love my dahlias and take pride in their success. The flourishing Dahlia Society of California issues a Bulletin and is always happy to increase membership. Apply to Mr. H. T. Hennig, 621 Third Avenue, San Francisco, for further particulars. Best wishes for 1927 to everybody. •Elizabeth W. Lymbery. (Formerly Bessie Boston.) P.S. — I THINK YOU WILL FIND THE 1927 INTRODUCTIONS ARE AS FINE AS PROMISED. 1928 WILL BE EVEN BETTER! Order Early — Order early to prevent disappointment. Substitution — We do not substitute excepting by permission. Forwarding — We ship at your planting time unless otherwise requested. Terms — Remittance with order. We prepay transportation on all retail orders. Culture — With every shipment we enclose growing instructions. Seeds — We have no seeds for sale. GUARANTEE — We guarantee tubers are true to name and in strong growing condition when shipped. BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIA FARM SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS •«•+& - "* - — — 8f*- New Decorative Dahlias of Our Own Introduction The Decorative Dahlia is a double flower, full to the centre in the early season, flat rather than ball shaped, with broad, flat, somewhat loosely arranged petals with broad points or rounded tips. ★BEAU IDEAL (Bessie Boston) This is a Mariposa in a decorative form. The first flowers were a pinkish lavender and we won- dered if it would be pink in the East, for while Mariposa is usually pink with us, customers in the East write us, it is lavender. We have bushes which bear only pink flowers and some bushes which carry flowers of the lavender tones. Beau Ideal was distinctly lavender at first and then pink flowers began to develop. At the time of this writing, the middle of October, the plants are laden with great big flowers of both colors. The two colors blend harmoniously. The bushes grow tall and luxuriantly, and from early season, produce masses of long stemmed, immense blooms. This is one of the varieties which helped us win the prize for undisseminated seedlings two years before we are marketing it, and it was called by people who saw it, the decorative Mariposa. The lavender blooms soften to white, shaded lavender at the centre, and the pink flowers show a deeper pink at the centre. Stems are long and stiff and carry the flowers out of the foliage. May 1 delivery. $10.00 net. ★BELLO (Bessie Boston) “Lovely” was the general expression of visitors who saw this pink decorative growing in our exhibition garden. It is the most delicate shade of rose pink, which, while it blends with a bouquet of other pinks, is most distinctive. The blossom has a fragile, fairy like appearance, but lasts well when cut. The petals are very narrow and pointed, with an irregular formation. The pink deepens in the petaloids which form the centre of the bloom. The length of the stems is a notice- able characteristic. They are canelike, and the first set of leaves is a foot or more below the flower, there is another long space between the next set of leaves. Many cut flower customers want stems three and four feet long, we have found Bello invaluable for such use. This is one of the very free bloomers which retains its delicate pink coloring to the end of the autumn. $5.00. ★BIG BOY (Bessie Boston) Immense deep flower of pale gold shading to the pink of the sunset. Well formed but not too regular to be stiff. Last flowers will have size, color, and closed centres. Although the stem is not straight, the flower was so beautiful, we had not the heart to destroy the stock. Bushes grow very tall and at all times are full of flowers. We have cut flowers with short stems, and used them effectively in our house. $2.50. ★BUENO (Bessie Boston) — Cover Cut This is a variety which we believe in all climates will live up to its name, which is Spanish for Good. It is a large, beautiful flower of an original coloring, with a long, perfectly stiff stem. It glows in the sunshine, and is even lovelier under artificial light. We had a large chest of gold and various autumn colored dahlias in the show, and people constantly asked, “What is the glorious brown dahlia,” referring to this decorative. An artist chose it among all the new ones as the most fitting flower for our cover picture, and he had a bewildering collection of unusual colorings from which to make his choice. Brown is scarcely descriptive of the color, which is burnished copper, shading to bright yellow at the centre. The whole flower is suffused with pink. Stem is incomparable. Bushes grow tall, and have excellent flowers from early to late season. Flower is large and deep and is excellent for exhibition and cutting, as it is what is briefly called “a good keeper.” $10.00. ★EL CERRITO (Bessie Boston) Oh, these new colors! They are so fascinating, but so difficult to describe. In paints, the color of this decorative would be called carmine, but it is very different from Ridgeway’s carmine. In our eyes it is a new shade, briefly described as pinkish red, but then, it is not red. Women customers say it is cerise. The base of the petals is bright yellow, but this is not apparent without close examination, but the yellow is there and illuminates the flower. Blossom is large, of artistic formation, and holds its centre well. Stem is good on an average. One of the first varieties to bloom and bushes were laden the entire season. Grew with us about four and half feet tall, but will doubtless grow much higher in the East. $5.00. i 4 b New Decorative Dahlia “Perella” < 5 BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS NEW DECORATIVE DAHLIAS OF OUR OWN INTRODUCTION {Continued) ★FELICIDAD (Bessie Boston) One of the new and attractive colorings of this season. Yes, certainly a difficult shading to des- cribe. We know it is most distinctive and arrested the attention of all visitors. Briefly, the color is a warm cream shading to pink. Formation is unusual also; flowers are formed of narrow, recurving petals. Flower is large and carried aloft on a rigid stem. It never takes the peony form. The bushes are of medium height and flower early and freely all season. Especially charming for cutting as the color seems to blend with everything but scarlet. $7.50. ★GRACIAS (Oliver-Bessie Boston) “Why the name,” ask our friends who understand that it means “thank you” in Spanish. In a crude way it is our expression of gratitude to Miss Oliver for the gift of this stunning dahlia. We believe this is one of the biggest, deepest dahlias, ever introduced. The color is yellow, heavily overlaid with oriental red. Stem is first class and holds the flower erect. Very free flowering, starts early and continues all season. In August, this year, we found one bush with twelve flowers, each flower at least ten inches in diameter. But while this is California where we will not grow a dahlia that does not yield an abundance of blooms, it was rather unusual to find so many im- mense blooms in perfect condition at one time. Bushes grow low, are improved with disbudding. $7.50. ★HONEYMOON (Bessie Boston) Is not the name suggestive of youth, beauty and happiness? We have been told many times the name is descriptive of the gay, crisp blossom of this decorative. Brides loved it. Dainty shading of cream and pink, delicately blended so neither color prevails. A true pastel effect. The big flower is carried on a straight, stiff stem, and grows well out of the foliage. Formation is most attractive and artistic. Petals are narrow and irregularly placed. The bushes grow tall and are bright with blossoms the entire season. Flowers last well when cut. This variety won the prize, in 1925, for the best three-year-old seedling of pinkish buff, offered by Mr. John Dee Wareham, of Cincinnati. $10.00. ★IRAN (Bessie Boston) A quaint blending of two colors make this introduction most beautiful and different. The flower is soft creamy yellow flushed with sunset pink. The deep color is most marked in the closed centre petals, and the effect is a pink eye. Blossom is large and deep, with long, fairly wide petals, which gracefully curve backward. There is nothing stiff or formal in the formation. Stem is long and stiff, throwing the flowers well out of the foliage. Low growing, but not dwarf habit. Blooms early and freely. Can be used effectively for any purpose. $5.00. ★JOY (Bessie Boston) A clear silvery lavender without a trace of white, is the color of this exquisite introduction. Imagine Shudow’s Lavender without any white shading, and you have the color of Joy. A dream of many years was realized when we saw the first bloom, and we watched that seedling plant with great interest all season. Noted it had all the fine, requisite qualities. It was such a joy to the writer, it was named immediately. Every time, for three years, when we went to the garden where our seedlings are tested, we went direct to this dahlia. Its beauty seemed to increase yearly. A long row of this favorite of ours was planted in 1926 in front of the dining-toom window, so we had the pleasure of seeing it constantly. Four years old, and we believe it flawless. An immense flower which grows exactly on the top of the stem like a chrysanthemum. Formation is as attractive as Shudow’s Lavender, but different. Grows tall and has beautiful fernlike leaves. Blooms early and late, and at all times profusely. Flower never shows centre. Behaves much like our old favorite, Shudow’s Lavender. No, its seed parent was not the older lavender. We had the first bloom of Joy in our house, and have had great bunches of it for four years, so know its excellent keeping qualities. It won the Rookwood vase for the best new lavender in the Dahlia Society’s show last fall. May delivery. $10.00 net. ★KABANA (Bessie Boston) A most striking flower of bright red, shaded yellow and tipped yellow. The yellow tip is one of the most distinctive features of this very large decorative. As the season advances the coloring changes and the blossoms is yellow, heavily shaded red. The blossoms hold their centre to the end of the long California season of blossoming. Stem is ideally stiff and strong. Bushes grow low but produce freely. $5.00. i 6 b SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA NEW DECORATIVE DAHLIAS OF OUR OWN INTRODUCTION ( Continued ) ★ KISHMA (Bessie Boston) A capricious coloring but very lovely. The flower opens up an old rose brown and quickly changes to a golden chamois, heavily shaded with the original coloring. Does not fade, just changes color, and this is why we said it was a capricious coloring. The blossom is filled with metallic lustre until it fairly glistens. Big and deep and most regularly formed. Stem is fair, and will add grace to a bouquet of stiff stemmed dahlias. We often find dahlias with canelike stems make a stiff bouquet, so are thankful for an occasional variety which has a graceful stem. The bushes grow low and branching and the fern-like foliage is an added attraction. $5.00. ★MARECHAL NIEL (Bessie Boston) Dahlias have been likened to people in some ways. You are told not to pamper them, but to love them. To give them food and water, an abundance of the latter, but not too much of the former. Dahlia growers who live among their bushes admit they sometimes forget they do not belong to the human family and talk to their flowers. The writer loves dahlias, and has been struck with the cleanliness of Marechal Niel. It is just like some people, always speckless. It grew on the front row of our highway garden, and the highway was torn up during almost the entire blooming period. There were clouds of dust all day and night, but dirt seemed to avoid this variety ; it stood up clean and shining. The color and form resemble the rose of that name, but the stem is rigid. Petals are more pointed than a rose, but the effect is a rose-shaped flower. Centre is high and is always closed. Color is cream illuminated with vivid greenish yellow. Bushes grow low and will have an abundance of perfect, big flowers, from early season until Thanks- giving, when we in San Mateo usually get our frost. $10.00. ★MARYMOUNT (Bessie Boston) The brightest buttercup yellow. A flower which will stand out among other yellows because of the richness of its coloring. Color does not vary. The centre petals are exactly the same shade as the outer. As regularly formed as a camellia. Flower is both large and deep, and has superior lasting qualities when cut. Sometimes, before a show, it is difficult to classify a hybrid cactus or a decorative as the dividing lines are so close. Judges often disagree with the exhibitor, as we know to our cost, but no judge will hesitate in proclaiming Mary mount as a decorative. Bushes grow low but not dwarfed, with us, and are covered all season with large blossoms with splendid stems. A variety which can be recommended for any purpose. $5.00. ★MELISANDE (Bessie Boston) A variety which has attracted great attention for many reasons. The bushes grow tall and spread- ing, and carry an abundance of very long stemmed, large flowers, which stand well above the foliage. Color is most noticeable and pleasing. Soft cream, deepening slightly to the centre. A greenish light runs through the flower. Stems are absolutely rigid, the large deep blossom grows nearly at the top of them. Petals are long and fairly narrow. Centre is at all seasons perfect. $7.50'. ★MRS. SAMUEL H. TAFT (Bessie Boston) A startling new coloring of gold and burnt orange. The flower is a luminous gold delicately tinted with burnt orange, and in the sunshine has the appearance of having been sprinkled with gold dust. The backs of the petals are a pink orange. These are the prevailing tints, but they are blended together so they create a charming and unusual effect. But color is not everything. This decorative has also large size, great depth, and a strong, long stem. Petals are irregularly placed, and the flower can be recommended for any use. This dahlia was named for a woman who has given so much of her time to flowers and Garden Clubs in Cincinnati, that she is nationally known to all flower lovers. When we decided to name another dahlia after her, we tried to choose one of what we believe to be the favorite coloring of hers. We advise planting this dahlia early. The plants grow moderately tall and bushy, and were productive of quantities of high-class blooms with us. $10.00. ★OTONO (Bessie Boston) This means Autumn in Spanish, and we very much wish we could simply describe it as Autumn coloring. But there is such a variance in Autumn shades, and when we see a dahlia so described, we wonder what it looks like, so we are attempting a more elaborate description. The flower is a brilliant gold, full of metallic lustre, the reverse of the petals is reddish pink. The unfolded centre petals are dull red. We have never seen a mixture of autumn shades like it. Flower is large and deep with best possible stem. This decorative attracted much attention when it helped us win the prize for undisseminated seedlings in 1924. Blooms freely all season. Bushes grow fairly tall. In the long blooming season in California will latterly take a peony form. $5.00. J-... BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS ■♦♦SC NEW DECORATIVE DAHLIAS OF OUR OWN INTRODUCTION ( Continued ) ★PERELLA (Bessie Boston) The picture of this new decorative is very pretty and gives the form correctly, but is not exactly true in coloring. The flower itself is all pink, has none of the deep red tones of the cut. We have the picture before us as we are writing this description. Mechanical art cannot always give a correct interpretation of color. Beside the picture we have two flowers in a vase on our desk. One is Rookwood and the other Perella. The new decorative is suggestive in coloring of the older variety. But there is really a marked difference; Perella is much pinker and without the lavender suffusion of Rookwood. It is bright rose pink, shading lighter on the outer petals, the inner circle of petals show a trace of lavender. Petals are long, fairly flat, but not regularly placed. The flower is bigger than Rookwood but not so deep. Stem is long and stiff and grows out of the foliage and holds the flower up. Bushes grow of medium height and are productive of an abundance of perfect blooms from early to late season. Flowers keep well in water and are even more beautiful under artificial light than when they are growing. $10.00. ★RHAPSODY (Bessie Boston) It has been a custom of ours for many years to keep a record book of our seedlings. The des- criptions are necessarily brief. This is what we wrote about this decorative in the fall of 1925: “Old rose and gold blended. New shading. Very good.” Briefly, this is a good description, but we suppose it will be necessary to elaborate on it. The blossom during the warm weather is deep old rose with a contrasting gold centre. The two colors are distinctly marked. As the season advances and the days and nights become cooler, it is old gold, heavily shaded with old rose, with a reverse of deep rose. An irregularly, attractively shaped flower, but true to type. A fascinating flower for cutting, and large and heavy enough to grace an exhibition table. Height of bushes might be termed medium. There are four or five flowers on a bush at a time. Stem, as the English catalogues would say, is first class. It is long, strong and stiff. One to a customer. May delivery. $10.00. ★ROSELANI (Bessie Boston) Dahlias appeal to people in different ways. A few persons like the mass of color they produce at a season when other flowers are scarce. These few let their bushes grow wild, never taking off the superflous buds or laterals. They claim dahlias are not a cut flower, and they are not when they are not properly grown, the buds and the branches absorb the water when cut, and the flower fades. Dahlias properly grown, and picked in the early morning and stems scorched or placed a few seconds in a shallow pan of boiling water, and then arranged in a deep vase, will keep better than roses. But some varieties will outlast others in a vase, Roselani is one of these. The flower is large and deep. The color is a rose pink shading to a white centre. Each petal is faintly edged with carmine. This is not noticeable unless you closely examine the flower. When the flower has been cut a day or two, the white centre is most noticeable. Petal formation is not stiff. The stems are incomparable, long and stiff as bamboo, and grow right out of the foliage. Bushes are tall and productive of heaps of flowers which are always perfect. Begins blooming the latter part of August when the weather is most favorable for dahlias. $10.00. ★SADKO (Bessie Boston) This dahlia seemed to make an especial appeal to the garden customers who wanted to grow dahlias for cutting. They liked the stiff stem, and lovely color of creamy salmon. They fancied the medium height of the bushes, loaded with large flowers and buds. They were satisfied with the keeping qualities of the bouquet they took home. An all-round good dahlia which can be used for exhibiting if too many buds are not allowed to form. $5.00. ★TREASURE (Bessie Boston) Oh, these new colorings! They are so beautiful and simply maddening to describe. According to Ridgeway this decorative is cream with a reverse of deep jasper pink. The pink in the flower is deeper and richer than the color plate denotes. Look at the flower at the back and it is all pink, turn it face forward, and it is cream, heavily shaded pink. The color on the back shades the petals. The centre is illuminated with a peculiar greenish yellow light. This is what a woman would call pastel coloring. The blossom is large and composed of long, narrow petals which have a delightful twist and turn. Distinctily decorative type as the petals show no inclination to roll. Stem is perfection itself. Long, stout, and the flower grows well out of the foliage. Flower keeps well when cut. Bushes grow tall and robustly and are always a picture with their wealth of blooms. Centres remain closed all season. Treasure was well named if garden sales are a correct indication of the public’s appreciation of it. $10.00. ..-t s J-... t 0 r SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA Hybrid Cactus Dahlia “Nichu i 9 b BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS NEW DECORATIVE DAHLIAS OF OUR OWN INTRODUCTION (■ Continued ) ★VARIO (Butler-Bessie Boston) Spanish for variegated. Color is deep amber with a tiny stripe of pink running down the centre of each petal, terminating in a pink tip. Flower is large and deep. Petals are long, narrow and graceful, and slightly recurved. One of the first varieties to flower and blooms generously all season. Many bushes never produce a flower of solid color. The occasional blossom of self- color comes very late in the season and takes a hybrid cactus form. For this reason, it is difficult to classify this dahlia. We have watched it carefully for two seasons because in San Francisco the blossoms were pure hybrid form. Admirable stiff stems, which carry the blossoms well out of the foliage. Flowers retain their centres all season. Tall growing. $5.00. ★XARIFO (Bessie Boston) Another huge bright red. “A whale of a flower,” said a dahlia grower when, two years ago, we took it to a meeting of the Dahlia Society of California. Depth equals the size, and stem is long and stiff. Grows tall, starts blooming early and produces freely of flowers, but in San Mateo will develop centre early. We have seen an occasional perfect flower late in the season, but with us peony flowers predominated. We feel certain, however, in a warmer climate, with a shorter blooming season, this variety would always take the decorative form. $5.00. ★YUKON (Bessie Boston) Very distinctive coloring of Royal Purple, so distinctive nobody has disagreed with us and called it red. Purple with a blue light running through it. This blue suffusion is most noticeable on the outer petals. A large but not immense flower, with a stem hard and stiff. Bushes are tall and luxuriant, and the contrast between the green foliage and many purple blooms arrested the eye at once. Visitors asked instantly, “What is it?” Flower is regularly formed of small shell-shaped petals. The blossom cannot be combined in a bunch of red dahlias, will be found admirable with the lilacs, lavenders and mauves. A bouquet or basket of flowers of the paler and pastel coloring, is often relieved if a deep colored bloom can be added as a contrast. Centre always closed. $5.00. Decorative Dahlias — Novelties and Standards The Prices are for Strong Tubers Introducers' Names are in Parenthesis Those Starred are California Dahlias ★ALBION (Bessie Boston) The color is white shading towards the centre to greenish cream. The petals are narrow and curling. It is an exceedingly fine bloomer and will keep a person busy disbudding and cutting off dead flowers. One of its other pleasing characteristics is closed centre always, and late blos- soms will be as large and perfect as early ones. Grows very tall with a striking dark green, crinkly foliage. $2.00. ★AL KORAN (Davies) A glorious big bright yellow flower, deepening to amber at the centre. A splendid stem. Has a fine record throughout the country for winning prizes. $2.00. ★ALTESSE (Bessie Boston) Yellow dahlias are becoming almost as abundant as red, but you really cannot get too much yellow, and Altesse is not a commonplace shade. It is a bright buttercup, shading deeper at the centre. A graceful formation of petals, which may take a hybrid cactus form in a cool, foggy climate. Stem is hard as iron and holds the big flower erect. Bushes are low-growing and bloom early and freely. $3.50. ★AMIGO (Bessie Boston) Have you grown San Mateo, the monster bi-color? If you have, let us state, Amigo resembles it in everything but color. The flower has the same size, substance, petal formation, and long stem. Grows very tall and carries its blooms well above the foliage. But the charm about this decorative is its marvellous coloring, gold, illuminated with a sunset glow. The cleft or stag- horn petals add much to its attraction. $2.00. A 10 b SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA •♦4&* DECORATIVE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) ★AMULET (Oliver-Bessie Boston) A Cincinnati customer wrote on August 30, “Amulet is literally loaded with large blooms seven to eight inches in diameter. Five fully open this morning, others half open, and several others showing color. A very beautiful and satisfactory flower and plant.” Amulet is a rich deep brown, slightly suffused with gold and old rose. While new coloring is important, Amulet has every other good quality, such as large deep flowers, very long, branching stems, freedom of produc- tion, a centre which remains closed, and best of all, the flower will remain fresh in a bouquet when all the rest of the bunch is ready for the compost heap. The type is rather confusing, as it is formed exactly like Shower of Gold, which the A. D. S. used among its examples of hybrid cactus. Here in the West, we classify it as decorative. Bushes grow tall and are among generous producers of flowers which start to bloom early. Miss Elsie Oliver, an enthusiastic lover of dahlias, originated this variety. $7.50. ★AM UN RA (Seal) A stunning flower of copper and orange with a reflex of scarlet. Very large and full and with an incomparable stem. The bushes make strong, healthy growth, and will bloom most freely all season. This decorative has won many prizes in California and in the East, but not all blooms will have a perfect exhibition centre. $1.00. ★ARGONAUT (Bessie Boston) This gold has an apricot centre and a suffusion of the same shade. Large, deep flower, of perfect form and stem, but the petals are slightly irregular, so the flower is not stiff. This was the first of the dahlias to bloom, and the row of low-growing bushes were smothered with flowers. A decorative that never shows centre. We were particularly struck with the beauty of this dahlia under artificial light. $3.00. ★ASTER (Bessie Boston) Formed exactly like an aster, with long, narrow, straight petals. Another distracting color to describe. A shade between mulberry and American Beauty, with a reverse of deep American Beauty tints. The petals are shaded with cream or fawn. This is more pronounced as the season advances. Both color and form are different. Stem is stiff and straight. Bushes grow fairly tall and bloom incessantly. Flower is large and will always attract attention either growing or cut. $3.50. ★BACIO (Bessie Boston) It is hard for California dahlia lovers to believe that the blooms of dahlias are limited in the East. Here, many varieties are a mass of color for several months. This is a decorative which is a perpetual bloomer, meaning in San Mateo endless work in disbudding and removing wilted flowers. One of the first to bloom and a mass of full centered flowers until cold weather. A large, well formed flower with a perfect stem. Color, a majenta pink deepening towards the centre. $2.50. ★BARBARA REDFERN (Redfern) New 1927. This is one of the biggest and most perfect dahlias we have ever grown. We have had the pleasure of testing it for two seasons, so have no hesitancy in boosting it. Color is a delightful blend of old rose and old gold. Size is immense, depth is very great. Flower is borne on heavy, stiff stems. Begins blooming early and continues until the end of the season. Bushes are fairly tall, vigorous growers, and are profuse bloomers. A bouquet of Barbara Redfern has lasted nearly a week in excellent condition in our house. This new variety has been grown in advance with great success in New Jersey and Virginia. $10.00. ★BAZAAR (Oliver-Bessie Boston) Honor to whom honor is due. This splendid decorative was originated by Miss Oliver. An extraordinarily big blossom, averaging nine-inch flowers with closed centres from beginning to end of the flowering period. A combination of California sunset shades, soft chrome yellow overlaid with red. These colorings are delicately blended so neither predominates. $2.00. ★BEAU BRUMMEL (Bessie Boston) Beau Brummel is a flower of pure royal purple which does not fade nor burn on the hottest day. Stands erect on an incomparable stem. Grows on low spreading bushes. Produces the entire season a super-abundance of very big, deep blossoms. An all around excellent dahlia of a rare color, which has been grown with excellent results everywhere and withstood rain and extremely hot weather. $2.50. ..jr 1 1 J-... t II y BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS DECORATIVE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) ★BEAUTY (Bessie Boston) We love this dahlia and think the name most descriptive. The color is distinctive, very pale mauve or pinkish lavender, gradually shading lighter to a white centre. The flower is large and deep and beautifully formed. Stems, hard, long and stiff. Another tall, robust grower, which is a generous producer of blooms. $2.00. ★BESSIE BOSTON (Leedham) A decorative which is always in demand because of its splendid stem and lasting qualities when cut. Looks like a big red sunflower with cleft petals. 75c. ★BIJOU (Bessie Boston) We have never had but one seed pod from Shudow’s Lavender, and Bijou is the only result from that planting. The color is cream, but close examination will show this deepens to yellow at the centre and at the tips. The petals have a peculiar curl and twist, which make a most unusually graceful and enchanting flower of a form new to us. Grows at the top of the stem like Insulinde. Flowers are large and produced with greatest freedom. The leaves are very large and cut as fine as a fern. $2.00, *BLACK JACK (Dressler-Hodgens) The deepest maroon dahlia of any type. Color is so dark, it might almost be described as black. Flowers are very large and full, and carry the blossoms well above the leaves. Bushes grow tall and blossom generously. $2.50. *BON (Bessie Boston) Many people on seeing this deep red blossom exclaimed “good,” so finally we gave it the French equivalent for the name. It is a splendid large blossom with perfect centre. Stems are strikingly long and firm. Recommended highly as a cut flower. Produces flowers freely for months. $1.50. ¥ BONANZA (Bessie Boston) There has been a friendly rivalry among the California growers to produce a new red decorative better than some excellent ones on the market. We sincerely believe we have that red in this dahlia. The form is perfect and unusual, as the shell-like petals have a tendency to curve back- ward, the centre is good, the stem hard and long, carrying the blossom aloft. The color is a very deep crimson. Early and free. $1.50. ^BONITA (Bessie Boston) Good, as the name signifies. Pale bronze with gold lights is the unique coloring. Large, deep bloom, carried above an exceedingly long, stiff stem. Heavy disbudding is not advisable. A charming cut flower. $1.50. *CADIZ (Bessie Boston) Some dahlia combinations are bewildering. Cadiz is one of these. Picture a flower, if you can, of reddish orange, shading to chrome yellow at the base of the petals, with a reflex of pale gold. Note how the petals twist and turn, so much of the reverse is visible. A novel and attractive blend of color. This is a profuse bloomer, with splendid stems. $3.00, ^CALIFORNIA SUPERBA (Wintjen-Bessie Boston) This decorative is usually in prize winning collections in the East, as well as it is in the West. It has won several prizes as the biggest flower in San Francisco shows. One of the largest pink dahlias grown. The flower is composed of narrow petals of a delicate shade of pink without any blue tone, and shades gradually to a white centre. The stem is stiff and holds the blossom up straight. Blooms freely and retains its centre all season. $2.50. *CELLO (Bessie Boston) Medium sized flower of French purple or purplish cerise, with narrow, frilly petals. Excellent for cutting and every bush should produce frequently a large size bouquet. Stem is admirable, and form, while different, good and attractive. Centre always remains closed. Will be found most ornamental in a garden, as it is always bright and gay. $3.50. ■i 12 b Decorative Dahlia “Oasis” A 13 b !»♦• BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS DECORATIVE DAHLIAS— Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) ^CHAMPAGNE (Bessie Boston) The following letter from Southern California tells its own story: “Perhaps you will be inter- ested to know Champagne’s record for me this year.” (1925.) First. First. First. First. First. Best 12 one variety. Best 12 one variety. Best 12 one variety. Best 12 one variety. Best 6 one variety. Los Angeles. Ventura. Santa Barbara. Fillmore. Santa Monica. “Pretty good for one variety, in one year, what do you say?” Champagne is one of the largest dahlias we have ever produced, but size, while a strong feature in a dahlia, is not everything. This decorative seems blessed with all the dahlia qualities to make it a success. Color is delightful, warm autumn shades, varying from burnished copper to a dull golden champagne and chamois. Stem is heavy and holds the massive flower absolutely upright, and the bushes are plentiful producers of blooms. $2.50. ^CHINQUAPIN (Bessie Boston) An autumn color which pleased everybody who saw it. Bronze, or pale chestnut, shading to gold at the centre. The dark green, luxuriant foliage, was a striking contrast to the gay blooms. Flowers are large and gracefully formed of narrow, slightly fluted petals. A variety which will always have a closed centre. Stem is long and wiry and holds the flower up in the air. Bushes are neither tall nor dwarf, but of medium height. Blooms freely. It is one of the cut and come again dahlias. Care must be used to pick only fully developed blooms. $2.50. * CLIFF CRAGGS (Asmus) A very big, deep flower, of ox blood red, carried on a strong stem. The tall bushes bear a wealth of flowers all season. $4.00. ^COMSTOCK (Bessie Boston) This is a type of decorative which the American Dahlia Society classifies as hybrid cactus. The petals are slightly fluted, forming a beautiful flower of great substance. The long straight stem is excellent and the flower fine for cutting. An immense yellow. $1.00. *CONCHITA (Bessie Boston) “Ah, the enchanting color.” How will we convey it to you without an odious comparison? We are going to risk it and compare this introduction with our favorite dahlia, Rookwood, for in coloring it is a pale pink Rookwood without the lavender suffusion. One flower is suggestive of the other in shade but vastly different when the flowers are placed together. The formation of the large deep blossom of Conchita is irregular enough to be charming. The plants grow moder- ately tall and the bushes will break under the weight of flowers if they are not generously cut. Stems are knig. ambstiff: $3.00. DARKEYE Flesh pink, with a dark centre like an eye before the flower is fully developed. A large, splendid blossom with depth and admirable stem. 75c. *DEL NORTE (Bessie Boston) Del Norte is one of the most northerly counties of California, and is famous because it is th only place in the world where the redwood trees grow down to the edge of the sea. Dahlias grow immense in its picturesque county seat, Crescent City. The flower is a bicolor, amber, regularly tipped with flesh pink. Bushes of dahlias bearing blossoms of two distinct shades, will at times produce flowers of only the strongest color. In this variety, this is most except- ional. Great, big deep blooms, composed of narrow, curling recurved petals. The long, straight stems, are of lateral growth, but hold the flower up stiffly. $4.00. *DOLLY YARDEN (Bessie Boston) This is one of Dickens’ most lovable characters, and may we add, this dahlia is as bewitching as the sprightly Dolly herself. At last, we have a real pink as beautiful as Delice. The color is relieved, however, by a creamy pink centre. Formation of petals is irregular. The outer petals roll, while the inner ones broaden out. They twist and curl delightfully. The bushes are of medium height and always bear a wealth of blossoms. Of course, the stem of Dolly Varden is of the finest quality. The flowers, while large, are not immense. $2.50. SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA 55f+- DECORATIVE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) *DR. TEYIS (Pelicano) A magnificent blossom of a blend of copper, old rose and old gold. Immense flower withAhe best possible stem. Has a tremendous record as a prize winner. 75c. *DREAMLIGHT (Bessie Boston) — See Peony Dahlias. * EARLE WILLIAMS (Doolittle) An immense scarlet, tipped white. Deep, regularly formed blossom, borne on a fine stem. An exceptionally fine variety of most brilliant coloring. Prize winner. $1.50. ¥EL DORADO (Bessie Boston) This variety is almost too well known to need description. It has won prizes yearly, last season was judged the best eight blooms of a decorative at the Indianapolis show. Size, stem and color of this variety are of the best, and, after all, these are three characteristics which interest a person most in a dahlia. Picture a low-growing bush with immense golden blooms which stand up and look you in the face, and you have El Dorado. A strong feature of this beauty is, the depth corresponds to the size. It has greater substance than any variety we have ever seen. And, then, there is the wonderful exclusive color — we say exclusive, because we have never seen a blossom of such vivid gold coloring, which is emphasized by the deeper tones at the base of the petals. $5.00. *ELLINOR VANDERVEER (Seal) A big, full blossom of deep rose pink, carried on a fine, long stem. This variety was introduced two seasons ago, and has won many prizes throughout the Eastern States. Bushes grow tall and bloom freely throughout the season. One of the best Californians of recent origin. $5.00. ★ELIZA CLARKE BULL (Bessie Boston) The demand is always greater than the supply of this immense white dahlia, which, strange to say, has taken more Eastern than Western prizes. It is a dahlia that flourishes in a warm climate. Eastern growers say it is the best white of any type. This is one of the biggest and deepest flowers of its class. The form is perfect and the petals are just enough irregular to prevent it from being stiff. It has, however, a heavy, firm stem, which carries the flower erect and out of the foliage. Blooms generously on bushes of medium height. In explanation of the name, for many years, Mrs. E. C. Boston, a white decorative introduction of ours, has been a leading prize winner. We named this for our mother. Now, we feel we have a much superior white, so have given it our mother’s maiden name. $5.00. *FAITH GARIBALDI (Garibaldi- Bessie Boston) — Back Cover Picture This immense decorative has won a Gold Medal in the three successive years it has been shown at the Palace Hotel, San Francisco. It was entered the first time in 1924 for the best six blooms of a three-year-old seedling. The next season, we won our second Gold Medal for it, with fifty blooms. And last fall it captured the Camden Dahlia Society’s Gold Medal for twenty-five blooms. It also, in 1926, won the sweepstakes at Portland, Oregon. The thirteen-inch flower was exhibited there by an amateur. This decorative was judged the best Californian at the Verona Garden Club show at Verona, New Jersey. The colored picture is only a fair reproduc- tion of this rose colored decorative. The growing flower, in San Mateo, is several shades paler, and shaded lighter on the outer petals. Eastern correspondents have written us, it was a silvery pink with them. It has great depth as well as large size, and is held up straight on a long, stiff stalk. Begins blooming early in August, and continues until frost. Every flower is large and perfectly formed. Flowers begin early and late blooms will be large and beautiful. The stem is strong at all seasons. Flowers never show centre. Blossoms are ideal for cutting as well as exhibiting, as they retain their freshness for a long period. We have had blossoms last a week in the house. $5.00. ^FANCIFUL (Bessie Boston) Red is the gayest color. Have you ever noticed the scarcity of bright red flowers, and how dahlias provide for this lack in the flower kingdom, just as a delphiniums supply the blue? Fanciful is so unusual, it attracts immediate attention. The face of the petals is bright scarlet, the reverse old gold. The centre petals show gold only, so at the distance, the effect is a scarlet flower with a gold centre. But a closer view shows the striking combination of two distinct colors. An occa- sional flower will be evenly tipped white. Note, we say an occasional bloom, this is not a general condition, but just a freak of nature. Flowers are large and evenly formed. Stem is desirably strong and of cutting length. $4.00. 15 b BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS ♦♦SC DECORATIVE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) *GECKO (Bessie Boston) Fancy, or two colored dahlias, fascinate many people by their oddity. A bush of this variety will produce fifty per cent of flowers of amber, tipped white, and fifty per cent of pinkish amber. Each coloring is good and attractive. It blooms so profusely, you can always cut generously of your choice of coloring. Flower tops a fine stiff stem, and we know from experience it is a charm- ing flower cut, and keeps well. Grows tall and luxuriantly and keeps blooming early and late. $3.50. ^GRENADIER (Bessie Boston) If you saw this dahlia growing you would want it, as it stands alone in color and form. It is a purplish maroon shade combined with silver. The petals on one side are purple and the other pale silver. Owing to the out of the way construction, the flower shows both colors. The petals quill and turn back, and the whole construction is unique. It is a monster flower and very deep. The stems are heavy and hold up the blooms at all times. They are very lengthy and grow right out of the bushes without a leaf. It has a delightful fashion of producing flowers liberally. $5.00. ^HAL VELLA (McWhirter) This is an exceptionally large, fine and deep decorative, of a charming color, old rose slightly brighter than salmon. It produced some of the biggest flowers we grew last year, and the stems were all strong and stiff. Flowered freely, early and late. $2.00. *HIS MAJESTY (Bessie Boston) This is one of our biggest introductions, and flowers remain large all season. An extravagantly free bloomer, and later flowers will retain their size, centre, and substance. Does not require heavy disbudding to obtain size and stem. Some dahlias are just naturally big. The biggest blooms we gathered from His Majesty were from bushes which had been only slightly disbudded, and which grew on new and unfertilized soil. The color is a bright scarlet. The bushes grow extremely tall and bloom abundantly. Everybody who saw it growing, ordered it, even if it was red. $5.00. JERSEY BEAUTY (Waite) If this Eastern dahlia was as small as a Pom Pon, it would be generally loved because of its en- chanting shade of pink. But, it is a big, deep, flower, with a tremendously long stem. In Eastern shows, it has been a constant prize winner for several seasons. $2.00. JERSEY JEWEL (Waite) A refined new shade of orchid or mauve pink. A large, beautifully formed flower, which will immediately attract attention and admiration. Can be recommended highly for exhibition. $5.00. JERSEY MONARCH (Waite) An all around big flower, carried erect on a heavy stem. Color is delightful, deep salmon, shading to a yellow centre. $5.00. JERSEY SOVEREIGN (Waite) Glorious orange gold is the peculiar color of this attractive decorative. Flower is large and well formed, stem excellent. Can be recommended for all purposes, but its color makes it particularly attractive in a bouquet. $5.00. 4JESSIE K. PRESCOTT (Bessie Boston) Nature is so lavish in her use of colors in many of the dahlias, it is impossible to do some of them justice in descriptions. This decorative is one of them. The color is deep orange at the centre, gradually shading to a creamy orange on the rows of outer petals. The formation is unusual, as the long, narrow petals have an inclination to roll backward. The tall bushes are branching and productive of masses of splendid flowers with exceptionally long, good stalks. $2.00. *J. W. DAVIES (Bessie Boston) The coloring is novel and difficult to convey an idea of in cold type. The deepest shade of cerise at the centre graduating to a lighter tint, this blending of two shades of cerise creates an entirely new effect. The giant flower has depth, as well as size, the stem is perfect, making it as good for cutting as exhibiting. It blooms profusely all season. $2.50. 16 b SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA Em- decorative DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) * KARMA (Spencer) A delightful dahlia, and one which will always bring pleasure. The big pink blossoms make a strong appeal to lovers of the beautiful. They grow thickly on low-growing bushes. Stems are stiff and straight. The color is a delicate ethereal pink. Mrs. Spencer has won at the three last San Francisco shows with baskets of this introduction. $3.50. *KITTIE DUNLAP (Bessie Boston) This is always a prize winner and every year it is our pleasure to give new records of its wininngs. This decorative won, in 1926, the Dahlia Society’s of California Gold Medal for the best fifty blooms. It also received a prize at the Autumn Exhibition held in Tokio, Japan. Kittie Dunlap is not only a beauty, but has every characteristic which endears it to a dahlia grower. Blooms freely all seasons, has excellent keeping qualities, long firm stems, immense size, and great substance. It is of the delightful shade of the American Beauty rose. The petals are broad but have a slight tendency to roll, the long stems are practically without leaves. $1.50. *LADY BOWDEN (Wintjen-Hodgens) Very deep lavender, with a bluish suffusion which is very noticeable. Not a blue dahlia, but an approach to this color. Flower is large and deep, stem is incomparable. Always blooms abundantly. $3.00. ¥LA MASCOTTE (Bessie Boston) Dahlia growers are always looking for something different in color or formation and nothing gives more joy than to find a dahlia which is unusual. The unique coloring is a two-toned effect as the petals are a silvery white with a deep violet reverse. $1.00. *LARA (Bessie Boston) Color is cream, illuminated with a peculiar green light at the centre. Size is large, and stem heavy and canelike. Will bloom most generously the entire season. $2.00. *LEAH M. GLEADELL (Morse-Gleadell) A dahlia everybody likes and praises extravagantly in this part of the state. Perfect in every way. Color is copper illuminated with gold. Stem long and stiff. Always perfect flowers on the very tall bushes. A good keeper. $3.00. ¥LOTUS (Bessie Boston) Lotus is a favorite with us and we can recommend it highly as a cut flower. We know our dahlias and keep a house full of blooms, and this dahlia proved its worth every week in the season. The color is a luminous flame, or a lively orange, intensified with a metallic lustre. Stem long and straight. The blossom is large and of the new shape described as water-lily. $1.00. -¥-MANON (Bessie Boston) This lovely white flower, delicately shaded with heliotrope, will appeal to the lovers of dahlias. A big bush, laden with flowers, is a joy, and a big bunch will last well in the house. It is a cross between the decorative and hybrid show types. The inner petals are quilled and the outer ones are flatter. Stem is at all seasons strong. Flowers are large and deep. The tall growing bush will always provide a bouquet. $2.00. MARGARET MASSON (Fisher & Masson) “Is a beautiful silvery rose pink of great depth and size. Wonderful exhibition variety on account of its good keeping qualities and fine upright stem. Very free bloomer.” This is quoted from the originators’ catalogue and we have found it fairly descriptive of this fine decorative. It has been a continuous prize-winner throughout the Eastern shows and most beautiful in San Mateo. $4.00. 4MARY C. BURNS (Bessie Boston) This is a sensational dahlia which will immediately arrest attention because of its extraordinary coloring. The outside of the petals are old gold and the reverse a dull red. Stem is admirable, and it is a wonderful free bloomer. The size is enormous. This introduction has made us many friendly customers. $1.00. ..jr i 7 j.... t i / y BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS •♦4&1 DECORATIVE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) *M. H. de YOUNG (Bessie Boston) Pure old gold, with scarcely any variation in color except perhaps the centre is illuminated with a slightly brighter shade. The first flowers do not perceptibly vary from the last ones in coloring. Always a mass of immense deep blossoms,, which are borne high on absolutely stiff stems, which have a pleasing habit of growing well out of the foliage. This superlative dahlia has bloomed well everywhere. Prize winner. $5.00. MISS BRIDGETON (Venable) Big, deep flowers of alluring old rose. Stems are particularly long and straight. Bushes grow very tall and are at all seasons covered with flowers. $2.00. *MISS BROWN (Bessie Bsoton) Professor Norton has given us a most helpful book listing the names of 7000 dahlias. Now, we are hoping somebody will give a list of 7000 new and suggested names for dahlias. This is a preamble in regard to the name, Miss Brown. Among ourselves, this was called the brown dahlia, so in desperation for a new name, we prefixed a Miss to the Brown. It is a golden russet shading to a golden tan centre. The flower is resplendent with a metallic lustre. A large, but not an immense flower, and a wonder for cutting. $1.00. ¥ MISS CALIFORNIA (Pelicano) A dahlia of unusual coloring and aptly described by the introducer as “oriental fuschia.” This won the Santa Barbara trophy at the last San Francisco show, and the name in consequence may be changed to Santa Barbara. It is a very large flower carried on a stiff stem. Bushes are always full of flowers which are as attractive for home decoration as for exhibiting. $5.00. *MISS WORN (Bessie Boston) Burnished copper suffused with old rose, a blending of favorite shades which is different. A very large, deep flower, composed of shell-like petals. Stiff, leafless stems of great length make this a most pleasing cut flower variety. $1.50. *MODOC (Bessie Boston) The chief characteristic of this variety is it grows like a chrysanthemum at the top of a rigid stalk. Color is a deep purplish cerise, decidedly more on the purple tones than the cerise. The exceedingly long petals have a trick of curling. The flower is both large and deep and has an unusually attractive formation. The centre never opens. $1.00. *MRS. CARL SALBACH (Salbach) This variety is a mauve pink shading to white. The flower is very large, with long stout stems* This Californian is deservedly a continuous prize winner in the shows from coast to coast, and also a popular cut flower variety. 75c. *MRS. E. C. BOSTON (Bessie Boston) Best standard white decorative. Large regularly formed flower with good stem. This is recom- mended for all purposes. Has been grown well in every locality. $1.00. ¥MRS. ELEANOR MARTIN (Pelicano) One of the best recent California introductions which has been grown successfully everywhere. A prize winner in Eastern and local shows. The color has been well described as mulberry. The petals are a peculiar rose tint with a reverse of violet. There is no color combination like it. Sunshine increases the beauty of coloring. Stem is long and straight, and bushes are always well covered with blossoms. We are very proud of having had twelve-inch crown flowers of this decorative, and a profusion of lateral flowers of nine and ten inches. $4.00. *MRS. W. D’ARCY RYAN (Bessie Boston) A lovely autumn-tinted decorative. What color is it exactly? This is rather hard to answer, as the bushes bear blossoms of gleaming old gold and also copper-colored ones. Flowers are arge and regularly formed and hold their heads up proudly on perfectly stiff stalks. $1.50. A is ¥■ SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA ■Sf- DECORATIVE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) MYRA VALENTINE (Mills) A beautiful Long Island decorative of an odd new coloring, golden bronze. Flower is large and attractively formed and carried on stems a yard long. $1.50. *NEEWAH (Bessie Boston) A most refined flower, composed of narrow, odd shaped petals. Butter yellow with variations, deeper at the centre and shaded pink on the outer petals. The blossom is large and deep, and held on a perfect stem. Blooms most freely. One of the best cut flowers we have ever grown, and can be used for other purposes most effectively. Lights up well under artificial illumination. Centres remain closed all season. Bushes grow of medium height. $4.00. ^NIKITA (Bessie Boston) Nikita is unique in every way. An immense, deep flower, of striking and graceful formation. Color, crimson, with a reverse of pinkish tan, and centre cream. Petals have a trick of twisting and turning, and colors mix and blend so it is impossible to give a pen picture of this charming combination of shades, or the grace of the blossom. Flower is of the largest size and very deep, and held on a stem so stiff, it will look you fully in the face. Bushes are low growing and will at all seasons bloom generously with the highest type of flowers. Exhibitors will find this deco- rative will answer every requirement, and you who grow dahlias for the glory of them in the garden or the color in the house, will love Nikita. $10.00. *OASIS (Bessie Boston) This decorative is a delightful pure pink without any trace of yellow or lavender. It is the pink of the old fashioned Duchess rose, only deeper in tone. No dahlia like it in color, and no color chart resembles it. A large, but not heavy flower, of long straight petals which curl slightly. Stem is long and straight, but flowers show a very slight inclination to droop. We used this pink with great satisfaction in our house all season and were delighted to find how fresh it kept. The bushes do not grow high and were completely smothered with blooms. $4.00. ¥OSAM SHUDOW (Bessie Boston) The original Osam Shudow was our friend and associate who worked so energetically to bring fame to Bessie Boston dahlias before his untimely death in 1918. The big, heavy, loose petals produce a flower more like a gigantic rose than a dahlia. Color, a delightful old rose slightly suffused with lilac and shading to yellow at the centre. No bloom has ever been less than nine inches in diameter and most of them larger. The bush is very sturdy and tall, and the main stalk is the thickest we have ever grown. The flower stem is 1 on g , t h i c k an d • h ea vy a m kt h eblossftirtiv r>,^. comes well above the attractive foliage. One bloom is a bouquet. It is a pleasure to add, this decorative was a prize winner in 1926 in Tokio, Japan. $2.00. ^PEERLESS (Bessie Boston) An excellent clear sulphur yellow decorative of the largest size, very deep, regularly formed, and stands erect on a hard, stiff stem. Centre is always perfectly filled. The bushes grow tall and are always smothered with blooms. $2.50. *QUEEN OF THE GARDEN BEAUTIFUL This dahlia originated in the famous garden of the inmates of San Quentin Prison. It is a very large primrose yellow with a strong stem. Has won prizes in the San Francisco shows. About fifty per cent of the blooms have green centres. $7.50. *RIENZI (Bessie Boston) Big, bold flowers of great depth and of unique coloring, bright scarlet verging on vermilion, with a reverse of gold. The peculiar petal formation makes these contrasting colors most striking. The bushes are low growing and compact, and we advise cutting out the central stem so the plant will branch freely. The only bloom we measured was ten inches. Stem is stiff. SI. 50. i 19 b BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS DECORATIVE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) 4ROOKWOOD (Bessie Boston) For sheer beauty there is no dahlia like Rookwood, and we acknowledge it is a prime favorite of ours. It has been a most persistent prize winner. Several years ago, after winning a prize offered by Mrs. S. H. Taft of Cincinnati, this dahlia was named after the famous Rookwood Pottery. This decorative is of an entirely new shade of pink, and, of course, difficult to describe. The color is more like the popular Mrs. Charles Russell rose than any flower in commerce; it is pure bright cerise rose, without the faintest touch of magenta, and is as beautiful under artificial light as the Russell rose. The flowers are immense, with good depth, and are held aloft on splendid straight stems. The bushes grow low and spreading and are always a mass of blooms. $3.00. *RORY O’MORE (Bessie Boston) Deep maroon, tipped white. Flower is large and grows on a perfectly stiff stem. Blooms freely all season. Everybody was crazy over it when they saw it growing or in the shows. Flowers are always two colors. Our bushes have never produced flowers of solid color. $2.50. *ROSA NELL (Broomall) A most beautiful and satisfactory dahlia. Color is a bright clear rose, flowers are large and well formed. Stem is excellent, and it blooms most freely. 75c. ¥SERPOLETTE (Bessie Boston) Everyone agrees that Serpolette is A No. 1, for it has most beautiful coloring and extra fine stems. It is one of the deep lavenders where the blue instead of the pink tints prevail, and would be described under the liberal classification of mauve in English catalogues. Flowers have great size and depth and bloom most generously. $1.50. ^SHOWER OF GOLD (Bessie Boston) This large decorative is a brilliant yellow, deepening to soft apricot toward the centre. A new type, with slightly fluted petals. Very strong stem and blooms freely. One of the best cut flowers. $1.00. *SHUDOW’S LAVENDER (Bessie Boston) The prize winnings of this dahlia are too many to list, so we are merely mentioning it won, last year, a prize in the show at Tokio, Japan. No picture will do justice to this variety, for the color is changeable in different lights and seasons. It was Mr. Shudow’s favorite seedling, hence the name. The very large bloom is a silvery lavender slightly shading to white. In hot weather, the white will be more marked, but as the season advances, will almost entirely disappear. The stem is absolutely perfect, long and stiff, and holds erect the big blossom. It will bloom con- stantly and freely from early to late season and never show a centre, and also has excellent keep- ing qualities as a cut flower. One of its most unusual features is the attractive lace-like foliage. The plant is a very tall and robust grower and it often grows to the height of eight feet. Gold medal variety. $2.00. *ST. FRANCIS (Bessie Boston) Soft cream color brightened with a pinkish glow on the outer petals, creating a delightful blossom which can be used for all purposes. A flower which will be most useful when cut owing to its keeping qualities and rigid stem. Admirable for exhibition because of its size, and incomparable in the garden because of its beautiful coloring and freedom in producing flowers. $2.00. ^SUFFRAGETTE (Hodgens) A decorative which is well worth growing, for it will at all times produce an abundance of big canary yellow flowers on strong stems. An occasional blossom will come with white tips. The two-colored bloom is striking and beautiful. $1.50. -¥-SUSAN G. TEVIS (Bessie Boston) This introduction of ours took the closely contested sweepstake prize, a Gold Medal, in the 1925 Seattle show. An exceptional dahlia, which will produce an abundance of flowers throughout the season. Will be among the first to flower, and will produce as good specimen blooms at the end of the season as in the beginning. This beautiful variety should fill a long-felt want, for there has been a need for some years for a lilac blue flower. This decorative has a distinctive new color tone, best described as a deep shade of lilac with a bluish sheen. The blossoms are regularly formed of narrow, flat, pointed petals. It is a very large, graceful bloom, of fine depth. A very vigorous grower of dark, bronze foliage, which makes a striking contrast to the dark lilac flowers. We just defy anyone to produce a better stem. $3.00. •S 21 BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS DECORATIVE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards {Continued) ¥TANFORAN (Bessie Boston) A huge scarlet with peculiar twisting and curling petals. True it is another red, but this is the most popular color with the average man, and the dahlia is a man’s flower. Seventy-five per cent of our customers are men. Tanforan is a towering bush which carries a wealth of bright blooms all the fall months. The rigid stems hold the big deep blossom upright. Its centre formation is perfect at all times. $1.50. ^THEODORE VAIL (Bessie Boston) A color much in demand, old gold shading to apricot. Stem is long and straight and borne well above the foliage. 75c. ♦TOMMY ATKINS (Bessie Boston) There never was such a startling color — flaming scarlet — so full of metallic lustre that it fairly glistens in the sunshine. Absolutely, there is no dahlia which even resembles it in color. The name was given it because of its stunning coloring, which is like the British soldier’s tunic. The large deep blossom is attractively formed, and is not stiff and formal. The centre remains closed until the bushes are cut down by frost. And oh, yes, the stem is quite as stiff as the cane the British soldier swaggers with, and it blooms very early and continuously. $2.50. * VALENTINE (Bessie Boston) A truly wonderful exhibition and garden flower of tremendous size and a lovely color of pure cerise. The blossom is composed of many flat, very narrow petals, giving it substance and an uncommon appearance. $1.00. •^VANITY (Bessie Boston) One of the entrancing varieties of a glowing coral pink. Many visitors who saw it growing ex- claimed, “Oh, how lovely!” A big, but not enormous flower. The highest grade cut flower and combined with its charming and unique coloring, is a stem, long and cane-like. 75c. *VIVANDIERE (Bessie Boston) — See Peony Dahlias; *W. E. COOPER (Bessie Boston) The blossom is huge and carried in profusion on perfectly rigid stalks, and the color is not the least of its attractions, a clear true pink with no suggestion of lavender or mauve. The pink of this dahlia is pleasing and different. As excellent for cutting as exhibiting. $1.50. * WIZARD OF OZ (Doolittle) An immense blossom, which has won many prizes for the largest flower in the shows. The color is salmon rose shading to yellow. Stems long and good. $3.00. *YUM YUM (Butler) Tan ground suffused with pink, heavily striped and splashed with garnet, is the combination of colors which compose this uncommon and attractive flower. Size is large, stem upright. A free producer of blossoms. $1.00. New Cactus Dahlias of Our Own Introduction The cactus always will be a favorite with many people because of its unique formation of petals, which make it look like a chrysanthemum. The petals are long, narrow, pointed, twisted or fluted. The hybrid cactus is becoming popular; it is a large bold flower, of coarse petals. American Cactus is a California new type. The petals are coarser than the English exhibition, but not heavy enough to form a hybrid. Good stems feature strongly in this new class. In the East, flowers of this type are still permitted in the cactus collections. SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA •*4B - NEW CACTUS DAHLIAS OF OUR OWN INTRODUCTION ( Continued ) *ABUNDANTE (Bessie Boston) As this is a Spanish word meaning abundance, accent the final e; and there will be no difficulty in pronouncing it. We gave it the name because it produced so freely of flowers. It was one of the first of this year’s introductions to burst into bloom, and never ceased. Late November, the bushes still contained many flowers, which were of perfect form. This is a large, bright yellow cactus of American type. Flower is perfectly incurved. Stem is very strong and stiff. Bushes grow luxuriantly and fairly tall. May delivery. $10.00. ^MALVERN (Bessie Boston) Pick a bloom of this autumn colored hybrid next fall, and then sit down with pencil and paper and see if you can do it justice. The petals twist and turn, the colors mix and blend, until an exact description is beyond us. It changes color in every light. Out-of-doors, it is gold with a reverse of pinkish orange; indoors, the peculiar orange tint prevails. The base of the petals is. bright yellow. The flower is large at all seasons. The bushes carry many blooms with stems excellent for cutting. The bush, while not dwarfed, is not very tall, and is smothered with blos- soms the entire season. $5.00. ¥MUSETTA (Oliver-Bessie Boston) Old rose illuminated with gold at the centre. Flower in color is suggestive of the old favorite, Futurity, which many growers have discontinued, as it rarely produces a crop of tubers. Flower of this hybrid cactus is large and borne on a long, stiff stem. Occasionally, a flower takes the decorative form. Bushes grow medium height, and carry a wealth of blossoms which are ideal for household decoration, but can be used as well on the exhibition table in either form. $5.00. ¥NOLA (Bessie’Boston) "You lead such a wonderful life, wandering around all year in a marvelous garden, with nothing to do but to enjoy beauty.” When our ears are assailed by this common remark, we almost see red. Dahlias, even in California, do not bloom twelve months in the year. We work at disbudding and cutting dead blooms until our back aches, and then come the lovely fall days when copious notes must be taken for catalogue work. This year, however, we are writing our descriptions while the flowers are in their glory, and when you have a vase of six pinks to describe, it is hard work. All are different, all are lovely. Nola is one of these pinks, a true pink. The petals have a slight incurved formation, but have also a baffling turn and twist. Stem is long and excellent for cutting. Flower is large and graceful. Bushes are tall and spreading and full of closed centred flowers. Hybrid type. $5.00. ¥PHYLLIS TUCKER (Bessie Boston) When you grow hundreds of varieties every year and five thousand seedlings, and when you visit many other dahlia gardens and have many seedlings brought for your inspection, you get rather hard boiled. This is the writer’s life. Thrills are few and far between. We admire and love many dahlias, the other fellow’s as well as our own. Well, to be more brief. Phyllis Tucker gave us a decided thrill when we first noticed it. A big bunch of pink dahlias were brought for a special order from a garden where my seedlings are given trial. Among them was an adorable pink hybrid cactus. What is it? 2313, a two-year-old, was the reply. Next season this was constantly gathered for this same customer and we found they were calling it, Mrs. Tucker’s pink. A very large, well formed flower of incurved formation, a true bright pink. The base of the petals is cream pink. A very long, leafless stem, holds the flower right on the top. Lasts excellently when cut. Grows tall and luxuriantly. Foliage is very dark green. Starts blooming the last week in August and produces freely until frost. Centre is always closed and flowers never lose their size and stems always remain stiff. $10.00. ^SAMARIA (Bessie Boston) A seedling patch is an unfailing source of interest. At first it seems all red, and when these are spaded out, there is a mass of yellow, and when the spade has finished with these, it is curious to see what colors will prevail. In the year of 1923, autumn shades and pink were abundant, so that is why we are offering so many of these favorite colors. Samaria is a burnt orange, shading to gold, and full of golden lights and metallic lustre. Big, deep bloom, borne on a stiff stem. Another autumn colored variety which will be found invaluable for cutting as well as exhibiting. Bushes grow moderately tall and bloom freely the entire season. $5.00. A 23 b BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS NEW CACTUS DAHLIAS OF OUR OWN INTRODUCTION ( Continued ) ^SONORA (Bessie Boston) Chrome-orange is the color according to two color charts. To the layman, fiery orange is probably more descriptive. We have never seen such a brilliant orange in any flower in the big floral king- dom. The centre is flame color and the flower shades lighter at the outer petals. In the sunshine It looks as if it were sprinkled with gold dust. A large, but not immense flower, with a good stem. Petals are slightly flat at centre but outer petals are closely rolled in this most stunning hybrid cactus. A variety which will always give life to a bouquet. Bushes grow fairly tall and bloom freely from early to late season. Centres remain until frost. $5.00. *VEGA (Bessie Boston) A pronounced hybrid cactus of novel autumn coloring. The outer petals are gold, heavily suffused with pinkish brown. This is as we would describe it. According to Ridgway, it is deep chrome yellow, with outer petals overlaid with orange apricot. Flower is both big and deep, form is perfect for exhibiting. Stem is long and strong. Bush grows fairly tall with a heavy centre stalk. Flowers begin early and continue in profusion the entire season. A variety which seems to have every good point, and which we are sure will give you pleasure. $5.00. ¥ WELCOME (Bessie Boston) Do you like a perpetual bloomer? Do you like to grow a dahlia which will produce a big vase of blooms, and will be full of buds and half open flowers so you can gather another bunch in two or three days from the same bush? If so, you will love this hybrid cactus. The large flowers are brilliant buttercup yellow, with the outer petals shading to apricot. Stems are both long and stiff and are leafless for twelve and fourteen inches below the bloom. We were struck with this fact by a flower before us as we wrote this description, and promptly measured the stems of the cut bloom and those growing in the garden. Bushes grow tall and sturdily. $5.00. * * * Cactus Dahlias — Novelties and Standards The Prices are for Strong Tubers Those Starred are California Dahlias Introducers' Names are in Parenthesis MALICE VOISINET (Davies) Large, well formed hybrid cactus flowers of coppery rose with a tan reverse. Contrasting purple green foliage. $2.50. ^AMBASSADOR (Broomall) Enormous hybrid cactus of creamy yellow suffused with pink and gold. Stem is perfect. This is a well-known prize winner. Our stock of this variety is excellent, free from stunt and bushes which produce open centred flowers. $3.00. CAMBER GLOW (Bessie Boston) A cactus of the highest English type, petals are long, narrow and straight. Size immense. The color is bright yellow, deepening to pale orange at the centre. An incomparable exhibit blossom which is also good for cutting. $1.00. * ANTOINETTE (Bessie Boston) A huge hybrid cactus composed of many, narrow, rolled, recurved petals. The earliest flowers are so deep, the blossom is almost the shape of a huge ball. The color is distinctly unlike any we have introduced, a delicate rose pink, or pinkish lavender. Moreover, while this is a prolific bloomer, it retains its centre and size throughout the season. $2.50. i 24 b SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA Hybrid Cactus Dahlia “Cinderella1 ..j. i... t t BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS 55f>- CACTUS DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) * ARTHUR TWITCHET (Bessie Boston) The coloring is flesh or blush pink. A large, perfectly formed incurved flower with faultless stem. Masses of lovely blossoms the entire season will be the reward for growing this fine American cactus. $1.00. ^BALLET GIRL (Bessie Boston) This dahlia has reached England and has been winning prizes there. The highest English type of cactus, but with a better stem than most of those imported. A bush will contain such a variety of blooms that it is no fun to describe it. The biggest percentage of the flowers are orange with a white edge, but there are pure orange blooms, white flowers shading to orange, white flowers, edged orange and other variations all on the same bush. $1.50. ^BELVEDERE (Asmus) A big, maroon colored hybrid, borne on a long, stiff stem. This variety received certificates of merit at the California and Maryland trial gardens. Will be found a welcome addition to this popular type. $5.00. *BIZERTA (Bessie Boston) A dainty straw color, illuminated with sunset pink. Large and well formed hybrid. While the inner petals are long and straight, the outer petals wave and twist, so the form is graceful. Stems are extra long, and while slender, hold the flower stiffly. A most luxuriant, tall growing plant, which will always be in bloom. $2.50. ^CALIFORNIA ENCHANTRESS (Bessie Boston) A large bloom of great substance and a delightful shade of pale pink. Hybrid cactus are greatly in demand because of their size and erect stems. This has both these admirable qualities, com- bined with freedom in flowering. “A splendid dahlia in every way,” is the way it is described in a large Eastern catalogue. $1.00. *CID (Bessie Boston) The city of the Golden Gate has months of delightful sea fogs which develop open centres to decoratives and cactus varieties, while in the warm weather in the East, dahlias remain true to form. So, in the beginning, we are going to advise you that this hybrid cactus will probably be a peony in San Francisco. The color would make it popular in any form, as it is a flaming orange exactly the shade of a pomegranate flower. The flower is very big and of rather loose formation. The bushes are low growing. It is a perpetual bloomer on a excellent stein. $1.50. -^CIGARETTE (Bessie Boston) A hybrid cactus more vivdly colored than Ballet Girl. Best described as creamy white, heavily edged orange, but no two flowers are exactly alike. The petals are long and narrow and inclined to roll. Bloom is large and of good substance. Stems are.of the best quality. The name is that of one of the greatest heroines in fiction. $2.00. ^CINDERELLA (Bessie Boston) No difficulty in classifying this as it is a hybrid -cactus which is almost perfect in type. The long outer petals are tubular and pointed, but towards the centre the florets have a tendency to flatten. An immense, deep, full flower of incurving formation. The sturdy, tall bushes are always covered with flowers on long stems, which stand up and look you in the face. Flowers which are full to the centre even late in the autumn. We must admit the color of the picture is not exactly to our liking. We would describe it as pale salmon, or fawn pink shading to a tan centre. Prize winner. $3.00. *DADDY BUTLER (Bessie Boston) One of the most popular dahlias ever introduced, and a persistent prize winner all over the country. This is a large hybrid cactus of the truest form for exhibition. The many petals are perfectly rolled. The color is of the American Beauty rose shades, or rosy carmine. The reverse of the petals is a lighter tint, giving a variation of color. We know of no other dahlia like it. Stem is perfect and we never grew a dahlia which was a heavier producer of blossoms. Will last fresh a week when used as a cut flower. $2.00. ■i 26 b SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA CACTUS DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) 4DR. RAYMOND (Feeney-Bessie Boston) The flower is pink, suffused with yellow, and heavily splashed and striped with very deep crimson. Rarely, if ever, produces a bloom of solid color. Stem has necessary length and stiffness for cutting. $2.50. *EL GRANADA (Bessie Boston) This is one of the largest hybrid cactus grown, and has won prizes from coast to coast since its introduction. It is often catalogued as “one of Bessie Boston’s most sensational creations.” Has won innumerable prizes for us, beginning with the Gold Medal for the best six blooms of a three year old seedling. El Granada is always among the twelve prize winning Californians at the San Francisco show, and was again the largest flower shown at the Santa Maria, California, show in 1926. The color is a vivid orange, and the petals twist and interlace, showing at the tips a creamy yellow reverse. The long stem grows well out of the foliage and is absolutely stiff and faultless. The high bushes are covered with large, deep flowers with closed centres, from early until late season. No colored cut is perfect, and the picture El Granada, while excellent in form, does not give a proper idea of the great depth of the flower. The orange coloring is much too vivid in the picture also. $5.00. ^ELIZABETH BUTLER (Butler-Bessie Boston) This is an adorable flower. The color is the same as the old favroite. Futurity, except it shades to a soft yellow as the petals recede toward the centre. This hybrid cactus has large size and splendid stem. The tall bushes are productive of a wealth of blooms which are ideal for cutting. $1.50. *ELSIE OLIVER (Bessie Boston) If you can visualize an enormous creamy pink hybrid cactus, this is Elsie Oliver. Pink dahlias are scarce, and this is a delicate new pastel blend of pink and cream. It is a creamy pink shading to cream in the centre. But while the color is an exquisite feature, a blossom of any color would be a prize winner with its immense size and formation. Perfect hybrid cactus, with long evenly rolled petals and a good centre. Free bloomer with good stems. Good everywhere. $2.00. ^EMPIRE (Bessie Boston) American cactus type. Bold large flower of raspberry red is composed of many perfectly rolled, incurved petals. The color is deeper at the centre and gradually lightens to pure raspberry. The bushes were laden with immense blossoms, full to the centre, until Jack Frost came. Prize winner. $2.00. ^ESTHER HUNT (Bessie Boston) Hybrid cactus change their types in different climates. Where it is cool and foggy, they often become peony, and where the weather is exceedingly warm, they resemble the decorative. This, however, is such a well defined type, it does not vary wherever grown. The large blooms are composed of long, well rolled petals with serrated tips. The centre might be said to be perpetually perfect. Even when the flower has faded, and the outer petals are falling, this hybrid cactus never shows centre. The vivid colored flowers of oriental orange make a most striking bouquet. $2.00. -^FIGARO (Bessie Boston) Color has been a hobby and study of ours for years, and in this and all descriptions, we have tried to give colors known to everybody. But, Figaro has a baffling color. Briefly, it is an autumn shade of reddish bronze with strong golden lights. Flower is large with a lasting centre, and well formed. Stem is admirable. Blooms freely. $4.00. F. W. FELLOWES (Stredwick) The blossom is huge and composed of long, narrow, straight petals. The color is unusual, orange or terra-cotta. The stem is long and straight. 75c. -^GALATEA (Bessie Boston) W as the Gold Medal Dahlia for 1923 as it received that award for the best six blooms of a three- year-old seedling at the show given by the Dahlia Society of California. The color with us is a soft yellow embellished with a suffusion of pink on the outer petals until the waning season. The large blooms are composed of long, wavy, narrow petals. The centre remained closed until the last flower. Stem upright and long. Plants grew tall and were smothered with flowers. $2.50. BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS •♦4SC CACTUS DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) ^GEORGE WALTERS Always a prize winner. This is a monster hybrid cactus of lovely coloring, pinkish-salmon shading to a yellow base. 75c. * GLADYS BATES (Bessie Boston) American cactus, one of the popular dahlias in contrasting shades. Immense, heavy blooms of incurved petals of tan, with a reverse of rose. Perfect form, closed centre, long, straight stems, and a profusion of blooms. This dahlia is but slightly removed from the English class. Prize winner. $1.50. ^GLADYS SHERWOOD (Broomall) An immense white prize winning hybrid cactus, recommended for the garden and the show. 75c. *GRISETTE (Bessie Boston) Grisette is a joy to grow. Form, stem and color are ideal. The flowers are large and deep, and composed of countless heavy but not coarse, closely rolled petals. The tall bushes will produce an abundance of blossoms on stems so excellent as to endear it to all lovers of cut flowers. This hybrid has excellent exhibition size and formation also. The color is a fascinating old gold, heavily flushed pink. $2.50. ¥IAN (Bessie Boston) Every good dahlia has emphatically one strong point. With Ian it is form, which is perfectly incurved, and it might well be described as a giant English cactus, but the evenly rolled petals are too coarse. A very large and a very deep flower of clear yellow, gradually shading pink on the outer rows of petals. The reverse of these outer petals is also touched with sunset shades. Stem holds the flower upright, so it is equally good for cutting and exhibiting. Blooms freely. We have watched this variety with unusual interest because of a tendency to produce flowers tipped white. For several seasons, bushes, which developed fancy flowers, were marked and segregated in an effort to produce a fancy variety, but these did not always come true. Perhaps, you will get flowers touched with white, perhaps you won’t, but at all times you will be pleased with splendid, big blooms. $7.50. JEAN CHAZOT A delightful autumn coloring of golden bronze suffused with nasturtium red. Flower is large and graceful and held erect on long, strong stems. A most beautiful blossom for any use. Especially fine for cutting. American type. $1.00. JERSEY RADIANT (Waite) A lovely hybrid cactus of Eastern origin. Color is bitter sweet orange. Flower is large and well formed. Stem is good. Blooms freely. $5.00. *KOH-I-NOOR (Bessie Boston) Maroon, and at times so dark as to be nearly black, perfect type of hybrid cactus, as the petals roll closely and run to a point at the tip. The flower texture has a pronounced velvety sheen which adds greatly to its beauty. Blossoms are very large and deep, and can be grown for the largest flower in the show. Centre perfect throughout the season. Stem is stiff as a cane. Blooms abundantly at all times. The very dark green foliage on the tall growing bushes is a pleasing contrast to the rich colored blooms. Following is a quotation from a letter received from an Eastern grower: “Koh-I-Noor was covered with immense flowers from early until late, and I can readily see how we could easily grow this variety for the largest in the show. It is such a red dahlia that I have been looking for, for some time.” $2.50. ¥LA FAVORITA (Lohrmann) Large hybrid cactus of a new and distinct coloring, a most brillaint orange. Each bloom carried on a long stem. Always full to the centre. 75c. *LOLITA VELASCO (Bessie Boston) “The most perfect white cactus,” to quote A. T., the well-known dahlia authority, in the Bulletin. The petals are extremely long and straight, the centre excellent, and the size immense. The stem is very long and stiff, so the flower stands up and looks at you. American type cactus which always wins prizes. $2.00. 28 b SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA — S++- CACTUS DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) LOUISE SURTES (Leonard-Bessie Boston) A fancy of a decidedly new combination of colors, white, heavily penciled with carmine rose. Flower is perfect incurved form, borne on a first-class stem. Blossoms are large and deep, and with careful disbudding can be grown to immense size. A splendid exhibition hybrid, and will be found attractive when cut. This is the first dahlia of Eastern origin we have ever introduced. S2.50. PLUCKY STRIKE (Hodgens) New 1927. White dahlias are scarce and there is always a demand for them. We congratulate Miss Hodgens on the introduction of this exquisite white hybrid cactus. We have been privi- leged to grow it for two seasons, so can recommend it for having all the good qualities. Incurved flower is very large and full. Petals are long and closely rolled. Color is pure snow white. Stem is long and good. An early and bountiful bloomer. $5.00 net. 4MAKU (Bessie Boston) The name is the Chinese word for fairy, and well named. Most delicate shell pink, which will deepen in a cool climate, and will not bleach in hot sunshine. Very long, strong stem, which holds the flower upright. Form, absolute perfection. Graceful incurved bloom. The pale pink deepens towards the centre, and all the petals are suffused with deeper color, just as if they had been daintily touched with a painter’s brush. $2.00. ^MARIAN MOORE (Bessie Boston) Marian Moore is a dahlia which was a great favorite in the garden last fall. The women raved over the color, a clear pinkish cerise with no tintings of blue. Lots of persons rave over majenta bougainvilleas, and others turn in horror at the mere suggestion of a majenta flower. Marian Moore is a clear, pinkish cerise, with no majenta tones. The reverse of the petals is a lighter tint. This hybrid cactus is of perfect incurved formation. Flower is large, and stem will suit even the most fastidious. A free and early bloomer. $3.00. ^MARIPOSA (Bessie Boston) “Nearly every dahlia grower has two or three favorites and it is not surprising to find this shaggy lavender-pink hybrid cactus as a general favorite. It comes sometimes more pink than lavender, but late in the season the coloring is most likley to be shaded a pure lavender. It is like a piece of beautiful art work.” The foregoing is a clipping from the Garden Magazine and Home Builder. Colors of flowers vary in different climates, and we are adding a description as we grow it in San Mateo. A perfectly formed hybrid type composed of long, narrow incurved petals which twist and curl so they baffle a photographer. A delightful shade of true pink which is intensified by a deeper colored centre. A faint violet suffusion adds to the effect. The veining of the petal heightens the beauty and increases the novelty of the coloring. One of the gigantic California introductions which has depth as well as diameter. An absolutely firm, stiff stem, which rises at least a yard out of the foliage. A centre which is regular and perfect throughout the season. Blooms early and keeps full of flowers the entire fall. $2.50. ^MERCEDES (Bessie Boston) A very gay and entrancing flower of creamy yellow suffused with sunset pink. The reverse of the straight petals is splashed with deeper pink. Flower is exhibition size. One of the earliest and freest bloomers. Hybrid. $3.00. MERIDIAN A free flowering English cactus of sulphur yellow. Petals are very fine. Flower is large, stem is stiff. Good for exhibiting and cutting. $1.00. MRS. HUBERT BLACKMAN Beautiful pinkish mauve shading to white. A good-sized flower composed of very fine petals. Very free blooming. Stem is excellent. English cactus. $1.00. ■i 29 L BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS CACTUS DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards (Continued) ¥NICHU (Bessie Boston) Do you remember Yellow King? Perhaps some of you grow it yet and are rewarded with a very few lovely flowers. But disappointment comes when you dig your plant and find nothing but a mass of strings for roots. Nichu is a new Yellow King, but blooms abundantly and has a decent crop of tubers. The blooms are immense, of very incurved shape. Flower is held erect on a strong stalk. A cheerful bloomer, which will produce at all parts of the season, a mass of clear yellow blossoms, with closed centres. $5.00. *NOAH (Bessie Boston) The striking characteristic of this big hybrid cactus is its depth. The flowers are almost ball shaped, but not stiff and formal, owing to the formation of narrow, recurving petals, which curl gracefully. One of those constant bloomers which Eastern dahlia fans love. Stems are very straight and strong. The color is the hard part of the description. We have never seen any- thing like it. Perhaps, a dusty maroon will best describe it. $2.00. ¥OBERON (Bessie Boston) It is a deep old rose with a most pronounced violet suffusion. Immense well built, deep flowers, which will remain double the entire season. A splendid free flowering variety, with strong, up- right stems. Hybrid. $2.00. *PAPILLON (Bessie Boston) One of the big fellows which has been grown successfully everywhere and has been in many prize-winning collections. A beautiful shade of old rose with golden lights. An incessant bloomer. Stems, of course, are strong and long, and carry the flower well. $2.00. ^PARADISE (Bessie Boston) A bold, massive flower of the well known George Walters formation. The special feature of this hybrid cactus is its branching stems of great length and stiffness. The coloring is decidedly different, creamy old rose suffused with gold, so blended as to give a striking brown tone. A vigorous grower, and blooms with more than ordinary freedom. $2.00. ¥QUINNAT (Bessie Boston) A fawn pink or salmon, which will deepen in cool weather but is beautiful at all times. The large flower is well formed with petals which roll irregularly. Stems are perfectly stiff. A grateful variety, as it shows appreciation of care and blooms most freely. Hybrid. Good for any purpose. $3.50. ^REGENT (Bessie Boston) American type prize winner. No blossom was less than eight inches and every bush is weighted with blooms. The stem was all that could be desired and the color was new in cactus. A clear mauve pink. The incurved formation of the flower was particularly pleasing. $1.00. RIVOLI A red cactus from England with a stiff stem. Petals are exceedingly fine and flower is large and well formed. $1.50. *ROSE ASH (Bessie Boston) This is a new color in dahlias. The outside of the petals is tan, heavily overlaid with pink and shaded with chrome yellow. The reverse of the petals is smoky pink, and the effect of this peculiar blending of colors, is ashes of rose. A producer of a wealth of blooms from early to late season on stiff stems. A large hybrid cactus. $2.50. ^SERENADE (Bessie Boston) Some dahlias attract by their wondrous beauty of color and form. If you could only have heard the ah’s and oh’s, as visitors stopped in front of a row of Serenade, you would realize the public’s appreciation. Form is perfect incurved, and the flower resembles a water lily more than a dahlia. The color is an iridescent old rose which shimmers in the sunlight, and under electric lights, like changeable silk. The pale old rose petals have a reverse of violet. This effect of two colors is very marked in the outer petals, while the central petals are shaded with gold suffused with soft rose. Flower is large. Stem is long and straight. You can use Serenade effectively as a cut flower and you will not have to place it on a high shelf to admire it. If you like dahlias for table decoration, float several flowers of this in a flat bowl. $2.50. i 30 b SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA CACTUS DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) ^SNOWDRIFT (Howard & Smith) A very large, finely formed, white cactus, with good stem, and wonderful keeping quality. American type. $1.00. ¥SOLE MIO (Lohrmann) Gold Medal variety in 1925 for the best six blooms of a three-year-old seedling. A very large hybrid of brilliant yellow shading deeper towards the centre. Excellent stem. Blooms freely. $5.00. *SPA (Bessie Boston) This hybrid cactus is a prolific and continuous producer of immense flowers. The bushes are very dwarfed. The blossom is of the deepest shade of lilac or mauve and stands erect on a fine stem. $1.00. ^TALISMAN (Bessie Boston) If you are looking for a new combination in autumn tints, here it is. This big, full hybrid cactus, has a brownish red color, with a reverse of tan. The petals are long and many, incurve slightly, and open at the tips showing plainly the tan at the back. The centre is also tan, so the effect is most striking. The foliage is a very dark green, which makes an attractive setting for the countless flowers. The form is perfect hybrid cactus. Stems excellent. $1.50. *TOM LUNDY (Fenton) A big, bold crimson hybrid, which has won many prizes since it was introduced in 1915. Good stem, and floriferous. 50c. *WAPITI (Bessie Boston) The color is a lovely American Beauty rose shade, similar to a rose grown under glass. Stems are both long and stiff. Flower is large and of best form, composed of many closely rolled, long petals. Bushes always laden with blossoms, which hold their centre even when Jack Frost makes his appearance. Hybrid. $3.00. *ZANTE (Bessie Boston) One of the big fellows which attracted all classes of buyers in the garden. The man who could not see a flower except it had exceptional size, the woman with a color scheme, and the florist whose chief requisite was stem, all ordered it. Another gold, but decidedly different, as it is heavily suffused with apricot pink. The centre is of the deeper shading. The coloring remains true all season but the gold deepens as the season advances. The blooms are very deep and very large. The stem is stiff as a poker and holds the flower erect. This is a perfect type of hybrid cactus. The blossom is built of heavy, evenly rolled petals, which run to a point at the tips. Never shows an open centre. Bushes are always covered with flowers. This is as good a flower for cutting as it is for exhibiting. $5.00. New Peony Dahlia of Our Own Introduction The Peony Dahlia is a semi-double flower showing a yellow centre. To be perfect in type, the centre should be surrounded by small petals, or petaloids. ^GORGEOUS ELIZABETH (Bessie Boston) How a nickname will stick. Call a baby boy, Buster, and he will always go through life as Buster to his family and intimates. In our garden, we often have a nickname for a dahlia, and some- times we can never remember its proper labelled appendage. This peony has been dubbed Gorgeous Elizabeth since we saw its first blossom, and the name is most descriptive to the thousands of people who are familiar with dahlias. But hordes of new dahlia “fans” are arriving every season and for these we are writing a description and an explanation of the name. Gorgeous is an im- mense yellow and red peony with a very long stem, and a flower heavier than the usual blossoms of that type. Elizabeth Boston is another large peony of brilliant red gayly tipped with yellow. This new variety plainly shows its parentage. It has the large, deep bloom, with unusually long, straight stem, and the foliage and strong-growing habit of one of its parents, and the dis- tinctive flashing color, red tipped with gold, of its other parent. It blooms freely, but does not need very heavy disbudding unless you want five-foot stems. The average stalk is a yard long. The laterals make very quick growth, however. Grows very tall, and nine and ten-inch flowers of perfect form, can be gathered at anytime throughout the season. May delivery. $10.00 net. ■i 31 b BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS •♦4K Peony Dahlias — Novelties- and Standards The Prices are for Strong Tubers Those Starred are California Dahlias Introducers' Names are in Parenthesis GAGNES BOSTON (Bessie Boston) A royal purple shading to white. The petals are long and curling and the tiny petals are numerous and twisted. Extremely large with fair stem. $3.00. ^CHANSON (Bessie Boston) The color is the deepest lilac with a bluish sheen, which is especially noticeable late in the year. A heavy peony which has never produced a decorative flower in San Mateo. Petals are numerous, broad and flat, giving substance. Stem irreproachable. Floriferous. $1.00. *CORAL (Bessie Boston) The form of Coral resembles the well-known Geisha. The petals are long and curling. The centre is well pollinated, and the many petaloids surrounding it, curl and twist properly. Color is quite new, luminous coral red, shading to coral pink at the tips of the petals. Flowers are large and produced freely on stiff, straight stems. Fine for exhibition, and most graceful for bouquets and baskets. $4.00. ¥DREAMLIGHT (Bessie Boston) This variety is classified as a decorative outside of California. Many correspondents have written us, it is with them, a beautiful double flower of a wondrous color. A large full flower composed of many narrow flat petals of a lovely shade of pale old rose, illuminated with yellow at the base. Numerous twisted and curled petaloids around the yellow disc, make the peony formation perfect and this dahlia most attractive. Medium height bushes are laden early and continuously with immense blooms on perfect stems. $2.00. ^ELIZABETH BOSTON (Bessie Boston) Enormous blooms are of deep crimson, shading to old gold at the tips, and will hold its color the entire season. The centre is surrounded with tiny, curly petals which make this introduction perfect of its type. Stems are exceedingly long and cane-like. Tall growing and very floriferous. Prize winner. $2.00. ^GORGEOUS (Bessie Boston) The most wonderful peony because it has tremendous size, great depth, stiff long stems, and will bloom freely throughout the season. Late blossoms will be as large and good as the early ones. The color is yellow, shading to bright scarlet. With scarcely any disbudding it will produce ten- inch flowers on stems five feet long. Plant grows very tall. The blossoms, because of their un- usual substance, last longer when cut than the average bloom of this popular type. “How gor- geous! What is it?” was the frequent query of visitors to the garden. This has been a perpetual prize winner. $1.50. *JEAN MULLANE (Christensen) A splendid addition to this type, both for cutting and exhibiting. A very large, handsome blossom of fiery orange. Stem is long and stiff. Plant is of medium height and a most generous producer of flowers at all seasons. $4.00. *MRS. JESSIE L. SEAL (Gleadell) The largest flower of its coloring, which is a magnificent old rose with golden shadings. Stem is particularly long. The blossom is borne well above the foliage. $1.00. *OSAKA GEISHA (Bessie Boston) The flower is huge and the stem long and absolutely stiff. The color is dull red and creamy yellow, the formation is unique. The long petals roll inward from the centre and flatten towards the pointed edge of the petals. The front of the petals is yellow and the back dull red. $1.00. < 32 b ■ i 33 b BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS PEONY DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) * PEARL RUGGLES (Ruggles) An exquisite coloring of cerise pink, splendid formation and stem. Free blooming. Nothing better in the peonies. $1.00. *THE ORIOLE (Burns) A stunning big blossom of an attractive mixture of colors, burnt orange, red and yellow. Some flowers on the bush are tipped white. Blooms freely on good stems. $1.00. *VIVANDIERE (Bessie Boston) While this dahlia always has a peony formation with us, we are told it is a perfect decorative throughout the Eastern gardens. Cerise carmine, shading lighter at the tips of the petals. The flower has a peculiar velvety texture that makes it most desirable. An immense deep peony, with the centre surrounded with petaloids. Eight-inch blooms are attainable without disbudding. The stems are excellent. $1.00. *ZAZA (Bessie Boston) The peony type originated in Holland and was quickly popularlized because of its gracefulness. Big baskets in a show and big bunches in a living room, always bring out exclamations of ad- miration. Zaza is a perfect specimen. The yellow centre is well pollinated and surrounded with many tiny, curling petaloids. The color is a blend of gold and salmon. It is difficult to decide whether it is salmon suffused with gold, or gold suffused with salmon. The bushes grow low and spreading, and carry a wealth of blossoms. Stems are strong and long, so the flowers are equally as good for cutting as exhibiting. $3.50. 4* 4* Collarette Dahlias — Novelties and Standards The Prices are for Strong Tubers Those Starred are California Dahlias Introducers' Names are in Parenthesis These are single dahlias with a collar of small petals surrounding the yellow disc. Fine for cutting. ABBE HUGONARD (Rivoire) A giant in its class. The coloring is a striking purple with a distinct white edge to the petals. Collar is white. 50c. *ANJOU (Bessie Boston) A brilliant, but not violent, majenta, which gradually shades lighter until the tips are almost white. Collar is white, shaded majenta. Most attractive. 75c. ^CHARTREUSE (Hodgens) Large flower of a new greenish yellow with a collar of contrasting buttercup. Excellent. $1.00. *COROT (Bessie Boston) This pure white collarette with a yellow disc is as lovely as a lily. It is large and symmetrically formed. $1.50. DIOMEDE (Charmet) Deep carmine, purple-suffused, and edged white, lighter collar; large, very tall and fine. 50c. 4DOMINIC (Bessie Boston) Gorgeous coloring of yellow, suffused and splashed red. Yellow collar shading lighter. $1.00. A 34 SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA •♦45' COLLARETTE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) 4DUMAS (Bessie Boston) A rich warm yellow, heavily suffused with brownish red. Collar is deep yellow. Flower is very large and regularly formed. $1.00. VESMERALDA (Bessie Boston) A yellow, shading to soft cream, with faint shading of rose, cream collar. Very regularly formed, and fine for cutting. 75c. *FELIX (Bessie Boston) New 1926. The first large two colored, or fancy collarette. White ground, heavily striped and splashed crimson. The white collar is tinted pink. A distinct and attractive addition to this type. $1.50. ¥FILLE (Bessie Boston) New 1926. Buttercup yellow with a paler collar. Big and alluring. Will be a winner wherever exhibited. Have you ever tried arranging collarettes in a basket? They are stunning. $1.50. *FRANK HARRIS (Hodgens) A distinctive coloring of reddish brown. The second largest collarette we have ever seen. Very long, straight stems. Blooms freely. $1.00. ¥GARGON (Bessie Boston) New 1926. Deep purple with a collar of paler tone. Immense, well formed blossom; excellent for cutting and exhibiting. $1.00. *GARCON (Bessie Boston) A handsome blend of coloring. Bright crimson, heavily tipped and edged with creamy yellow. The flower is very large and regular. 75c. GEANT DE LYON (Rivoire) An enormous flower of velvety maroon, with a white collar. Everybody exclaims upon seeing it: “How like velvet!” This is the dahlia which has made the collarette famous in California. $1.00. ^MERCEDES ANN (Feeney) New 1926. Big, dark maroon, with a contrasting cream colored collar. Good in every way, and generally liked. $1.00. *MT. LASSEN (Bessie Boston) Fiery red with yellow collar. This is a very sturdy grower and is a mass of blooms all season. 50c. ¥PERE (Bessie Boston) This is a most baffling color to describe. To our eyes it is pinkish red, full of golden lights. The collar is pure yellow. The low growing plants produce freely of flowers with excellent stems. Color is so unusual, we have never passed Pere without wishing we had a decorative or hybrid cactus of the same shades. $1.50. ¥RAFAEL VELASCO (Bessie Boston) A striking and beautiful dahlia which will reward the grower with loads of blooms. Deep maroon, collar white. 75c. *RAYME BOY (Feeney) New 1926. If you like old rose color, you will love this dahlia of that shade. It is large and well formed and flowers freely. The collar is lighter than the petals. A bowl of this flower is charming on the dining room table. $1.00. ■i 35 }■■■ BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS ••US' COLLARETTE DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) -¥-SAN MATEO STAR (Bessie Boston) An extraordinary flower and the biggest collarette ever produced. The color is a clear cerise, the petals edged white, and the collar white. The formation is a distinct star. Like all blossoms of this type, is a cheerful bloomer with good stems. $1.00. SOUV. BEL ACGUEIL (Rivoire) This orange-red with a yellow collar should be seen to be appreciated. One of the largest and most beautiful. 50c. *VAUBAN (Bessie Boston) The color is the deepest maroon, the petals have a soft, velvet-like texture, the flower is large and of elegant form. 50c. ¥ WILLIAM WELSH (Bessie Boston) Yellow. Appears in all the winning collections. Collar is also yellow. 50c. ¥ZENDA (Bessie Boston) New 1926. Deep crimson, or dark red, set off by a cream collar. Formed regularly with eight petals. Very large and good. Low growing. $1.00. ¥ZOUAVE (Bessie Boston) New 1926. Bright reddish orange with a pretty yellow collar. And by the bye, Americans only want large flowers, and we are growing the largest ones in this type. $1.00. Show Dahlias — Novelties and Standards The Prices are for Strong Tubers Those Starred are California Dahlias Introducers' Names are in Parenthesis These are old-fashioned, quilled double flowers. The giant, or hybrid shows, are becoming favorites because of their tremendous size. ¥ALDA (Bessie Boston) — New 1926. An entrancing color of vivid rose which will be found delightful for cutting as well as exhibiting. Inner petals of the ball shaped flower are tightly quilled, but the outer ones are an open quilled formation, so we are classifying Alda as a hybrid show. $1.00. ¥ANNA REHORST (Rehorst-Bessie Boston)— A most wonderful hybrid show of the deepest shade of purple. 50c. GLORY OF LYONS — The best white show in existence. 50c. GOLD MEDAL — Yellow, striped red; good fancy. 75c. KING OF PURPLE — Deep purple of fine formation. 50c. LES AMOURS DE MADAME — Cerise striped darker. Large. 50c. MME. MARIE AGNOSTOKI— Large pale pink. 50c. MRS. C. D. ANDERSON — Large, rich, purplish crimson hybrid. 75c. ¥TOSCA (Bessie Boston) — New 1926. A fine purple. The big round flower is formed of quilled petals. Floriferous. Hybrid type. $1.00. YUBAN (Doty) — Yellow, striped red. Very large hybrid and one of the best Eastern dahlias. $1.00 net. i 36 b SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA •♦♦a 1 — ■ / Pompon Dahlias — Novelties and Standards The Prices are for Strong Tubers Those Starred are California Dahlias Introducers' Names are in Parenthesis Tiny, compact flowers of quilled petals. Very floriferous, and do not require disbudding. Splendid for cutting. ¥AIMEE (Bessie Boston) — A wee flower of bronze; coloring is entirely new and charming. Blossoms freely on exceedingly long stems. 50c. ■CAMBER (Bessie Boston) New 1926. Pure amber color. Excellent form, but early blooms are not perfect. 75c. *v\.NITA (Bernhard) — Old rose. 75c. ^ARTHUR (Bessie Boston) — Brilliant scarlet, and the very best in this coloring. Flower is small, regularly formed. Stem is particularly long. Floriferous. $1.00. -¥-ATOM (Hodgens-Snell) — New 1926. The tiniest in this class. Orange color, perfect form. $1.00. ^BANTAM (Hennig-Bessie Boston) — New 1926. Very dainty. Small and well formed. Very long stems. Floriferous. Novel color of brownish red. Desirable in every way. $1.00. ¥BILLEE (Bessie Boston) — New. Small scarlet bloom of the best form for exhibiting. $1.00. BLUSH GEM — White ground edged rosy pink. Free. 50c. ^CHARMING (Seal) — Pinkish lavender. Small and pretty. 50c. ■^DAINTY (Bessie Boston) — Tiny pointed petals of white shading to pink; fine for cutting. 50c. *DANDY (Bessie Boston) — Perfect orange in every respect. Small, well formed and free. 50c. 4DEE DEE (Estes) — Decidedly good. Small. Well formed pale lilac. 50c. ^ELIZABETH (Seal)— Yellow, tipped red. Good. 50c. GIRLIE— Excellent lilac; very popular. 50c. GLOW — Charming old rose; greatly in demand. 50c. 4GOLDIE (Estes-Seal) — A dainty gold which is most desirable. 75c. *HELEN ANITA (Feeney) — New. Pale lavender shading deeper to the centre. Very pretty and free flowering. $1.09. IDEAL — Yellow; always good. 50c. *JOAN (Bessie Boston) — A beautifully formed small blossom of clear yellow suffused with pinkish red. Extra fine. 50c. *JOE FETTE (Bessie Boston) — The best white for all purposes. 50c. JOHNNIE — One of the tiniest of all; very dark red. 50c. •^KATHLEEN (McWhirter) — New coloring in this type. American Beauty. Charming flower with a very long stem. Fine. 75c. *KIM (Bessie Boston) — An orange which will hold its centre where it is warm. 50c. -¥-LEDA BEELER (Hodgens) — New. Tiny, compact lavender with very long stems. Prolific bloomer throughout the entire season. 75c. -¥-LEOLA (Feeney) — New. A small pink of lovely color. $1.00. LILIAS — One of the loveliest of this type. Cream ground heavily suffused with pinkish mauve. 50c. LITTLE BEESWING- — Tiny and beautifully formed. Red, shading to yellow. 50c. -^LITTLE DAVID (Twitchett) — The deepest shade of orange. Small, perfectly shaped blossom. Very free blooming. One of the best. 75c. *LLOYD HICKMAN (Hodgens) — A distinct new color of old rose. An exceptional cut flower because of its length of leafless stem. 75c. ■i 37 y BESSIE BOSTON DAHLIAS •♦48 . . £♦♦• POMPON DAHLIAS — Novelties and Standards ( Continued ) -¥-MAJOR (Bessie Boston) — Deepest shade of old rose, shading to soft yellow; very fine. 75c. 4MARY (Bessie Boston)— New 1926. Pale mauve, deepening towards the centre. Well formed and small. $1.00. 4MIKE (Bessie Boston) — A charming new color of burnt orange, shading lighter at the outer petals. Flower is small and round. A profuse bloomer. $1.00. NELLY FRASER — Admittedly the best pink; always scarce. 50c. •¥-PEE WEE (Bessie Boston) — Soft yellow with a centre shading to brown. 50c. PHYLLIS — Yellow base heavily shaded and tipped red. One of the best. 50c. Jf RENO (Bessie Boston) — Beautiful old rose, shading to old gold. Attractive new coloring in pompons; good. 75c. -¥-TOM (Bessie Boston) — New 1925. Small and compact flower of bright yellow, tipped sunset red. Produces masses of blossoms. 75c. jf YELLOW GEM (McWhirter) — Yellow. Very free flowering, and the best of its color for cutting. 50c. ♦ ♦ ♦ FIRST PRIZES WON Dahlia Society of California Show, August, 1926 First Prize — Best Collection of American Cactus Dahlias. (Lolita Velasco, Empire, Regent) First Prize — Best twenty-five blooms of one variety. (Faith Garibaldi) First Prize — Best established three year old seedling. First Prize — Test collection unregistered seedlings. First Prize — Best three blooms of a lavender decorative for the first time shown in competition. (Joy) We made very few entries owing to the earliness of the 1926 show. But were happy to see Kitty Dunlap win the prize for the best fifty blooms for another exhibitor. Among the twelve Californians which took the prize, there were eight of our originations. T 38 b Decorative Dahlia “Faith Garibaldi’ ’ w " 1 1 1 1 1 i