UC-NRLF

The Dahlia

ITS HISTORY AND

THE LIBRARY

OF
THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

THE DAHLIA

CACTUS DAHLIA.
"Mrs. J. J. CROWE.'

Frontispiece.

THE DAHLIA

ITS HISTORY AND CULTIVATION

BY

RICHARD DEAN, F.R.H.S.
ROBERT FIFE, F.R.H.S. JOHN BALLANTYNE

STEPHEN JONES WILLIAM CUTHBERTSON, F.R.H.S.
LEONARD BARRON

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES AND

A VERY COMPLETE LIST OF VARIETIES

IN CULTIVATION IN 1902

iLonlion

MACMILLAN AND CO, LIMITED

NEW YORK : THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

ROTHESAY : DOBBIE & CO.
1903

A II rights reserved

SB4-13

CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION, BY WILLIAM CUTHBERTSON . -.1

HISTORY OF THE DAHLIA, BY RICHARD DEAN . . 4

BOTANY OF THE DAHLIA, BY JOHN BALLANTYNE . . 19

PROPAGATION OF THE DAHLIA, BY STEPHEN JONES . 28

CULTIVATION OF THE DAHLIA, BY ROBERT FIFE . . 35

EXHIBITING THE DAHLIA, BY STEPHEN JONES . . 51

CATALOGUE OF VARIETIES . ... . . 56

DAHLIA ANALYSIS . . ' . . '. . 98

SELECTIONS FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES . . . . . 104

THE DAHLIA IN AMERICA, BY LEONARD BARRON . 107

THE FUTURE OF THE DAHLIA, BY WILLIAM CUTHBERTSON 118

ILLUSTKATIONS

Cactus Dahlia . . / . Frontispiece

PAGE

Show Dahlia . . . 5

Pompon Dahlias ...... .9

Single Cactus Dahlias . 1 ... .13

Single Dahlias . . . . . . ... - 21

A Dahlia Cutting as taken from the Plant. The same

Cutting prepared for insertion in the Pot . 29

Dahlia Tube (Wood). Dahlia Cup (Tin). How to fix a
Bloom in the Tube. An Exhibition Stand of Twelve
Show Dahlias . . . . . .. .50

A Bunch or Spray of Pompon Dahlias . . . .52

INTRODUCTION

THE Botanist reveals to us the wonderful structure
and mechanism of plants. By the aid of the microscope
he leads us far into the intricacies of their nature,
before which we stand in wonder and reverence.

The Florist differs from the botanist in his relation
to plants. The plant as it is is the province of the
botanist. The plant as it can be developed is the
province of the florist. He takes advantage of its
inherent susceptibilities in certain directions and pro-
fits by them ; and there is no better illustration of
this than the subject of this volume.

It was long considered that the botanist and the
florist had little or nothing in common, but this idea,
like so many other old-fashioned ones, has been given
up. The light which the botanist can throw on the
subject is invaluable to the raiser of new varieties of
flowers, and surely he is best equipped for growing
plants who best understands their structure.

But there is an equipment for Flora's service
which even science* cannot give, which wealth cannot
buy, and which influence cannot command, and that
equipment is Love — a love akin to devotion. A
well-known present-day writer * tells us that " in the

1 Birrell in Obiter Dicta.
1

The Dahlia

pleasant realms of poetry no liveries are worn, no
paths prescribed ; you may enter where you will, stop
where you like, and worship whom you love." So it
is in the service of Flora ; but to enjoy flowers to the
full one must do even more than love them — one
must grow them from the tiny seedling or cutting
to the fully developed plant. An American writer,1
after describing how he planted his seed with his
own hands, goes on to say, " My garden was of
precisely the right extent. An hour or two of
morning labour was all that it required. But I used
to visit it and revisit it a dozen times a day, and
stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny
with a love that nobody could share or conceive of
who had never taken part in the process of creation."
This is the indescribable pleasure enjoyed by every
true florist, and to come under its spell it is not
necessary to engage in large operations. A pole of
land is likely to yield a richer harvest of enjoyment
than an acre !

It is one of the most gratifying features of our
day that this love for flowers has become so general.
Apart from the elevating and refining influences which
are inseparable from a true appreciation of nature in
any form, this " love for flowers " has another aspect
It creates and sustains a demand which is an important
item in our home trade, Well-known firms are found
devoting their whole time and entire resources to the
cultivation of one or two particular classes of plantsr
and national societies exist for promoting the cultiva-
tion of special flowers — such as the National Eose
Society, the National Chrysanthemum Society, the

1 Hawthorne, in Mosses from an Old Manse.

Introduction

National Carnation Society, the National Sweet Pea
Society, and the National Dahlia Society. All these
are indications of healthy activity in floricultural
circles.

The Dahlia has long been in the front rank among
what are known as florists' flowers. It is most amen-
able to cultivation, and responds to proper care and
good treatment as few flowers do. It is useful in
many positions. For securing bold effects on large
lawns, clumps of Dahlias cannot be surpassed, while
for introducing colour into shrubberies during summer,
or for forming back lines in broad borders, few plants
are equal to them. It is hardly necessary to say
anything regarding their merits as cut flowers. From
July right on till frost comes, enormous quantities are
available, of every conceivable shade of colour except
blue. They- are also most amenable to forcing, and
can without difficulty be had in flower under glass in
May. At the Temple Show of the Eoyal Horticultural
Society in London in May 1896, fhere was a beautiful
stand of Dahlias set up for exhibition by Messrs. Dobbie
and Co.

In the cottage garden of the working man, in the
villa garden of the merchant, in the extensive grounds
of the nobleman, the Dahlia will grow and flourish witli
equal fortitude, and produce in abundance its glorious
blooms to minister delight and pleasure.

HISTOEY OF THE DAHLIA

DAHLIA VARIABILIS, a very variable species, — hence
its name, — is the one commonly believed to have been
the first introduced to this country. It is .a native
of Mexico and Central America. It received its
generic name after Dr. Dahl, a Swedish botanist and
pupil of Linmeus. A competing name, "Georgina," ran
"Dahlia" a race for some time; and so late as 1832
it can be found in an Index to London's Gardeners'
Magazine.

The earliest known description of the Dahlia is
that of Francesco Hernandez, physician to Philip II. of
Spain, who wrote four books on the plants and animals
of New Spain ; and in one of these books appears an
illustration of I), variabilis. Then for a space of 130
years the Dahlia seems to have been lost to writers
until 1787, when a Frenchman, one Nicholas Joseph
Thierry de Menonville, was sent to America to secure
the cochineal insect, and in that year published a
treatise in which he described the Dahlias he had
seen in a garden near Guaxaca, " In the year
1789, Vincentes Cervantes, director of the Botanic
Garden at Mexico, forwarded seeds of the Dahlia to
the Koyal Gardens at Madrid, then under the direc-
tion of Abbe Cavanilles. The Marquis of Bute was-

4

SHOW DAHLIA.

History of the Dahlia

at this time Ambassador from England to the Court
of Spain, and the Marchioness, who cherished a true
sympathy with floriculture, obtained some of these
seeds, which she cultivated in pots in a greenhouse, but
failed to keep them beyond two or three years." " In
1802 an English nurseryman, John Eraser, of Sloane
Square, a collector of American plants, obtained from
Paris some seeds of Dahlia coccinea, which flowered in
a greenhouse in 1803 at his nursery, and supplied
a subject for a plate in the Botanical Magazine,
which secured to the plant a proper place in the
English Garden" (Shirley Hibberd). In 1804 Lady
Holland, who was then at Madrid, sent home seeds,
it is believed, to Holland House, Kensington, where
plants were raised and bloomed. When they were
in flower, her husband, Lord Holland, wrote to his
wife as follows :—

k< The Dahlia you brought to our isle
Your praises for ever shall speak,
'Mid gardens as sweet as your smile,
And in colour as bright as your cheek."

Mr. Geo. Nicholson, in his Dictionary of Gardening,
informs us that the plants raised in Holland House in
1 804 were lost, and that a third stock was brought
from Erance in 1815, — probably flowers showing signs
of doubling, as at this time double Dahlias began to
appear. From this time the history of the flower rises
to a kind of stately march. It acquired extensive
popularity, and Dahlia exhibitions were held in many
parts of the country.

8 The Dahlia

THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE DAHLIA

In the third volume of the Transactions of the
Royal Horticultural Society it is stated that " the
merit of first carefully attending to and cultivating the
Dahlia belongs exclusively to the continental gardeners,
for though we in this country received the varieties
originally imported to Europe almost as soon as the
French and Germans, yet, if not lost, they nearly
went out of notice with us ; whilst in France and
Germany they meanwhile increased as much in
number as in beauty, and persons who visited the
Continent on the return of peace in 1814 were
surprised with the splendour and variety of the
Dahlias in the foreign collections. In the winter of
that year several roots were imported to this country,
and since that period our home growers have made
up for former neglect, as is sufficiently evinced by
the splendid exhibition of these flowers in the public
and private gardens near London." The first double
or semi - double flowers were obtained about the
year 1814 by M. Donkelaar of the Botanic Gardens,
Louvain ; and from three plants which bore double
flowers many varieties were raised, and were imported
into this country during the winter of that year.
From 1815 and onwards great activity was shown in
raising new varieties, and though the single type found
some favour with raisers and growers, earnest efforts
were put forth to develop the finest double flowers
until the forerunners of the present superb types were
reached.

POMPON DAHLIAS.

History of the Dahlia 1 1

THE TYPES OF THE DAHLIA

By the florist Dahlias are divided into several
sections, viz., Show, Fancy, Pompon or Bouquet,
Cactus or Decorative, and Single. The two former
run so closely the one into the other, and the dis-
tinction between them is so artificial, that they are
now practically fused into one, though in catalogues
the varieties are still ranged under the heads of Show
and Fancy.

THE SHOW DAHLIA

This section comprises all self-coloured and all
shaded flowers, such as the Prince of Denmark, which
has a maroon — almost a black — shading thrown over
a deep wine crimson ground ; and all flowers having
petals of a pale ground colour, edged with pink, rose,
mauve, purple, crimson, maroon, etc. ; J. T. West and
Miss Cannell may be cited as typical varieties.

THE FANCY DAHLIA

This is simply the large rounded Show or Ex-
hibition Dahlia in a later form of development. The
reason why the two sections were divided is found in
the fact that the Fancy type was later, in point of time,
in appearing, and for a number of years its varieties
were inferior both in size and in outline to those of
the Show type. The first Fancy Dahlias appear to
have originated with Count Lelieur of Paris. He
succeeded in raising some striped and shaded single
flowers, and from these, it is believed, the present

1 2 The Dahlia

race of Fancy Dahlias has descended. Of this we
may be certain — that the earliest forms of the Fancy
Dahlia came from the Continent.

Two or more colours are necessary to a Fancy
Dahlia. There are striped and there are tipped
varieties, but the latter are occasionally striped also.
In the case of the edged Show Dahlia, the colour on
the petal edges is always darker than the ground ; in
the Fancy Dahlia the reverse holds good. Thus, a
white, yellow, or any pale ground flower, edged or
laced with a dark colour, after the manner of the
Picotee, is simply an edged or laced Show Dahlia ;
but when the disposition of these colours is reversed,
— when the petals of a dark or yellow ground flower
are tipped with a light colour, as, for instance, Mrs.
Saunders, which is yellow tipped with white ; of
Peacock, which is crimson tipped with white, — the
variety is regarded as a Fancy Dahlia. When the
ground colour is light, with a dark edging, as in the
case of Miss Cannell, it is a Show Dahlia. Striped
flowers, no matter what the ground colour may be, are
always Fancy Dahlias. All the best Fancy Dahlias
produced within the last twenty years have been of
English origin. It is the custom at some small
country flower-shows to admit all tipped and edged
Dahlias as Fancy Dahlias ; but this is invariably
permitted by judges who are imperfectly acquainted
with the technical distinction between the two types.

THE POMPON OR BOUQUET DAHLIA

This type, of which we have so many beautiful
varieties in the present day, is of German origin, and

SINGLE CACTUS DAHLIAS.

Raised by the late E. J. LOWE, F.R.S.

Introduced to commerce by Messrs. DOBBIE & Co. in 1893.

History of the Dahlia 1 5

dates from about 1808, when Hartwig of Karlsruhe
obtained a double variety from the single scarlet
Dahlia coccinea. The Germans favoured this small
form, which obtained the name of Liliputian, on
account of the small size of the flowers, and not
because of its dwarf growth, for the first varieties
obtained from it introduced to this country were of
very tall habit. Hence the Pompon varieties have
been known as German Dahlias. Our English florists,
especially of late years, have greatly improved this
type in the newer varieties ; they are now of dwarf
and compact growth, singularly free of bloom, admir-
ably adapted for adorning the flower garden, and
invaluable for all decorative purposes.

i

THE CACTUS DAHLIA

This singularly novel type put in an appearance in
England in 1880. Its history and introduction to
this country can be stated in a few words. In the
year 1872, Mr. J. T. Vander Burg, of Juxphaar, near
Utrecht, received a box of flowers from Mexico ; but,
by reason of delays in the transit, the contents were
for the most part found on arrival to be rotten. All
that had roots, or seeds apparently possessing vitality,
were sown ; and, among those which grew, was one
which produced a small tuberous root, and it eventually
proved to be the Cactus Dahlia. It was subsequently
named Dahlia Juarezi, after Juarez, a President of
the Eepublic of Mexico. By 1874, a good stock of
plants had been obtained, and it eventually passed
into the hands of Messrs. Anthony Eoozen and Sons, a
firm of Dutch nurserymen. Plants of this Dahlia

c

1 6 The Dahlia

were obtained by the late Mr. W. H. Cullingford, and
from him it passed into the hands of Mr. Henry Cannell
of Swanley, by whom it was exhibited for the first
time at the Alexandra Palace, Muswell Hill, on the
3rd of September 1880, and immediately after, at one
of the meetings of the Eoyal Horticultural Society.
It was at once seen that there were possibilities of
development in this interesting stranger. New forms
soon began to appear, and at the present time there
are many superb varieties of a number of shades and
combinations of colour, but all exhibiting the shape of
the original introduction, which obtained the name of
Cactus from its resemblance in colour to the vermilion
of Cereus speciosissimus — the Showy Cactus — a designa-
tion which was at once adopted and is now universally
recognised. The habit of growth is undergoing con-
siderable improvement, and many of the newer sorts
are admirably adapted for garden decoration.

THE DECORATIVE DAHLIA

These may be regarded as intermediate forms of
the Show Dahlia, brought into notice by the intro-
duction of the Cactus type ; but few of them have any
pretensions to the true Cactus character, and with the
wonderful improvement seen in the latter, many will
soon go out of cultivation. They certainly furthered
the employment of the Dahlia as a decorative plant
in our gardens, the freedom of bloom of some of
the varieties being their chief recommendation. In
America Decorative Dahlias are most popular at the
present time.

History of the Dahlia 1 7

THE SINGLE DAHLIA

The re-introduction to popular notice of this type
dates from 1880, when Mr. Alfred Salter brought to
one of the meetings of the Koyal Horticultural Society
flowers of the Single Dahlia coccinea. Almost simul-
taneously appeared D. lutea, yellow, and an old variety
named Paragon. From these seeds were obtained, the
Single Dahlia became immensely popular, and a great
number of varieties were obtained and are still being
raised, including some charming striped and tipped
varieties known as fancy Single Dahlias. Their
fugacious character militates against the use of the
flowers for decorative purposes.

THE SINGLE CACTUS DAHLIA

This is of comparatively recent development, but
for all kinds of decorative work it has an important
future before it. The first varieties were raised by the
late Mr. E. J. Lowe, F.E.S., and passed into the hands
of Messrs. Dobbieand Co., Kothesay, in the year 1891.
Since then the type has been undergoing rapid improve-
ment, and when better known its value will be widely
recognised for every purpose for which cut flowers are
required. A more graceful flower for dinner-table and
other decorations, it is hardly possible to conceive than
the Single Cactus Dahlia.

POMPON CACTUS DAHLIAS

A group of dwarf, free-blooming, small-flowered
varieties is being produced, which promises to be valu-
able for market and decorative purposes ; the large

1 8 The Dahlia

blooms of the exhibition varieties, often on weak stems,
being found unsuitable for employment in such ways.

TOM THUMB DAHLIA

This is a miniature race of round-flowered Single
Dahlias raised by the late Mr. T. W. Girdlestone,
M.A., and introduced by Messrs. Cheal and Sons some
years ago. They grow from twelve to eighteen inches
high, and have proved of great value in the flower
garden, forming dense bushes, and blooming with re-
markable freedom.

QUILLED OR ANEMONE-FLOWERED DAHLIAS

During the past two years the Continental florists
have sent to this country representatives of a race of
dwarf-growing dahlias, having flowers with a circle or
two of ray florets and the centre a cushion of quilled
florets resembling a quilled aster or an anemone-
flowered Pompon Chrysanthemum. They need some

improvement if they are to become popular.

\

THE COLLARETTE DAHLIAS

This is a type of Single Dahlia having, issuing from
the yellow disc, which is in the centre of the flower, a
circle of small white or primrose-coloured short florets.
Two varieties have been sent from the Continent, viz.
President Viger, crimson with a white collar; and
Joseph Gougon, reddish orange with a collar of orange
florets. They are very free-blooming and produce
their flowers on long stems thrown well above the
foliage.

BOTANY OF THE DAHLIA

THE Dahlia belongs to the largest of all the orders,
namely, Composite, which contains about 10,000
species. The order is divided into a certain number
of tribes, the Dahlia being classed in the Helian-
thoideai, or that to which the Sunflower and our
wild Bur-marigolds belong. These tribes are again
divided into genera, of which the Dahlia forms one,
having received its generic name from the Abbe
Cavanilles, who first scientifically described it, and
named it the Dahlia in honour of his friend Dahl,
the Swedish botanist.

Many species of the Helianthoidese have their
leaves opposite, a characteristic which obtains in the
Bur -marigolds, the only representatives of the tribe
indigenous to Britain.

The Dahlia, it is said, grows wild in sandy meadows
in Mexico, whence it was brought to Europe about a
hundred years ago. It is perennial in its growth, but
flowers freely from seed the first year. As it cannot
resist frost there is no chance of its ever establishing
itself as a garden escape in this country. One night's
frost in autumn is sufficient to blacken and destroy
the bloom and foliage of every plant exposed to it.
It has been known to appear in some places a second

19

2O The Dahlia

year from roots left in the ground, but this can only
happen under special circumstances in some mild and
well -sheltered locality. Plants may succeed for a
year or two in growing from seed ; but, sooner or
later, the frost puts an end to their existence, so
that their growth in a semi- wild state cannot be
permanent.

The root is tuberous and fasciculate — that is, the
tubers all spring from the collum or neck at the base
of the stem. The tubers vary considerably in size
and shape in the different species and varieties. Ii
is said that the roots of the Dahlia are used by the
native Mexicans for food. Would it not be possible
to use the surplus roots in this country for a similar
purpose ? They must contain a large amount of
nourishing matter, which might thus be turned to a
most useful and profitable purpose.

The stem is woody and branching, and has short,
slightly hispid, hairs. In growth it is inclined to be
somewhat decumbent, then ascending, which allows it
to send up a number of strong branches. The leaves
are opposite, as already indicated, and are without
stipules. The leaf-stalk or petiole is naked in some
species, but in others it is winged. The leaves in the
cultivated varieties are exceedingly variable, being
entire, lobed, or pinnate, with the leaflets often
pinnatifid. In some cases they are almost bipinnate.
The Cactus Dahlias have their leaves more broken up
than the "Show" and "Pompon" varieties. The
margins are serrate and the serrations finely spinulose,
more especially in the Cactus varieties. The under
surface of the leaves is also slightly roughish.

The peduncles or flower-stalks spring from the axils

SINGLE DAHLIAS.

Botany of tke Dahlia 23

of the leaves, generally in pairs, and bear a single
flower each, although there are instances on record
when, occasionally, the double dark red variety has
borne two flowers on a peduncle. This is, however,
of rare occurrence.

The primary involucre is composed of five green
persistent fleshy bracts, which are so much reflexed
that they point downwards. They are ovate or ovate-
lanceolate in form in the P,ompon and Show varieties,
but linear -lanceolate in the Cactus. The secondary
involucre is composed of the outer row of bracteoles
or palese, each ray and floret having a bracteole at
its base, which is equivalent to a calyx. Very few
species in Composite have this scale or calyx, which
is therefore quite a distinguishing feature of the
Dahlias, its more common form being that of simple
or branched hairs termed the pappus. These scales
form a protection to the young florets in the same
way as an ordinary calyx. The outer row is
generally composed of eight or nine scales, green at
the base, and transparent from the middle upwards.
The inner rows are all transparent, but some of the
more outward ones are slightly tinged with green.

The Single Dahlia is, no doubt, representative of
the plant in its original wild state, but, by cultivation,
the florets are all, or nearly all, developed into rays,
in the double varieties. The Dahlia rays are folded
in a peculiar manner, the one side overlapping the
other. They are quite flat in bud, but assume after-
wards a round form, thus giving the tubular appearance
so characteristic of some of the varieties. This tubular
arrangement is best seen in the double show blooms.
In the single varieties the ray is folded in the same

24 The Dahlia

manner when young, but, when it is fully expanded,
becomes either flat or saucer shaped and a little
reflexed at the tip. The tendency of the ray to
become revolute is seen wonderfully developed in the
Double Cactus Dahlias. In these varieties the ray
while young is also folded inwards and flat, but, when
fully developed, is rolled backwards so that they too
have quite a tubular appearance. These rays are
also of various lengths, which make the blooms look
irregular.

The florets of the Dahlia are perfect, and the tube
or corolla is five-lobed, and contains the five anthers
and one pistil with a double stigma. The five anthers
are untied into a tube, and the stigmas have to force
their way through them. In doing so the anther tube
is carried upwards out of the floret by the force of the
stigmas. After the stigmas get completely through
the tube, the latter is withdrawn inside the floret
again by the elasticity of the anther filaments. The
stigmas are large, and covered on their outer sides
with long transparent hairs about half-way down from
their upper ends. Further down are the papilhe of
the stigmatic surface proper, arranged in two rows.
These papillae seem gradually to change into hairs
as they ascend. This arrangement of the stigma is
similar to that of the asters.

The seed or fruit is from a quarter to half an inch
in length and of a dark colour, with a few short white
hairs scattered over it. During the maturing of the
fruit the scales or bracts all close compactly together,
forming a complete protection to it. They are per-
sistent to the fruit until it is dispersed. They must
play an important part in the distribution of the seed,

Botany of the Dahlia 2 5

as they are so large that in a hreeze of wind they will
carry it a considerable distance. The adaptations
which many species in the Composite have for
helping them in their distribution are most wonderful ,
and without doubt account for the fact that the
Composite contains a larger number of species than
any other order. The fruit in many instances is
peculiarly well-adapted for being distributed either by
the wind, as in the Dandelion and Dahlia, or by birds
and animals, as in the Bur-marigold. And not only
are the seeds of many species provided by nature with
the means to carry them long distances where they
may find new habitats, but, when they have reached
their destination, they are able, by means of barbs, to
work their way down through grass or any other
obstruction into the soil.

In the Dahlia the receptacle is convex while the
plant is in flower, but becomes flat and often concave
in fruit.

The Dahlia may under certain conditions be self-
pollinated. As already stated, the stigmas are large
and have to force their way through the staminal tube,
and in doing so rupture the anther cells. When they
emerge from the tube they carry up with them on
their stigmatic surfaces large quantities of the pollen,,
thereby exposing it to the necessary conditions for
causing fertilisation. To ascertain whether the Dahlia
is self - pollinated or not, a number were isolated
with a fine netting so as to exclude all, except the
very smallest insects, and in each case the plants
flowered freely and set seed. In this locality the
Dahlia is visited by the red-tail and other bees, which
will cause cross pollination and thus account for the

26 The Dahlia

great variety of colours in blooms of plants raised from
seed. Probably other insects besides bees visit the
Dahlia, but so far as we are aware there is no record
of it.

The Dahlia is regarded as the symbol of " in-
stability," because it was introduced to Europe during
those great social and political upheavals which
culminated in Waterloo. But may it not with equal
propriety be taken as a type of instability because of
its great variability, and the readiness with which it
lends itself to producing new varieties through the
agency and ingenuity of the florist. In the " Double "
all the florets, or nearly all, are developed into con-
spicuous rays. There can be little doubt that the
changed conditions under which the plant is cultivated
by gardeners has much to do with this variability.
Many plants, however, when cultivated under similar
conditions do not show the same readiness to sport in
so many directions. It is owing to this changeable
character that the plant has become so deservedly
popular. An enormous number of varieties are
already in the market, and there seems to be no
limit to them. New ones appear every year. This
naturally leads us to ask, " Have all these varieties of
' Single/ ' Double,' ' Pompon,' and ' Cactus,' been raised
from a single wild species ? " Evidently so. Some
authorities are inclined to regard the two or three
wild varieties as separate species, but strong doubts
seem to be entertained regarding this, as their dis-
tinctive characters are not permanent enough. At
first sight one would be inclined to think the " Cactus "
varieties had been developed from a different species
because their foliage is more broken up, the primary

Botany of the Dahlia 2 7

bracts of their involucre narrower, and also the scales
or palese. But notwithstanding these differences
there is every reason to believe that they have all
been developed from a common wild species. The
Double Cactus evidently was partially so developed in
Mexico before it was introduced to Europe. And the
so-called Single Cactus Dahlias were raised by Mr.
E. J. Lowe. F.B.S., of Chepstow, from an ordinary
single variety, Stella bianca by name, crossed with
pollen of D. Mercki.

It would have proved most interesting had there
been a reliable record kept by those who have raised
the different forms of this most interesting plant, but
horticulturists are not noted for keeping correct
records of their doings, and consequently many im-
portant facts as to how new varieties of plants are
developed are lost to the scientific world.

PKOPAGATION OF THE DAHLIA

UNDER this heading I will first deal with propagating
by cuttings from the roots that have been safely stored
during the winter. In private gardens, where the
quantity of plants required is not extensive, and the
room in spring-time is very limited, it is advisable to
pot up the roots early in February, using pots six or
seven inches in diameter. The roots will probably be
too large for the pots, in which case the tubers can be
reduced to the proper size by cutting (this can be
done quite safely without fear of their rotting). After
inserting the root, fill up the pot with soil, leaving the
crown of the root an inch or so clear of the soil, and
plunge in a bottom heat of about 70°.

Better than pots, for the old roots, if such con-
venience is to be obtained, is a propagating bed near
the glass — or along the front of a vinery or plant
stove. A bed of soil can be made up and the roots
laid in, carefully attending to the labelling — and treating
as recommended for the roots in pots.

In from seven to nine days the eyes will begin
to swell, then give a good soaking of water of the
same temperature as the house. In about fourteen
days from first submitting the root to heat, the
shoots will have grown about three inches in length.

28

A Dahlia cutting as taken from the plant.

The same cutting prepared for insertion in the pot.

Propagation of the Dahlia 31

These should be removed with a sharp knife and
thrown away, as, although they look fine cuttings, they
rarely strike, and never make good plants.

When the growth is thus far advanced, soil and
pots should be prepared for rooting the cuttings in.
Almost any sweet soil will do — provided there is no
manure in it ; but I prefer to use a stiffish maiden
loam, with a layer of sharp sand on the top.

When the next lot of shoots are about three inches
long, they may be taken from the plants. If a few
plants of each variety only are required, the operator can
take the cuttings off with a heel or little piece of the
old root attached ; but if a larger quantity be wanted,
care should be taken not to cut within an inch of the
base, thus leaving the cluster of eyes round about it
intact. These eyes will in a few days push up shoots
ready to be taken off again as cuttings. By some
people, gardeners as well as amateurs, an extraordinary
value is put upon the heel, and they maintain that it
is impossible to root cuttings that are taken off without
it. This is a piece of old-fashioned nonsense, and
any sceptical person can easily be convinced that it is
so by paying a visit in March to any leading Dahlia
nursery. Thousands — I might safely say millions — of
clean cuttings are rooted every season. I have no
difficulty in rooting 90 per cent of such. Again, the
very stoutest cuttings are often selected under the
impression that they make the best plants. This is
folly. The best cuttings are those about the thickness
of a slate-pencil. The thick ones will usually be
found hollow and rarely strike. I often put in the
very thinnest cuttings of scarce varieties, and with
care they make fine plants.

D

32 The Dahlia

After severing the shoot from the plant, take the
cutting in the left hand, between linger and thumb,
and, with a sharp knife, cut just below the joint,
afterwards removing the leaves on either side, and
insert in the soil up to the next joint.

If single pots are used those of two inches in
diameter will be large enough, but a more economical
use of the bottom heat may be made by placing four
cuttings in a three-inch pot, keeping them close to the
edge, as they take root more readily against the side of
the pot. In taking off the cuttings be careful to label
one variety before taking off another. Omitting this
is often a prolific source of mistakes. As soon as the
cuttings are off and dibbled in the pots (always use a
blunt stick, and see that the base of the cutting is at
the bottom of the hole), before they have time to flag,
plunge the pots to the rim in a bottom heat of 70° —
no more. Whatever forcing place the cuttings may
be placed in, the glass over them should be heavily
whitewashed ; then there is no fear of forgetting to
shade them when a burst of sunshine conies along.

It is most important that the frame or propagating
pit has plenty of air, for nothing is so destructive to
Dahlia cuttings as a close stagnant atmosphere. Air
should be admitted night and day freely, and a sharp
bottom heat kept up, otherwise the leaves will turn
black and damp off. When cuttings are first put in,
give them a good soaking of water, and, when necessary,
afterwards dew them over with a syringe or fine rose.
If the soil becomes dry, give another good soaking,
always using tepid water.

In about three weeks the cuttings will be all rooted,
and the pots will be ready for removing to a cool

Propagation of the Dahlia 33

house near the glass to harden a little before being
potted off. This is an important operation, for which
soil should be prepared some time before. A good
mixture is two parts turf or loam — one of leaf soil, one
of spent hot-bed manure with a dash of sand. Tor this
potting 2^ inch pots are quite large enough. After
placing a little rough stuff in the bottom, fill up the
pot a third full with soil, and place the roots carefully
on this, keeping the plant to the centre. Fill up the
pot with soil and press moderately firm. Then place
in a warm frame with bottom heat, if possible, or a
warm greenhouse will do. Keep the plants close to
the glass and shaded for a few days, giving plenty of
air afterwards. Great care must be taken to keep the
plants sturdy at this stage, for if they become drawn
now it is impossible to make good plants later on.
For after treatment see chapter on " Cultivation."

PROPAGATION BY DIVISIONS

If facilities are not at hand for propagating by cut-
tings and yet an increase of some varieties is required,
a simple method is to start the roots into growth in
March. This can be done by placing them on a stage
in a warm house and watering them, and, when the
shoots are about an inch long, dividing the crowns
into three or four pieces, taking care to have a shoot or
more on each piece. Cut the bottom off the tuber,
so as to make it go into a four or five inch pot, in
which pot it. Place in a hot frame or warm corner
of a greenhouse, shade for a few days, and, when well
rooted, place in an airy position, and gradually harden
off as recommended for other plants.

34 The Dahlia

PROPAGATION BY SEED

Sow in March in a warm greenhouse or on a hot-
bed, prick off into boxes when in the second leaf, pot
off singly into three -inch pots at the end of April,
and treat as directed for plants from cuttings. Seed-
lings always make a brave show, and are interesting
because of the probability of their producing, if the
seed is from good varieties, some improved form worth
naming and introducing to the world. They are easily
managed, and are very suitable for lady gardeners.

CULTIVATION OF THE DAHLIA

SITUATION

IN selecting a place likely to prove suitable for the
cultivation of the " Queen of Autumn," preference
must be given to land having a southern exposure,
which, if it slope naturally in that direction will be
all the better. It is desirable to have shelter from
all winds ; from the east and north, which so often,
even in the month of June, prove a scourge to the
plants when young and tender ; and from the south
and west, which, in gales and storms, are apt to work
disaster among them when in flower. In exposed
situations Jerusalem Artichokes planted on the weather
side have been found to make a capital protection.
They are usually six or seven feet high when their
services are most in request. The Artichoke tubers
may be planted in single or double rows, the sets
being from twelve to eighteen inches apart. But, al-
though shelter is so much to be aimed at, there must
be no shade if first-class results are to be the order of
the day. The grower will soon get to know that the
nearer to a supply of water his plants are, so much
the better will it be for the plants, and for the person
who attends to them.

35

36 The Dahlia

SOIL

A rather heavy clayey loam, thoroughly well-
manured, is, without doubt, the best of all soils in
which to grow the Dahlia to perfection. In such a
soil the plants are usually of a dwarf and sturdy
habit — ideal plants, in fact, to produce blooms of
grand size and desirable substance. In land naturally
light and rich there is a tendency to strong, soft,
watery growth, which not only gives additional trouble
in staking and tying, but is the forerunner of small
and inferior flowers. In order to improve such a soil
the best plan is to spread clay loam over its surface
during the early winter months, so that it may get
the benefit of frost and exposure previous to being in-
corporated with the natural surface soil.

PREPARATION OF THE SOIL

Deep culture is, of course, advisable ; and what is
knowrn as bastard trenching is perhaps the best
method. In all cases see that there is proper drainage.
Jf this be neglected, trenching in a clay soil may prove
worse than useless, merely serving to provide a re-
ceptacle for water. Digging operations cannot be
commenced too early in the autumn. Good results
are, however, often obtained by spring cultivation, as
the season is far advanced before the plants become
the tenants of the soil. In any case turn the ground
over several times, and each time leave it as rough
as possible that it may get all the benefits to be
derived from exposure. The manner in which the
plants are to be grown, and the distances apart at

Cultivation of the Dahlia 37

which they are to be placed, must to some extent
decide the methods of manuring to be adopted ; but
it may here be said that the over-manuring of Dahlia
ground is not an everyday occurrence.

PLANTS

For the purpose of this article I shall assume that
the propagation of the Dahlia ends and its real culti-
vation begins when the plants are transferred from
the small pots in which they have been rooted to the
larger -sized ones, which, under ordinary treatment,
should supply their wants until the planting-out season
comes round. At the same time it will be readily
admitted that an important part of the culture has
already taken place at the earlier period treated of in
the previous chapter on "Propagation," and that stout
healthily grown plants are always to be preferred to
weakly ones as a foundation whereon to build success.

As the necessary preliminary to the cooking of
a hare is the catching of the same, so the necessary
preliminary to training up Dahlias in the way in
which they should grow is the purchasing or other-
wise procuring of the plants. In the good old days
of Dahlia growing, when the Cactus and single-flowered
varieties were unheard of, the custom of the trade was
to send out plants in pots, by rail or other convenient
method, during the first week in May. Even now this
deeply-rooted system dies hard. The advent of the
Parcel Post, however, has struck a heavy blow at many
old customs, and in no case, perhaps, has created such
a revolution as in the work of the Nurseryman and
Florist. The would-be cultivator should first fix

38 The Dahlia

upon the number of plants he will require. He
should then put himself in communication with some
firm that makes the growing of Dahlias a specialty.
Such a firm is likely to have all " up-to-date " varieties ;
and, being jealous of its own reputation, is likely to
serve its customers well. If he has a friend who can
give him trustworthy information as to the kinds he
ought to grow, that friend may prove to him a " friend
in need " ; if not, he had better leave the selection to
the seller. If he selects his own varieties, he should
always add an extra name or two, lest any of those
he has chosen should not be ready. All orders for
Dahlias should be placed in the sellers' hands as early
in the season as possible. The buyer who attends to this
gets the best of the plants, the cream of the varieties,
and delivery possibly a fortnight earlier than he could
otherwise have done — an advantage not to be despised
in late districts. He may also secure some of the choicer
varieties, which do not keep well, are consequently
scarce, and could not be had later. In this, as in other
provinces, it is the early bird that gets the early worm.
Supposing that the order has been placed in the
hands of a firm some considerable distance from the
buyer's home, there is no safer mode of transit than by
Parcel Post. The plants when unpacked, after a
journey of possibly hundreds of miles, will in all
probability be as fresh -looking as when they were
placed in the box by careful hands.

POTTING

In anticipation of their arrival, soil and pots should
be in readiness. The former should, if possible, con-

Cultivation of the Dahlia 39

sist of two parts of good turfy loam, one of leaf mould,
and one of rotted manure with a dash of sand thrown
in. It will be all the better if it has been mixed some
time beforehand. The pots should be from two and a
half to three inches in diameter. Above the hole in
the bottom of the pot put a little piece of crock or
broken pot ; over this put a few pieces of fibrous soil ;
then take the plant in one hand and place it carefully
in the pot with its roots well spread out, while the
other is engaged in filling in the soil, which should be
made moderately firm. Be careful to insert the label
and place in a bottom heat, say from 60° to 70°.
Syringe the leaves and shade from the sun for a day
or two, by which time the plant will have become
inured to its new quarters and will be making new
roots.

If the plants have come to hand, by rail or other-
wise, in pots, unbroken by the journey, they must be
grown on in a temperature the same as that indicated
above, until the pots have become filled with roots.

In both cases, when this happens, it is time to shift
them into four, five, or six inch pots according to the
wish and convenience of the grower. The soil already
described will be most suitable. New drainage will
be required. It is advisable to place the plant just
deep enough in the pot to allow the ball of earth
taken from the small pot to be covered with new soil.
The plants are most easily knocked out of the small
pots by taking the stem of the plant between the
fingers, inverting the pot, and giving the rim a gentle
tap on the edge of the potting bench. If the soil be
moderately moist, and the plant well rooted, the ball
of earth will remain whole, and in this state can

4O The Dahlia

be transferred to the larger pot without perceptible
damage to the plant.

Potting over, place the plants again in bottom heat,
either in a pit or in a frame — the latter is better, as it
encourages root action, while the plants can be more
or less exposed to the air whenever the weather is
suitable. Warmth at the root and comparative cool-
ness above are the conditions which will best ensure
their giving a good account of themselves in their
future stages of development.

Careful attention to watering, airing, and protecting
from frost and insects will occupy the enthusiast up
till the last week in May, or the first week in June.
By that time the plants will have been hardened off
by the gradual removal of the lights and the with-
drawal of all bottom heat for at least a week, and will
be ready to be put out into their more permanent
quarters.

PLANTING OUT

It is not safe to plant out until all danger from
frost is over. As the time when this is the case
varies in different districts, each grower must be
guided by circumstances ; but if he will accept advice,
he will err on the safe side, as Dahlias do not grow
much out of doors until well on in June.

Dahlia growers, like doctors, differ in their opinions.
Some advocate very wide planting as the best method
of courting success — others succeed whose rule is very
elose planting. Both systems may be quite correct,
It is well to be governed by the space at the disposal
of the grower, and to some extent by the probable size
of the plants. Where space is not limited, and a plot

Cultivation of the Dahlia 4 1

is exclusively devoted to Dahlias, a reasonable arrange-
ment is to allow a distance of five feet from row to
to row, and four feet from plant to plant. Those with
limited accommodation, however, need not be alarmed
at this. The writer has known a case where the plants
were grown in a double line, two feet apart each way,
and, moreover, the grower of them was very hard to
beat.

A course which has much to recommend it is the
laying out of the ground in beds five or six feet wide,
with paths one and a half feet or so in width. By this
means two rows of plants can be grown in the bed,
two feet or more apart each way, while each row can
be reached from the path — an advantage in wet
weather when the treading of the soil is so injurious.

Whatever distances are adopted, have the stakes
in their places when the planting day comes round.
Thus the danger of injuring the roots in inserting
them will be avoided, and the plants will have the
benefit of their support at once.

Then, given the right time of year, a suitable day,
and the ground in good condition, the plants may be
transferred to their new sphere. Where wide planting
is practised, it is advisable rather to dig a good-sized
hole and fill it with compost where each plant is to
go than to manure the soil generally. Turn the plant
out <of the pot, taking care to preserve the ball of
earth intact, place it among the compost, as near to the
stake as possible, and tie with a piece of raffia or
other like material.

Dahlia plants vary so much in height that it is
advisable, when they are grown in quantity and in
a breadth by themselves, to have the taller growers

42 The Dahlia

either in the middle or at the back, with a general
sloping tendency towards the front or outer rows.
Such an arrangement will conduce to the effectiveness
of the display during the flowering period.

The grower who has tended his plants thus far
may imagine that, now that the season when frost is
apt to assail them is over, and his pets are established
in their more permanent quarters and supplied with
water enough to settle the soil at their roots, he may
rest on his oars for a little. He could not make a
greater mistake. There will still be abundant scope
for his energies. Even in June Dahlias have been
crippled by frost, so he will require to keep a sharp
look-out for a few nights. And, apart from this, there
are other dangers to be guarded against.

ENEMIES — SLUGS AND INSECTS

Slugs are deadly foes when the skin of the plants
is young and tender. A smooth surface is some safe-
guard against their ravages, as it affords them few
hiding-places, and they can easily be seen on it when
out feeding in the evenings. Some lettuce seed sown
or lettuce leaves scattered among the plants will pro-
vide material to satisfy their tastes till the Dahlias
get well under way.

Green fly and other insects may prove troublesome,
especially if the season be hot and dry, but careful
watering of the plants overhead of an evening will
lessen this danger. If they do not yield to this
treatment, an insecticide must be used. There is
none cheaper and few better than soft soap and water
used in the proportion of four ounces of soap to the

Cultivation of the Dahlia 43

gallon of water. Tobacco powder dusted on the points
of the shoots will also do away with green fly. Do
not use insecticides when the plants are in bloom.

In some localities earwigs are dangerous pests,
eating not only the buds and flowers, but even the
young shoots in the earlier stages. The best method
of holding them in check is by trapping them in
small pots placed on the top of the stakes. The pots
should contain a little moss or paper to encourage
them to take shelter. From time to time the insects
may be shaken out into a bucket of water. Another
method is to catch them at night, when feeding, by
means of a lamp.

THINNING

To return to the plants again. They will now be
making growth and will need careful tying, and the
side shoots will need staking. Thinning of the shoots
must be attended to, if large fine blooms be desired.
This more especially applies to the Show and Fancy
classes, and, in a limited degree, to the Cactus-flowered
section. Pompons and single varieties are usually
allowed to retain all their shoots, and to mature all
the buds which form on them.

In the SHOW AND FANCY section the four strongest
side shoots near the base of the plant should be
secured and carefully staked and tied. When the
plant has made further growth, other four shoots,
several joints above the last, may be taken. These,
with the centre stem, will be sufficient, — too many
perhaps, — and all the others may be removed. From
these branches further growths will spring but only to

44 The Dahlia

be pinched out, with the exception of a few near the
terminal buds, by means of which the blooms can be
timed. In this class the flowers to be desired are
those of large size without approaching to coarseness.
They must also have what is known as " depth of
flower," with a high centre and good colour.

CACTUS-FLOWERED varieties may be thinned in the
same way as has been recommended for the Show and
Fancy sections, when extra large flowers are required ;
but, as over-sized flowers in this class should not be
encouraged, a few more shoots may be allowed to each
plant. Stake and secure all branches as advised for
the Show class.

POMPON DAHLIAS are considered all the finer when
the blooms are small and neatly formed; hence little
is done to the plants beyond staking the branches and
securing them against damage by wind or otherwise.

SINGLE DAHLIAS, being used chiefly for garden
decoration, can hardly have too many shoots. Like
all others, they must be staked and secured from
breakage. Opinions are divided as to whether in this
class the reflexed or saucer-shaped blooms are the best
for exhibition. Both kinds have something to be said
in their favour. Personally I prefer those slightly
reflexed.

SINGLE CACTUS DAHLIAS are grown for the same
purpose, and require precisely the same treatment as
the foregoing. The most beautiful flowers in this
class have slightly incurving or claw-shaped florets,
thereby enhancing their value for table decoration.

Cultivation of the Dahlia 45

FEEDING

Accompanying this staking and thinning process,
there will be the necessary attention to the root
wants. When the plants begin to grow, a good
mulching of manure will not only mitigate the effects
of drought, but will give a supply of plant food at the
same time. If the soil be of heavy texture, stimulants
may be supplied from time to time without danger,
and they will be more especially necessary after the
buds are formed. This may be done in the way of
top dressing with a good artificial fertiliser, or water-
ing with liquid manure. Watering in dry weather
must not be neglected, or points of value on the Show
day will be lost.

EXHIBITION BLOOMS

After such labour and care have been exercised,
it will be but reasonable to expect good exhibition
flowers. There is, however, " many a slip 'twixt cup
and lip," and well-grown plants and promising buds
may end in bitter disappointment. In order that a
bloom may always be forthcoming when wanted, choose
buds at different stages of forwardness, and give pre-
ference to those with a very tiny hole in the centre,
as they usually produce reliable blooms. Earwigs
often step in at this stage, and their ravages result in
the deformed or eaten florets with which a flower will
not be first-rate on the exhibition table. If these
insects are about in any number, preventive measures
should be adopted. Trapping has already been dealt
with. In some districts it is customary to enclose

46 The Dahlia

each bud in a very thin muslin bag, which should, of
course, be large enough to allow the bud to swell,
the neck being tied firmly round the flower-stalk. A
more recent and extensively adopted plan is that of
tying a piece of cotton wool round the flower-stalk,
with the loose end downwards. Insects will hardly
cross this barrier. Caterpillars and small slugs do a
great deal of damage, and hide in the flowers by day.
Hand-picking is the only remedy in this case.

PROTECTING THE BLOOMS

This brings the cultivation of the Dahlia to that
point where preparation for exhibiting may be made,
and that will be discussed in another article.

In the foregoing remarks the Dahlia has been dealt
with chiefly as grown for exhibition, in which case
neither time nor labour are grudged provided success
be attained. The grower who cultivates it merely for
garden decoration may follow the instructions given
just to what extent he pleases. He may allow his
plants to grow in a more natural way, so far as
thinning is concerned. Very good results are often
had with little trouble ; but, all the same, a little
attention always brings its own reward.

About ten days before the flower is wanted for
show, it will require shading from the sun, and possibly
rain. This can be done in several ways. One rough-
and-ready method is to nail a chocolate box (without
the lid) on the end of a stake, securing the flower to
prevent it beating against the side of the box.
Another way is to make a frame of wire or wood,
the same shape as the roof of a house, and stretch

Cultivation of the Dahlia 47

canvas over it, painting the canvas white, and fasten-
ing the frame to a stake either fixed, or so that it
will slide up and down ; this is a very cool arrange-
ment. Another way which helps to bring the flowers
more quickly to perfection is a tin or wood box with
a glass top. This must be securely fixed over the
flower, and the flower tied so that it will not rub
against the sides of the box.

Some flowers, such as tipped or edged flowers, are
improved by a six or seven inch pot being inverted
over them, a week before the Show, on a wood frame
12 inches by 12. This can be made to slide up and
down a stake, or fixed ; the stem of the flower is inserted
into a slit to bring the bloom into the centre of the
board, and held there by a small wedge or tied to the
stake.

Whatever means be adopted for protecting the
flower, the greatest care must be taken that it is
securely tied, to prevent the possibility of a strong
wind beating it against the protection, and so doing
more harm than good.

LIFTING AND STORING

This should be done in October, unless the plants
have been killed by frost before then. Early in
September the growing' plants should be carefully
gone over for the purpose of seeing that they are all
true to name, and a good wooden label with the name
indelibly written on it attached to each — tied to the
top of the centre stake. It is not necessary to wait
until the plants are killed down by frost before lifting
the roots, nor is it advisable to do so if the season has

E

48 The Dahlia

advanced beyond the end of October. The opera-
tion of lifting is best performed on a dry day. Begin
early — eight or nine o'clock ; go over and cut away the
tops about six inches above the ground. Next, with
a spade or digging fork raise the roots, leaving them
lying at the bottom of their respective stakes. If
it is a fine drying day by early afternoon the soil
attached to the roots will have dried considerably.
With a piece of stick the most of it will be easily
knocked off. Then tie the labels firmly to the roots
with tar-twine or wire, and reduce the stalk to about
an inch long. They will then be ready to remove
indoors. The best and only perfectly safe place for
them is one where frost, heat, or damp can never
enter, but such an ideal place few can obtain. Still,
these are the conditions under which the roots will
keep best, and every grower must exert his ingenuity
to secure them as nearly as possible — whether in his
dwelling-house, his potting -shed, his stable, or his
greenhouse. If only a few roots are kept they do
well upright in a shallow box surrounded with sand
or cocoa-fibre. If in a position where there is risk of
frost, some straw and a sack can be placed over them.
Having put the roots away in October the wise
man will examine them frequently during the winter
— once every two or three weeks — to see that none
of them are being affected with damp or rot. A root
can often be saved by a decaying portion being cut
away, and the wound dressed with dry lime. What
is of more importance, timely attention to this will
prevent the damage spreading to others.

Poll lio, tube (wood).

Dahlia Cap (Jin).

i I

How To fi* a bloom, m tVie.

An exhibition stand of it Show DaH l\as,

EXHIBITING THE DAHLIA

AFTER the instructions given for producing exhibition
blooms have been followed, the question of preparing
them for the Show naturally arises. First provide a
sufficient number of wooden cups and tin tubes ; also
a board for staging them on, which should be of the
following dimensions, for a dozen blooms : — 24 inches
long, 18 inches wide, 9 inches high at the back, and
3 inches high in front, with holes 6 inches apart,
painted a dark olive green and varnished. A box or
cupboard should also be provided to carry them to the
Show without injury.

Cut the blooms in early morning or late at night,
when the sun is not shining. When cut draw the
stalk through the wooden cup, and plug with a slice
of rhubarb or turnip to fix the bloom (see illustration
on opposite page) ; then insert the wooden cup into
the tin tube, which should be full of water. This will
keep the bottom petals from being bruised. They
can then be placed in the stand and travelling-case.
In staging care should be taken to arrange the colours
harmoniously, putting the largest blooms in the back
row, the medium-sized ones in the middle row, and
the smallest in front. Place the most striking blooms
and colours at the corners, such as a good scarlet,

ov
51

52 The Dahlia

yellow, maroon, and white. The care bestowed on
arranging a stand often means the difference between
first and second prize.

It is also most important that all the flowers be
carefully and legibly named : this counts several points
in a close competition. There are several methods of
naming, many of them very slipshod. One very good
plan is to write the name neatly on cards 2^- inches
long by 1 inch in width, and support them with brass
pins, 1^ inches long, in front of the bloom. Another
way is to use cards of the same size as those before-
mentioned, and attach them with very thin green
twine to the Dahlia tube, the card lying flat on the
board in front of the bloom.

Cactus varieties are now often exhibited as single
blooms like the show dahlias. They are also shown
in sprays of six or ten blooms, arranged in pyramidal
shape. For sprays cut the blooms with the longest
possible stems, selecting those with good double centres,
for one bloom with a bad centre will spoil a bunch.
Twist a wire round the stalk of each bloom. Then take
a thin flower stake, 12 inches long, and fasten to it,
with raffia, a nice piece of Dahlia foliage, then place
a flower, with a long stalk, on the top to form the
apex of the bunch ; work in some green moss, then
two more flowers, then three flowers, keeping plenty
of moss all down the stem, to convey moisture to any
flowers with short stems, back up with foliage and
introduce some good unopened buds amongst the
flowers, to give the spray a more graceful appearance.
Each flower should be kept quite clear of the others.
If ten blooms are required add more blooms at the
bottom of the bunch.

A bunch or spray of Pompon Dahlias.

Exhibiting 5 5

The same remarks apply to Pompon, Single, and
Single Cactus varieties ; when cutting the Single
varieties select blooms that have only the outer row
of stigmas exposed. Various methods are adopted in
staging the bunches after they are arranged, but the
best way is on light stands or stages. If twelve
bunches are to be staged they should be arranged
in three rows, each row rising 6 or 9 inches above
the other. The staging should be painted green, or
covered with green moss or fern fronds, and the tubes
used to hold the water should be at least l^ inches
in diameter by 3j inches deep. Brown stone jars,
made for the purpose, are now being largely used for
setting up flowers of this class for exhibition. Being
of an unobtrusive colour they suit very well. In
naming the varieties use cards about 3 inches by
1 inch, placed in a slit on the top of a thin flower
stick, painted green. Allow the name to appear just
above the top of the bunch, or it may be inserted in
front just below the lowermost blooms, if the bunches
are so arranged that it can be easily seen there.
There is much more scope for tasteful arrangement in
these classes than in the Show and Fancy ones, and
the best lesson a new beginner can get is by visit-
ing a good exhibition, and noting how the successful
exhibitors set up their flowers.

A CATALOGUE OF VARIETIES

AND

SELECTIONS FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES

To many this will be an interesting chapter. When
one resolves to begin the culture of any particular
class of flowers, one is immediately confronted with
the difficulty of making a selection of suitable varieties.
That such is a real difficulty few will doubt after
glancing over the following lists, which have been
carefully compiled from the 1902 catalogues of six of
the largest growers of Dahlias in this country. In
the Dahlia Register for 1836, and in The Dahlia, by
Robert Hogg, published in 1853, lists are given of
flowers then in cultivation ; but none of the varieties-
of 1836 or 1853 are now offered for sale, and none
of them were offered in 1897, when the first edition
of this book was published. What may be pointed
out now is the comparative stability of the list of
Show Dahlias. In the 1897 list 201 names were
given. All these appear in the following list except
one. But how different it is with the Cactus varieties.
In the 1897 edition a list of 179 varieties was pub-
lished— 127 of these have now disappeared from the
catalogues of our principal growers, and only 52
varieties reappear in the present up-to-date list of

56

Catalogue of Varieties 57

Cactus Dahlias. Such a fact indicates how rapidly
the Cactus Dahlia is being developed.

It would, perhaps, hardly be correct to say that all
the varieties which have disappeared from the cata-
logues of growers have been eclipsed ; but that they
have failed to commend themselves longer to public
approbation is certain. If the coloured plates of Show
Dahlias in the Dahlia Register are faithful representa-
tions of the flowers cultivated in 1836, there must
have been then in cultivation varieties which for
wonderful beauty and combinations of colouring are
not surpassed to-day ! One does not know which
most to admire — the splendid colouring of these pic-
tures, or the magnificent enthusiasm which prompted
the publication of so valuable a work, containing as it
does over fifty coloured plates.

In making the selections for various purposes with
which this chapter concludes, I have, through the
kindness of the editor of The Journal of Horticulture,
been allowed to use Mr. Edward Mawley's valuable
analysis of the flowers shown at the National Dahlia
Society's Exhibitions. The selections for decorative
purposes have been prepared from notes of observa-
tions made during several seasons from plantations of
10,000 plants.

The selections, as already stated, are mainly for
the guidance of the uninitiated. The experienced
grower does not require them. He can exercise his
own judgment, but he may find pleasure in comparing
his lists with those given. So many new Dahlias are
now sent out every year that the selections given will
not long remain up to date. They will, however, be
revised in each new edition of this work.

58 The Dahlia

A COMPLETE CATALOGUE OF THE VARIETIES OF DAHLIAS
OFFERED FOR SALE IN 1902 by the leading
growers of Great Britain.

SHOW DAHLIAS

ACME OF PERFECTION, deep yellow, 3 feet.

AGNES, pure yellow, good petal and outline, 3 feet.

ALEXANDER CRAMOND, maroon, shaded crimson, 3 feet.

ALICE EMILY, buff yellow, 3 feet.

A. M. BURNIE, cinnamon buff, 3 feet.

ARCHIE MORTIMER, crimson, very fine and distinct.

ARTHUR OCOCK, reddish orange, petal and outline quite distinct,

4 feet.

ARTHUR RAWLINGS, rich crimson, large flower, 4 feet.
BARONESS, bright yellow, slightly tinted with scarlet, good petal

and centre, 3 feet.

BENDIGO, purplish crimson, perfect form, good habit, 4 feet.
BIRDIE, orange buff, fine outline and petal, constant and dwarf,

2 feet.

BURGUNDY, dark puce, shot and suffused with light purple, 3

feet.

BUTTERCUP, yellow, slightly tinged with red on edges, 3 feet.
CANARY, yellow, a large flower, 3 feet.
CANARY BIRD, bright canary yellow, grand outline, high centre,

3 feet.

CARDINAL, very rich scarlet, full size, deep and fine form, 3 feet.

CHAMPION EOLLO, deep orange, a large well-built flower, 4 feet.

CHARLES BACKHOUSE, bright scarlet, 4 feet.

CHARLES LEICESTER, bright scarlet, 4 feet.

CHARLES LIDGARD, deep yellow, edged with bright crimson

3 feet.

CHERUB, beautiful rich amber, quite distinct, 3 feet.
CHIEFTAIN, purplish pink, large size, splendid form, 4 feet.

Show Dahlias 59

CHRIS. RIDLEY, bright glowing crimson, very deep, perfect form,

3 feet.

CLARA, rosy peach, a large constant flower of good outline,

4 feet.

COLONIST, chocolate and fawn, new and distinct colour, 3 feet.
CONDOR, buff, shaded with orange, a compact flower, 3 feet.
CONQUEST, rich purplish rose, large size, high centre, 4 feet.
CONSTANCY, yellow ground, deeply edged with lake, large, 3 feet.
CORONET, dark red, large, centre well up, 4 feet.
COUNTESS, blush white, shaded rosy purple towards the edges,

4 feet.

COUNTESS OF EAVENSWORTH, cream, tipped lilac, 3 feet.
CREAM OF THE VALLEY, cream with slight tinge of salmon, fine

form, 3 feet.

CRIMSON GLOBE, a large, deep crimson flower, fine outline, 4 feet.
CRIMSON KING, deep crimson scarlet, early and constant, 3 feet.
CRIMSON QUEEN, crimson scarlet, free habit, good shape, high

centre, 2l feet.

CRITERION, delicate rose, a large and fine back tier flower, 5 feet.
CROWN PRINCE, nankeen or pale buff, very dissimilar, good

flower, 4 feet.
DANIEL CORNISH, terra- cotta red, distinct and useful flower,

3 feet.

DANTE, maroon, shaded purple, good petal, high centre, 4 feet.
DAVID JOHNSON, a grand Show Dahlia, quite a new colour,

salmon shaded rose, fine form, 3 feet.
DEFIANCE, dark scarlet, with first-class properties, large size,

3 feet.

DELICATA, French white, good form.
DEW DROP, pale primrose.

DIADEM, deep crimson, fine petal, constant, 3 feet.
DR. KEYSES, rich buff, reddish tint at back of petals, 3 feet.
DUCHESS OF YORK, lemon colour, veined and edged with salmon

pink, 3 feet.

DUKE OF CONNAUGHT, dark crimson.

DUKE OF FIFE, rich cardinal, large, great depth of petal, 3 feet.
EARL OF RAVENSWORTH, a lilac sport from Vice-President, large,

3 feet.

ECLIPSE, bright orange scarlet, well-built flower, 4 feet.
ELDORADO, rosy purple, fine shell petal, good centre, 4 feet.
EMILY EDWARDS, blush white, 3 feet.

60 The Dahlia

ESMOND, yellow, large size, a back-row flower, 4 feet.
ETHEL BRITTON, blush white, edged with reddish purple, 3 feet.
ETHELWIN, very dark purple, good flower of fine form, 3 feet.
EXCELLENT, bright red, good outline and petal, very constant,

3J feet.

FALCON, fawn colour, beautiful edged crimson.
FLAG OF TRUCE, white, occasionally tipped lilac, fine, 3 feet.
FLORENCE, bright golden yellow, good form, 4 feet.
FLORENCE TRANTER, blush white, distinctly edged rosy purple,

3 feet,

FRANK RAWLINGS, rich purple magenta.

GEORGE DICKSON, chestnut brown, peculiar colour, constant,

4 feet.

GEORGE GORDON, bright crimson, petal and outline grand, 4 feet.

GEORGE HOBBS, deep orange, large size, but not coarse, a first-
rate flower, 4 feet.

GEORGE PAUL, blush, heavily edged vermilion, 4 feet.

GEORGE RAWLINGS, very dark maroon, a full size flower, 4 feet.

GEORGE SMITH, bright magenta, splendid form, 4 feet

GLOIRE DE LYON, very large, pure white, 3 feet.

GLOWWORM, bright orange scarlet, high centre, 3 feet.

GOLDEN GEM, rich golden yellow, edged with chestnut, of good
upright growth, 3 feet.

GOLDFINDER, yellow, tipped with red, large and well built,
2 1 feet.

GRACCHUS, bright orange buff, good outline and petal, 3 feet.

GWENDOLINE, rich crimson, fine petal and outline, 3 feet.

HARRISON WEIR, clear yellow, great depth and substance, 4 feet.

HARRY KEITH, rosy purple, large, and very constant, 3 feet.

HARRY TURNER, dark maroon, 3 feet.

HENRI DEPRESLE, orange scarlet, good build, free, very constant,
4 feet.

HENRY BOND, bright rosy lilac, full size, 4 feet.

HENRY WALTON, yellow, edged vermilion, 3 feet.

HERBERT TURNER, French white, with soft tinge of lilac, 5 feet.

HON. MRS. PERCY WYNDHAM, yellow, edged with purple, large,
3 feet.

HOPE, light, rosy lilac, large and very constant, 4 feet.

H. W. WARD, yellow ground, heavily edged and shaded
crimson, 3 feet.

ILLUMINATOR, dark red, beautifully shaded orange, 4 feet.

Show Dahlias 61

IMPERIAL, deep purple, with a pretty shade of lilac, large, 4 feet.
JAMES ALLAN, pale blush, a medium -sized refined flower, quite

a model, 4 feet.

JAMES BROWN, rosy purple, large handsome flower, very con-
stant, 2j feet.

JAMES COCKER, large, purple, fine form, 4 feet.
JAMES HUNTLEY, a fine purple in the way of James Cocker,

4 feet.

JAMES MARTIN, a large solid flower, bright scarlet, 3 feet.
JAMES SERVICE, dark crimson, very intense colour, 3 feet.
JAMES STEPHEN, bright orange scarlet, 3 feet.
JAMES VICK, purple maroon, quite a model, 3 feet.
J. C. VAUGHAN, yellow, of superior form, very constant, 4 feet.
J. L. TOOLE, red, large, fine, and constant.
JOHN BENNET, yellow, broad scarlet edge, 3 feet.
JOHN HENSHAW, rich crimson, splendid, 4 feet.
JOHN HICKLING, clear, bright yellow, grand form, large, 3 feet.
JOHN NEVILLE KEYNES, yellow, of fine form, 4 feet.
JOHN RAWLINGS, decided heliotrope in colour, finest form,

3 feet.

JOHN STANDISH, bright red, large, very constant, 5 feet.
JOHN WALKER, pure white, large flower, fine form, 3 feet.
JOHN WILLIAM LORD, orange buff, shaded, 3 feet.
JOHN WYATT, crimson scarlet, fine form, 2 feet.
JOSEPH ASHBY, shaded orange, high centre, grand outline,

3 feet.

JOSEPH B. SERVICE, a fine yellow, 3 feet.
JOSEPH GREEN, clear bright crimson, full centre, 3 feet.
J. R. TRANTER, terra-cotta, a new colour, splendid form and

habit.
J. S. WILSON, clear primrose yellow, fine petal and shape, 2^

feet.

J. T. WEST, yellow, heavily tipped with purple, 4 feet.
JULIA WYATT, creamy white, large, 4 feet.
KATHLEEN, blush white, high centre, grand petal and outline,

3 feet.

KING OF PRIMROSES, beautiful primrose.
KING OF PURPLES, a fine purple, beautifully formed, 4 feet.
LADY GLADYS HERBERT, pale orange, deeply edged with crimson,

3 feet.
LEAH, golden yellow, of exquisite form, fine habit, 3 feet.

62 The Dahlia

LIZZIE LEICESTER, pink, curiously pencilled, constant flower,

4 feet.

LORD CHELMSFORD, rich maroon, 4 feet.

LUSTROUS, deep scarlet, almost a crimson, fine outline, 3 feet.
MABEL STANTON, yellow, good centre, dwarf habit, 3 feet.
MAJESTIC, white, edged purple, large, 4 feet.
MAJOR CLARK, dark chocolate, very free flowering, 3 feet.
MAJOR CORNWALLIS WEST, scarlet with orange shade, good habit,

3 feet.

MARJORIE, lemon, shaded amber, good petal, high centre, 4 feet.
MAUD FELLOWES, French white, tinted and shaded with purple,

4 feet.

MERLIN, bright orange scarlet, fine variety, perfectly shaped

petals, 2 feet.

MICHAEL SAUXDERS, crimson purple, large, 4 feet.
MIDGET, cream, prettily tinted with pink, 2 feet.
Miss ALICE KING, lovely ivory-white colour, shaded and edged

with soft rose.

Miss BARBER, white ground, deeply edged with purple, 4 feet.
Miss CANNELL, cream, edged purplish crimson, 4 feet.
Miss Fox, blush, heavily edged with lake, 3 feet.
Miss HENSHAW, white, large flower of perfect form, 3 J feet.
MODESTY, blush, very constant.

MONT BLANC, syn. GLOIRE DE LYOX, pure white, very large.
MR. CHAMBERLAIN, deep rich maroon, good size and form,

3 feet.

MR. G. HARRIS, crimson scarlet, fine form and centre, 3 feet.
MR. GLASSCOCK, fine purple, large and of good form, 2 feet.
MR. G. PAUL, blush, heavily edged vermilion.
MR. J. C. REID, Light orange.

MR. SPOFFORTH, large crimson, a fine useful flower, 3 feet.
MR. STANCOMB, pale yellow, tipped fawn.
MRS. CAMPBELL, pale yellow, shaded fawn, backs ot petals

tipped and streaked rosy purple.

MRS. CHARLES NOTES, light fawn, good petal and outline, 4 feet.
MRS. DAVID SAUNDERS, white ground, distinctly edged with

purple, 3 feet.

MRS. DODDS, blush centre, outer petals light lilac, 3 feet.
MRS. DOUGLAS, vivid scarlet, pleasing shade, good form, 3 feet.
MRS. EVERY, white ground, heavily edged with lilac, very

constant, 3 feet.

Show Dahlias 63

MRS. F. FOREMAN, rich lilac, large flower of capital form,

3 feet.

MRS. FISHER, white, shading to lavender in the centre, 3 feet.
MRS. FOSTER, fawn, shaded with salmon and mave, 3 feet.
MRS. GLADSTONE, delicate soft blush, in form a model, constant,

3 feet.

MRS. GLASSCOCK, pure white, full size and good form, 4 feet.
MRS. G. RAWLINGS, pink, flushed purple, 3 feet.
MRS. G. R. JEFFARD, deep yellow, 3 feet.
MRS. HARRIS, light, edged lilac, 3 feet.
MRS. HODGSON, yellow, edged crimson.

MRS. HUMPHRIES, light, with a delicate shade of pink, 3 feet.
MRS. HURST, blush, slightly edged with crimson, fine form,

3 feet.

MRS. J. LAING, French white, fine.

MRS. KENDAL, white ground, edged and tipped with purple,

4 feet.

MRS. LANGTRY, cream, edged with crimson, full size, 4 feet.
MRS. LEWIS STANBRIDGE, clear amber, fine petal and outline,

3 feet.

MRS. M'INTOSH, old gold colour, finely formed and very con-
stant, 3 feet.
MRS. MORGAN, pale ground, tinted rosy purple, good habit,

4 feet,

MRS. P. M'KENZIE, yellow, shaded and edged with carmine,

3 feet.

MRS. SHIRLEY' HIBBERD, cream, shaded pink, 3 feet.
MRS. STANCOMBE, canary yellow, tipped with deep fawn, 3 feet.
MRS. STEPHEN WALKER, light blush pink, splendid form,

3 feet.

MRS. THEOBALD, rose, beautiful form, very constant, 4 feet.
MRS. VAGG, rose, shaded with purple, 3 feet.
MRS. WEST, light ground colour lit up with rose, 3 feet.
MRS. WILLIAM SLACK, blush white, edged with purple, 3 feet.
MURIEL, clear yellow, large and good, 4 feet.
MURIEL HOBBS, yellow, large flower, first-rate petal and form,

very constant, 3 feet.

NELLIE CRAMOND, purple with cerise shade, 4 feet.
NORMA, bright orange buff, good outline, 4 feet.
NUBIAN, very deep crimson, excellent form, very constant,

3 feet.

64 The Dahlia

NUGGET, deep yellow or orange, tipped scarlet, high centre,

3 feet.

OCTAVIA, yellow, shaded orange, tinged with rosy purple, 3 feet.

OLIVER, crimson, shaded maroon, useful and constant, 4 feet.

OVID, rich puce, deep and perfect form, 5 feet.

PAULINE, shaded buff.

PENELOPE, fawn, shaded amber and tinted yellow, good petal,

4 feet.

PERFECTION, orange buff, good petal and outline, 4 feet.
PICOTEE, golden yellow ground, sometimes laced with bright

crimson, 3 feet.

PIONEER, rich glossy black, 3 feet.
PLEASANCE, bright crimson scarlet, good petal and outline,

2 feet.

PRIMROSE DAME, primrose yellow, excellent shape, 3 feet.
PRINCE ARTHUR, rich, deep yellow, 3j feet.
PRINCE BISMARCK, puce, shot with purple, fine form, 4 feet.
PRINCE OF DENMARK, very dark maroon, shaded with crimson,

4 feet.

PURPLE PRINCE, rosy purple, large and very constant, 3^ feet.
QUEEN OF AUTUMN, orange butt', flowers large and distinct in

colour, dwarf habit, 3 \ feet.
QUEEN OF ITALY, distinct and attractive fawn shade of colour,

4 feet.
QUEEN OF THE BELGIANS, delicate cream, tinged pink, constant,

4 feet.

QUEEN'S MESSENGER, purple, fine flower.

REGINALD, purple, high centre, good petal and outline, 4 feet.
RELIANCE, fawn colour, shaded with pink, fine form, 3 feet.
REPORTER, rich maroon or deep crimson, very constant, 3 feet.
REV. J. GOODDAY, deep purple, good shape, 3^ feet.
REVIVAL, rich crimson, full size and very double.
RICHARD DEAN, deep purple, fine form, 3 feet.
ROBINA, deep rose, shaded and veined, bright in colour, 4 feet.
ROSAMOND, light ground, heavily shaded rosy purple, 2 feet.
ROSETTA, purple, large, full, and constant, good form, 3 feet.
ROYAL QUEEN, creamy ground, with purple - crimson edge,

3 feet.

ROYALTY, pale yellow, tinged rosy purple, open petal, 3j feet.
R. T. RAWLINGS, clear yellow, of good form and constant, 3 feet.
RUBY GEM, ruby crimson, with small yellow tip, 4 feet.

S/wzu Dahlias 65

SENATOR, fine purple, distinct, 4 feet.

SERAPH, blush, a large well-built flower, 3 feet.

SHIRLEY HIBBERD, dark shaded crimson, 3 feet.

SHOTTESHAM HERO, white ground, tipped and shaded rosy

purple, 3 feet.
SIDNEY HUMPHRIES, clear lilac in colour, with good petal and

outline, 3 feet.

SIR CHAS. MILLS, clear yellow, good form, 4 feet.
SIR GARNET WOLSELEY, reddish chocolate, large, of good form,

4 feet.

SIRDAR, deep crimson, fine large flowers of good form.
SOUTHERN QUEEN, lilac shaded and pencilled with deep pink.
SPITFIRE, bright scarlet, very profuse, 4 feet.
STATESMAN, purplish crimson, good outline, 3 feet.
SUNBEAM, clear buff, beautiful outline, good and constant,

3 feet.

SUNLIGHT, very bright scarlet, a large useful flower, 3 feet.
SUNRISE, bright magenta, high centre, good outline, 3 feet.
SYBIL, bright orange buff, distinct, 4 feet.
THE AMEER, very dark maroon, shaded with rosy purple,

3 feet.
THE REVEREND, buff cream centre, good petal and outline,

3 feet.
THOMAS ANSTISS, purple, medium size, fine petal and outline,

3 feet.

THOMAS GOODWIN, very dark, show flower, 3 feet.

THOMAS HOBBS, purple, fine and constant, 4 feet.

THOMAS TENDERED, bright yellow, good petal, a fine solid flower,

4 feet.

THOMAS S. WARE, wine crimson, beautiful petal and outline,

3 feet.

THOMAS WHITE, very fine maroon, first-rate quality, 3 feet.
T. J. SALTMARSH, yellow, edged with red, stout cupped petal,

3 feet.

VICE-PRESIDENT, bright orange, finest form, 3 feet.
VICTOR, dark maroon, with first-class properties, 3 J feet.
VIRGIN ALE, blush white, shaded with rosy lilac, 3 feet.
VOLUNTEER, bright cardinal red, fine form, free flowering,

3 feet.

WALTER, deep crimson, shaded dark maroon.
WALTER H. WILLIAMS, bright scarlet, large, 4 feet.

66 The Dahlia

WARRIOR, intense scarlet, grand colour, fine form, 3 feet.

WILLIAM DODDS, orange buff, 3 feet.

WILLIAM JACKSON, rosy purple, large flower, 4 feet.

WILLIAM KEITH, dark plum, a fine back-row variety, 3 feet.

WILLIAM NEATE, reddish fawn, fine petal, excellent form, 3 feet.

WILLIAM POWELL, primrose yellow, large, 3 feet.

WILLIAM RAWLINGS, rich crimson purple, perfect outline, 4 feet.

WILLIE GARRATT, bright cardinal, of fine form and habit,

3 feet.

W. P. LAIRD, lilac, extra fine.
YELLOW GLOBE, a magnificent yellow, large, and of good form,

31 feet.

YEOMAN, yellow ground, edged and marbled rosy red, 3 feet.
ZEPHYR, pale ground, picotee edge, and slight pencilling of

purple, 4 feet.

FANCY DAHLIAS

ADVENTURE, blush ground, striped and marked rosy lake,

3 feet.

ANNIE PRITCHARD, white, striped with lilac and rose, fine,

3| feet.
BEAUTY, yellow ground, with a tip of rosy white, constant,

4 feet.

BUFFALO BILL, buff, striped with vermilion, large and fine,

4 feet.
CARNATION, clear white, deeply flaked with dark rosy purple,

3 feet.

CHAS. TURNER, light buff ground, striped maroon, 3 feet.
CHORISTER, fawn colour, striped with crimson and rose, 3 feet.
COMEDIAN, orange ground, flaked crimson, tipped white, 4 feet.
COMTE DE LA SAUX, deep lilac, striped with dark crimson,

• 21 feet.

DANDY, orange, beautifully striped with crimson, large, 3 feet.
DAZZLER, pure yellow, 'flaked and striped bright scarlet, constant,

3 feet.

DOROTHY, fawn colour, striped and flaked dark maroon, 3 feet.
DRAGON yellow, richly striped with bright crimson, 5 feet.
DUCHESS OF ALBANY orange, with crimson stripes, 3 feet.

Fancy Dahlias 67

EDMUND BOSTON, orange, heavily striped with crimson, 3 feet.

EDWARD PECK, deep lilac, striped with rich maroon.

EMIN PASHA, yellow, heavily striped and splashed with crimson,

4 feet.

ENCHANTRESS, creamy white, striped rosy purple, 3|- feet.
ERIC FISHER, buff, striped scarlet, with purple, 3 feet.
FANNY STURT, red, tipped white, exquisite form, 3 feet.
FLORA WYATT, orange, striped crimson, large and full, 4 feet.
FLORENCE BLUNDELL, pale lilac shade, striped with deep purple,

3 feet.

FLORENCE STARK, white ground, striped purple, 3 feet.
FRANK PEARCE, rose striped with crimson, 4 feet.
FREDERICK SMITH, deep lilac, striped purple, constant, 4 feet.
GAIETY, yellow, striped red and tipped white, large, 3 feet.
GEM, white ground, edged and flushed with bright rose.
GENERAL GORDON, yellow, striped with scarlet, 3 feet.
GENERAL GRANT, orange, with bold chocolate stripe, 3 feet.
GEORGE BARNES, rich lilac, striped crimson, 3 feet.
GOLDEN FLEECE, rich yellow, with fine splashings of crimson,

4 feet.

GOLDEN GEM, yellow, small neat flower, fine form, free habit,

4 feet.

GOLDFINCH, yellow, striped with purple, tipped white, 3 feet.
GOLD MEDAL, bright canary yellow, marked with fine stripes

and splashings of deep red.
GOLDSMITH, yellow, striped and edged with bright crimson,

3 feet.

GRAND SULTAN, buff, bright red stripes, very large, 3 feet.
HARTIE KING, orange, with crimson and scarlet stripes, 3 feet.
HEATHERBELL, crimson, heavily tipped with white, good shape,

4 feet.

HENRY ECKFORD, yellow, striped with red, 3 feet.
HENRY GLASSCOCK, buff, crimson stripe, 3 feet.
HERCULES, yellow, striped crimson, a fine large flower, 3 feet.
HERO, lilac, striped maroon, high and good centre, 4 feet.
HUGH AUSTIN, orange scarlet, striped dark red, 3 feet.
JAMES O'BRIEN, yellow, with reddish rose stripes, 3 feet.
JANNETTE, pale yellow, tipped with white, 5 feet.
JESSIE M'INTOSH, red, with a distinct white tip, 4 feet.
JOHN COOPER, white, heavily striped with lake, 3 feet.
JOHN FORBES, fawn, striped with maroon, 3 feet.

68 The Dahlia

JOHN LAMONT, maroon, striped black, 3 feet.

LADY ANTROBUS, red, tipped white, a showy flower, 3 feet.

LAURA HA SLAM, pale yellow, tipped with white, 4 feet.

LETTY COLES, rose, striped and tipped with red.

LOTTIE ECKFORD, white, striped with purple, 3 feet.

MABEL, lilac, striped crimson, very large, 3 feet.

MADAME SOUBEYRE, rosy lilac, striped carmine, 3 feet.

MAGICIAN, deep yellow, striped scarlet.

MAGNET, lilac, densely striped with rich purple, 4 feet.

MAJOR BARTTELOT, orange, striped with maroon, large, 3 feet.

MALIEL, light ground striped with crimson, 3 feet.

MANDARIN, yellow, striped and mottled with purplish crimson,

4 feet.
MARGERY, buff, striped and speckled with crimson and purple,.

3 feet.

MATTHEW CAMPBELL, bright buff, striped with crimson, 4 feet,
Miss BROWNING, clear yellow, tipped with white, fine petal,

3 feet.

Miss LILY LARGE, puce, striped and spotted crimson, 3 feet.
MME. CHAS. MOLIN, orange ground, distinctly striped and

marked rosy red.

MRS. J. DOWNIE, orange, striped with scarlet, large, 3 feet.
MRS. MORTIMER, yellow ground, tipped with fawn, 3 feet.
MRS. N. HALLS, bright scarlet, tipped white, fine form, 2 feet.
MRS. OCOCK, yellow ground, petals margined crimson, tipped

white, 3 feet.

MRS. PURVIS, yellow, white tip.
MRS. SAUNDERS, yellow, tipped with white, 4 feet.
NEPTUNE, bright orange, striped with crimson, 3 feet.
NICHOL WALKER, buff, striped crimson, large flower, 3 feet.
NOVELTY, delicate pale rose ground, flaked with purple, 4 feet.
ORACLE, yellow, striped with crimson, 3 feet.
PARROT, yellowr, striped crimson, 2^ feet.
PEACOCK, dark purple maroon, distinctly tipped white, 3 feet.
PELICAN, pure white, striped with purple, 3 feet.
PLUTARCH, buff ground, striped and splashed with crimson,

31 feet.

POLLY SANDELL, lemon colour, tipped with white, 3 feet.
POLLY SHEFFIELD, lilac, striped and speckled crimson.
PORTIA, lilac, striped with purple, good size, splendid form,

4 feet.

Cactus Dahlias 69

PREMIER, deep lilac, striped with crimson, 3 feet.

PRINCE HENRY, lilac, with bright purple stripes, 3 feet.

PROFESSOR FAWCETT, dark lilac, striped with chocolate, 3 feet.

PROSPERO, maroon, tipped with white, showy, 4 feet.

QUEEN MAB, white, tipped with scarlet, very showy, 3 feet.

REBECCA, lilac, striped with crimson, large, constant, 3 feet.

REV. J. B. M. CAMM, yellow, flaked red, very large, 4 feet.

RICHARD DEAN, yellow, flaked crimson.

ROBERT BURNS, lilac, flaked with dark maroon, constant, 3 feet.

ROMEO, buff, striped with maroon, 4 feet.

RUBY GEM, crimson, with small yellow tip, early, 4 feet.

SAILOR PRINCE, lilac, striped and splashed purple, 4 feet.

S. MORTIMER, pale pink rose ground, striped and flaked crimson,

3 feet.

STANLEY, yellow, striped with scarlet ; effective, 3 feet.
SUNSET, yellow, flaked and striped with scarlet, 2-J- feet.
T. W. GIRDLESTONE, lilac, flaked and splashed with maroon,

4 feet.

VALENTINE HUMPHREYS, buff, tipped with white, 3 feet.
WALTER SPRIGGS, pale yellow, beautifully striped with scarlet.
WATCHMAN, rich golden yellow, heavily striped and blotched

with bright crimson, 4 feet.

W. G. GRACE, lilac, striped and spotted purple, large, 4 feet.
W. G. HEAD, very dark, slightly striped with crimson, 4 feet.
WIZARD, fawn, striped with maroon, and tipped white.

CACTUS DAHLIAS

AJAX, orange, suffused salmon and buff, 4 feet.

ALBERT YOUENS, reddish cinnamon, enlivened with a distinct

shade of golden amber, 3 feet.

ALFRED VASEY, pale bronze, passing to salmon pink, 3 J feet.
ALINE, lovely tint of rosy pink or peach, 4 feet.
ALPHA (Fancy Cactus), white ground, speckled and striped freely

with purple, crimson, and lilac, 4 feet.
AMBER, yellow, tinted with amber.
ANGELICA, white, blush towards the tips.
ANNIE TURNER, soft scarlet, shaded rose.
APOLLO, crimson lake.
ARAB, rich velvety maroon, almost black, 5 feet.

70 The Dahlia

ARACHNE, white, edged with a broad band of brightest crimson,

4 feet.

ARTHUR CHEAL, deep rich purplish crimson, 4 feet.
ARTUS, orange buff, 4^ feet.
AUGUSTUS J. C. HARE, bright orange scarlet, edged with cerise,

4 feet.
AUNT CHLOE, very dark, the younger florets being quite dark,

3 feet.

AURORA, rosy salmon colour, fine pointed petals, 3^ feet.
AUSTIN CAN NELL, magenta rose.

BADEN POWELL, rich velvety cardinal, free and erect flowering.
BARON SCHROEDER, imperial purple, throwing its blooms erect

and well out of foliage, 4 feet.

BEATRICE, pale rose, with lighter shade at point of petals.
BEAUTY OF ARUNDEL, glowing crimson, shaded with brilliant

rosy purple.
BEAUTY OF WILTS, soft terra-cotta shaded red, with long twisted

petals.
BERNICE, pale yellow buff, the tips of petals tinted and shaded

cinnamon, 4 feet.

BERTHA MAWLEY, cochineal colour, a magnificent flower, 4 feet.
BESSIE MITCHELL, brownish-orange colour, good Cactus form,

large size.

BLANCHE KEITH, pure yellow, a fine flower.
BREMA, pale blush, a pleasing colour, free flowering, 3 feet.
BRIDESMAID, delicate shade of rose, passing in centre to pale

primrose.

BRIGHTNESS, bright fiery scarlet, 4 feet.
BRITANNIA, soft salmon pink, passing towards the base of the

petals to apricot, 3 feet.
BRUTUS, bright crimson with purple tips, nice incurving petals,

3 feet.

CAESAR, soft reddish scarlet.

CANNELL'S CREST, splendid rich cherry red, fine size.
CANNELL'S GEM, terra-cotta and orange.
CAPSTAN, soft brick red, petals long, pointed, early and free, 4

feet.
CAPTAIN BROAD, bright scarlet, petals curving inwards, very

early, 3 feet.

CAPTAIN DREYFUS, dark velvety maroon, very free.
CASANDRA, yellow, heavily shaded fawn and rose.

Cactus Dahlias 71

CASILDA, pale, sulphur yellow, outer petals diffused and tinted

delicate pink.
CHANCELLOR SWAYNE, velvety bluish-plum colour, very erect in

habit, 5 feet.
CHARLES WOOD BRIDGE, crimson, shaded purple, large and free

blooming, 3 feet.
CHEAL'S WHITE, beautiful ivory-white flowers on long stems, 4

feet.
CINDERELLA, bright purple, flowers produced on long slender

stems, 4 feet.

CINNAMON, bright cinnamon, or yellowish buff, 4 feet.
CLARA STREDWICK, clear bright salmon, shading to yellow at

base of petals, 4 feet.
CLARENCE WEBB, beautiful bronze red, passing at the base to

soft canary yellow, 4 feet.
CLIO, pale creamy salmon ground, suffused and tinted carmine,

3£ feet.
COLUMBIA, rich bright vermilion, ground colour, the centre and

tip of each floret pure white, 4 feet.
CONSTANCE, pure white, fine for cutting.
CONSTANCY, colour somewhat after " Uncle Tom," free flowering,

4 feet.
CORNUCOPIA, soft shade of deep reddish salmon, very free, 4

feet.
COUNTESS OF GOSFORD, outer colour cinnamon, suffused with

gold, 3 feet,

COUNTESS OF LONSDALE, rich salmon tinted with apricot, 3 feet.
COUNTESS OF RADNOR, amber, shaded pink, tinted silver, 3 feet.
COUSIN JONATHAN, plum coloured, footstalks long, straight, and

stiff.
CRIMSON KING, deep bright crimson, shaded maroon in the

centre.

CYCLE, rich ruby red, flowers freely produced on long steins.
DAFFODIL, pale primrose, very fine.
DANIEL WILSON, distinct shade of red, massive flowers of good

shape.
DEBONAIR, base of petals cinnamon, deepening to rich copper

colour at the tips, 3 feet.
DELICATA, light salmon at base of petals, shading off to a lovely

delicate pink, 3 feet.
DELIGHT, rosy pink, a distinct and beautiful flower.

72 The Dahlia

DIAMOND, yellow disc, shading off to rosy mauve, tipped salmon,

31 feet.
DINORAH, buff colour with a shade of rose running through it,

4 feet.

DR. DOUGLAS, deep crimson-scarlet, long narrow petals.
DR. NANSEN, bright scarlet or signal red.
DRYDEN, deep crimson-scarlet.
DUCHESS OF YORK, rich orange red.
EARL OF PEMBROKE, deep plum colour.
EASTERN QUEEN, rich magenta, maroon, fine true Cactus.
EBONY, blackish ebony, distinct and free.
ECLAIR, bright orange red, dwarf and free.
ECLIPSE, clear sulphur yellow.
EDITH BRYANT, soft creamy yellow, prettily edged crimson, 3

feet.
EILEEN PALLISER, fine large golden yellow, free flowering, late,

4 feet.

E. J. DEAL, scarlet tinted crimson.
ELECTRIC LIGHT, blush white, turning to yellow at base of

florets, 5 feet.

ELFE, sulphur, full flowers with narrow petals.
ELSIE, distinct rose colour, with yellow base to florets, 4 feet.
EMPEROR, soft rosy purple flowers borne on long stout stems, 5

feet.

E. 0. GREENING, purple and crimson.
ERASMUS, reddish crimson, shaded dark maroon.

ETHEL, light yellow, the outer petals becoming chrome with age,

4 feet.

EXHIBITOR, beautiful art shade of soft pink or peach colour.
EXQUISITE, cinnamon, long twisted incurving petals, free and

early, 3 feet.
FAIRY, deep rosy pink striped with white, shading to white at

the tips, 3 feet.

FALKA, rosy cinnamon, shaded carmine and violet.
FANTASY, bright orange red.

F. C. PAWLE, beautiful rich crimson, shaded rose at the tips of

the petals, 3£ feet.
FEARNOUGHT, soft carmine, passing towards the base of the

petals to richer red, 3^- feet.
FIGHTING MAC, rich fiery crimson, with Just a suspicion of

apricot, at the base of the florets, 4j feet.

Caches Dahlias

73

FIREBRAND, rich velvety crimson.

FIREFLY, beautiful flame colour, shaded with carmine, 4 feet.
FIRE KING, rich bright crimson, without shading, 4 feet.
FLAMBEAU, bright scarlet, orange shaded, very free flowering.
FLAMINGO, an intense flame colour, fimbriated florets and of easy

growth.

FLORADORA, wine crimson, very constant variety, 3 feet.
FLORENCE, lovely shade of orange yellow, constant and free, 3

feet.

FLOSSIE, pale coral pink, tinted primrose, very pretty, 4 feet.
FRANK WOODGATES, yellow at base of petals and scarlet at

points.

FREDA, lovely shade of salmon-rose.

FREEDOM, rich crimson scarlet, remarkably free flowering.
FUSILIER, deep salmon or coral pink.
GABRIEL, ground colour, bright velvety crimson, the upper half

of each floret being snow white, and abruptly curved

inwards, 4j feet, .

GALLIARD, a shade of reddish scarlet, of good habit, 4 feet.
GEISELHER, ruby red, very narrow twisted florets.
GENERAL BULLER, rich velvety crimson, nearly black at the

base, every floret as it expands having a pure white tip,

4| feet.
GENERAL FRENCH, deep bronze, large flower, grand habit, free

flowering.
GENESTA, ground colour, amber, passing towards the centre to

golden yellow, 4 feet.

GLORIOSA, fine scarlet, a glorious flower, 3 feet.
GOLDEN PLOVER, golden-yellow colour.
GOLDEN QUEEN, beautiful rich golden yellow, 4 feet.
GOLDEN RAY, yellow, deeper-coloured tips and margins.
GOLDFINCH, yellow buff, with pink centre, 4 feet.
GRACE DARLING, lovely cherry red, with rosy cerise and helio-
trope shadings.

GREEN'S GEM, bright orange salmon, good form.
GREEN'S WHITE, snow white, with pea-green tint.
GUINEVERE, bright orange scarlet, shaded rosy pink, 3 feet.
HARMONY, reddish bronze, rather more yellow towards the

centre, 3 feet.
HAROLD HARPER, rich dark velvety crimson, magnificent form,

3i feet.

74 The Dahlia

HARRY STREDWICK, deep maroon, tipped fiery crimson, 4 feet.
HENRY AYRES, rich velvety crimson, deeper centre, lovely

colour.
HERBERT MORTIMER, bright cherry red, shaded orange at base

of florets, 3 feet.

HOBBIE'S PET, light fawn with heliotrope shadings.
HOBBIE'S YELLOW, rich canary yellow.
HOGARTH, maroon colour with crimson shadings.
HONEYSUCKLE, a pleasing mixture of amber in different grades

of intensity.

IGNEA, fiery crimson scarlet, large, 4 feet.

IMPERATOR, dark ruby red, the petals of the flower are claw-
shaped, 4 feet.
INNOVATION, rich crimson, every floret tipped white, good

habit, 5 feet.
INVICTA, delightful shade of crimson, light and elegantly

formed petals.
ISLAND QUEEN, charming pale rose colour, free flowering, 3^

feet.

JAMES KOBERTON, deep crimson, shaded maroon, a large hand-
some flower.
JEALOUSY, a good yellow, with fine double centre, long stems,

4 feet.

JEANNIE, purple magenta, very distinct and beautiful.
J. E. FREWER, vermilion colour, having quite a velvety gloss,

3 feet.
J. F. HUDSON, lovely carmine rose, with yellow shading from

centre, 3^ feet.
J. H. JACKSON, intense blackish maroon, extra long narrow

pointed petals, 3 feet.

JOHN ADAM, beautiful bright crimson, a fine flower.
JOHN BURN, beautiful deep bright crimson, a handsome flower,

3J feet.

JOHN HALIFAX, bright orange scarlet.

JOHN H. ROACH, soft yellow, edged sulphur, free habit, 3 feet
JOHN WELCH, rich glowing crimson.
JUAREZII, bright crimson, extremely showy, 4 feet.
JUVERNA, bright vermilion, shaded scarlet, free flowering.
J. WEIR FIFE, rich purple centre, deepening to purplish crimson

at back of petals, sometimes crimson with purple stripes.
J. W. WILKINSON, deep rosy red, of magnificent form, 3 feet.

Cactus Dahlias 75

KAISERIN, sulphur yellow, outer florets tinged with lemon,
4 feet.

KAPITAN LANS, pale canary yellow, blush towards the tips, very
effective.

KATHLEEN, light orange, petals perfectly pointed and incurved.

KEYNES' WHITE, ivory white, tinted cream at the base, 4 feef.

KINGFISHER, bright carmine or rosy purple, very free flowering.

KING OF SIAM, deep rich purplish maroon, early and free flower-
ing, 4 feet.

KONIG HUMBERT, deep velvety maroon, almost black, with fine
silky reflex.

KYNERITH, magnificent vermilion, with lighter shade at base of
petals, 4 feet.

LADY E. TALBOT, pale terra-cotta shaded salmon, 3 feet.

LADY PEARSON, distinct shade of rosy red, flowers well out of
the foliage, 4 feet.

LADY PENZANCE, of the purest yellow, 3 feet.

LAVERSTOCK BEAUTY, soft red, yellowish scarlet at the base,

4 feet.

LEADER, distinct shade of bright crimson.

LEANDER, bright orange, a fine variety.

LIBELLE, clear magenta and purple, quite a novel colouring.

LIBERTY, colour is dull red, quite distinct from any other.

LODESTONE, orange scarlet or reddish apricot, free flowering,

5 feet.

LORD ALVERSTONE, rich carmine, shaded rosy crimson, free

flowering, 4 feet.
LORD BRASSEY, rose flushed with violet, deeper at the points

and yellow at the base, 3 feet.
LORD ROBERTS, white with creamy centre, long narrow fluted

petals and of splendid form.

LORELEY, delicate rose, shaded white towards the centre.
LOTTIE DEAN, pale amber buif, tinted and edged with rose, 4 feet.
LOVELY EYNSFORD, amber coloured.
LOYALTY, bright coral red, 5 feet.

Lucius, brilliant deep orange, very free and effective, 3j feet.
LYRIC, fiery red with yellow base, of good form, 3 feet.
MABEL KEITH, buff, suffused with soft pink, shading to creamy

yellow centre, 3j feet.
MAGNIFICENT, ground colour cream, suffused with ; delicate

salmon buff, 3j feet.

76 The Dahlia

MAID OF HONOUR, soft amber with shadings of red gold.
MAJOR HOBBS, a beautiful clear rose colour, free flowering,

splendid habit, 4 feet.
MAJOR WESTON, very deep-red flowers, of splendid form and

rich colour, 3^ feet.
MARCHIONESS OF BUTE, ground colour white, with rosy tips to

petals. . v

MARS, soft crimson, with a distinct silk-like sheen, 4 feet.
MARY SERVICE, a pretty mixture of yellow and salmon pink,

splendid form, 3 feet.
MATCHLESS, intense rich velvety maroon.
MAURICE S. WALSH, lemon yellow shading to chrome yellow in

the back petals, 3 feet.

MAY PICTOR, rich yellow, with long pointed petals, 3 feet.
MAYOR HASKINS, bright glowing crimson, large bold flower, 4

feet.
MAYOR TUPPENEY, deep yellow centre, edged with orange and

crimson, 4 feet.

METEOR, red, yellow at base of florets, free.
Miss ANNIE JONES, crimson, shaded scarlet, petals much twisted,

4 feet.
Miss A. NIGHTINGALE, clear yellow ground, flaked and heavily

edged with scarlet, 4 feet.

Miss FINCH, rich carmine rose, shaded crimson, 3^ feet.
Miss GRACE COOK, rose and white, good form, 3^ feet.
Miss IRENE CANNELL, soft shade of light peach pink, shaded

primrose towards base of florets, 4 feet.
Miss JANE BASHAM, soft tint of brick red, passing to salmon

pink.
Miss VIOLET MORGAN, base of florets cream or fawn, shaded

delicate pink, 4 feet.

Miss WEBSTER, purest white, large flower, long petals, 3 feet.
Miss WINCHESTER, coral pink, very distinct ; a large flower of

first-rate properties, 4 feet.
MONARCH, orange red, tipped with magenta.
MR. MOORE, brilliant maroon and crimson.
MRS. A. BECK, reddish salmon colour, flowers of medium size,

3 feet.
MRS. A. F. PERKINS, lovely sulphur yellow, every floret tipped

with pure white, 4 feet.
MRS. ALLHUSEN, rich rose, passing to creamy white.

Cactus Dahlias 77

MRS. A. PEART, beautiful creamy white, 3^ feet.

MRS. ARBUTHNOT, pale canary yellow, almost white at the points

of florets, 3 feet.

MRS. BARNES, lovely pale primrose, shading to rosy pink, 3 feet.
MRS. BEEVOR BARKER, cherry red, flaked and suffused with

scarlet.

MRS. BERNARD PARKER, cherry red, flaked and suffused scarlet.
MRS. CARTER PAGE, rich velvety crimson, with faint tinge of

yellow, 4 feet.

MRS. CASTLE, lovely pale lemon yellow of good shape.
MRS. CHARLES TURNER, light bright yellow, distinct.
MRS. DEVLUCA, a beautiful rich shading of yellow and orange,

3^ feet.

MRS. DICKSON, soft rose colour, shading to yellow, 3 feet.
MRS. E. CANNELL, clear yellow, with tints of soft red.
MRS. EUSTACE, pleasing shade of pink.
MRS. FINLAY CAMPBELL, beautiful vermilion orange, 4 feet.
MRS. FRANCIS FELL, white.

MRS. GORDON SLOANE, lovely pinkish terra-cotta.
MRS. H. A. NEEDS, a distinct shade of rich crimson suffused

with purple.

MRS. H. J. ALLCROFT, soft orange buff, long petals, good centre.
MRS. H. J. JONES, scarlet, edged with cream and heavily tipped

with white, 4 feet.
MRS. HOBART, a lovely blending of pale orange yellow and

salmon, 3£ feet.

MRS. HOLFORD, soft rosy scarlet, miniature cactus, 4 feet.
MRS. HORACE WRIGHT, crimson maroon, a very distinct tipped

flower, 3 feet.

MRS. HOULDER, soft fawn, with edgings of soft flesh colour.
MRS. J. H. LUSCOMBE, pretty rosy mauve, white centre, 3 feet.
MRS. J. J. CROWE, a lovely clear canary yellow, without shad-
ing, one of the best Cactus Dahlias, 5 feet.
MRS. JOHN FINDLAY, pale lemon yellow, with a deep chrome

shade on outer edges, 4 feet.

MRS. JOHN GODDARD, rich glowing crimson scarlet, free flower-
ing, 3^ feet.
MRS. JOWETT, apricot, slightly shaded with coppery red on the

points of the petals.
MRS. J. P. CLARK, soft tint of reddish cinnamon, or buff, 4

feet.

7 8 The Dahlia

MRS. KINGSLEY FOSTER, rich golden amber, 3^ feet.

MRS. KLEINWORT, rich crimson maroon, fine for cutting, 4 feet.

MRS. M'KERGOW, lovely amber or chrome, perfectly distinct, 3^

feet.
MRS. MAWLEY, clear yellow, very large, full and finely-outlined

flower, 4|- feet.

MRS. MONTEFIORE, glowing crimson scarlet, 4 feet.
MRS. MORTIMER, rich terra-cotta or salmon red, 3^ feet.
MRS. MURRAY IND, bright rose.
MRS. PORTMAN DALTON, vivid vermilion, shading off to a rosy

red.

MRS. SANDERS, pale sulphur yellow, free flowering, 4 feet.
MRS. SCARSE DICKENS, rich golden yellow, large handsome

flowers, 3 feet.
MRS. STEPHENSON CLARKE, pale golden florets, tipped with

orange red, 4 feet.

MRS. S. W. SWEET, coppery orange, tinted salmon, 4 feet.
MRS. TURNER, bright yellow, large and distinct flowers, 3 feet.
MRS. WALTER, delicate white, with a tinge of red at the centre,

and very slight red stripe, 2^ feet.
MRS. WILSON-NOBLE, lovely pinkish salmon, splendid flowers,

3 feet.
MRS. WINSTANLEY, yellow, gradually shading to soft scarlet, 5

feet.

NERO, soft shade of rosy crimson, shaded with deep claret.
NIGHT, intense dark maroon, nearly black, 3| feet.
NORFOLK HERO, crimson scarlet with sheen of glistening ebony.
NOVELTY, mixture of yellow and terra-cotta, very free flower-
ing.

OCTOPUS^ nearly white, large and very free, 4 feet.
ODA, magenta, centre shaded velvety carmine, pale towards the

tips.

OLIVE, cerise, suffused salmon and pink, 3^ feet.
OPHIR, soft golden apricot, slightly pale in the centre, 4 feet.
OPORTO TAIT, scarlet shade, bushy habit, 3^ feet.
ORANGE KING, orange, flushed and veined with scarlet, free

flowering, 3 feet.

PERLE-DE-LA-FETE D'OR, pure white, free flowering, 4^ feet.
PRETORIA, light scarlet shaded, a fine flower, 4 feet.
PRIMROSE DAME, pure yellow, similar to " Lady Penzance," but

longer stems.

Cactus Dahlias 79

PRINCE OF YELLOWS, bright butter yellow, 4 feet.

PRINCESS ENA, light amber, 3 feet.

PROFUSION, rich rosy purple, free flowering, 3^ feet.

PROGENITOR, bright clear carmine, or crimson lake, 4 feet.

PURITY, fine pure white, a very fine lemon tinge in the centre,

3 feet.
P. W. TULLOCH, light salmon red tinted purple, which is again

shaded towards tips of petal, 4 feet.
RADIANCE, vivid orange scarlet, the base of the petals passing

gradually to a paler shade, almost yellow.
RAKETE, luminous orange scarlet, very effective.
RANJI, deep maroon, almost black, 3 feet.
RED ROVER, bright crimson red, very free, 5 feet.
REGULUS, rich deep crimson, self colour, 3 feet.
RICHARD DEAN, red heavily tipped with white, 4 feet.
RINGDOVE, salmon or pinkish fawn, passing to pure white at

the point of each floret* 4 feet.
R. J. HAMILL, soft velvety carmine, centre of every floret pale

blush, 4 feet.

ROCKET, velvety crimson, 5 to 6 feet.

ROSINE, pretty shade of rose, long incurving claw petals, 3^ feet.
ROYAL GEORGE, soft carmine pink with a faint suspicion of

purple.
RUBY, rich ruby red, the extreme tips being almost magenta,

3J feet.

RUCKERT, soft brick red, with darker shadings.
RUFUS, vermilion scarlet, stout stems often 18 inches long,

5 feet.
SAILOR PRINCE, claret crimson, flowers produced well above the

foliage, 4^- feet.

SALMON KING, bright salmon, long finely-twisted petals.
SANDPIPER, bright orange scarlet, free flowering, 4 feet.
SEA QUEEN, light purple with sheen of blue.
SHERIFF HENDERSON, bright rosy salmon, large full flower.
SIDOME SCHARFE, orange and old gold, robust habit, free.
SIEGFRIED, ivory white, large full flower.
SINDOLD, white, lilac rose towards point of petals.
SKYLARK, deep crimson plum.
SPARKLER, bright crimson.

SPITFIRE, bright clear scarlet with long claw-like petals, 4 feet.
SPOTLESS QUEEN, pure white, very free flowering, 3 feet.

0

8o The Dahlia

STANDARD BEARER, bright fiery scarlet, 3 i'eet.

STARFISH, orange scarlet, long twisted petals, 4 feet.

STARLIGHT, very bright orange.

STAR OF SCHONBERG, distinct shade of violet purple.

STELLA, rich vivid crimson, good habit and free flowering, 4 feet.

STRATHLENKRONE, bright scarlet.

SUNDEW, orange coloured, overlaid with pale rose pink.

SURPRISE, deep rose pink, compact habit of growth, 3 feet.

SYLPH, tawny orange, wonderfully free and effective, 3 feet.

SYLVIA, silvery lilac, shaded rose.

TESSA, salmon pink, tinted yellow at base of florets, 4 feet.

T HALM A, very pretty peach colour, 3 feet.

THE CLOWN, soft brick red, every petal for nearly half its

length being tipped with white, 4 feet.
THE CZAR, intense crimson maroon.
THOS. J. PAULEY, lovely salmon red, 3 feet.
TRANSVAAL, deep velvety claret, fre'e and effective.
TRUE FRIEND, dark crimson.

UHLAND, deep velvety crimson and scarlet, very free.
UNCLE TOM, dark crimson maroon, almost black in the centre,

3 feet.

UP-TO-DATE, coral pink with veins of yellow through each

petal, bright yellow at the base, 5 feet.
VENUS, beautiful pure snow white, miniature Cactus.
VESTA, distinct shade of rosy pink with a lighter centre, 3 J feet.
VILLAGE MAID, the base of each petal is creamy yellow and

edged with carmine crimson.
VISCOUNTESS SHERBROOKE, bright reddish terra-cotta, suffused

with apricot, 3 feet.

WALLACE, bright amber, suffused and pencilled soft red,
WILLIAM CUTHBERTSON, rich crimson lake, passing towards the

tips of the petals to bright carmine.
WILLIAM JOWETT, brilliant scarlet, flowers large and well

formed, 5 feet.

WILLIAM TRESEDER, soft peachy white, tinted with lilac, 4 feet.
WINNIE WALTER, beautiful pale sulphur yellow, tipped with

white, 3 feet.

WISDOM, rosy pink, 4|- feet.
WIELAND, pretty shade of salmon pink, early.
ZEPHYR, rosy pink, with tints of heliotrope and bluish shade,

4 feet.

Pompon Dahlias 81

POMPON DAHLIAS

ACHILLES, pale lilac, very free, 5 feet.

ADELAIDE, blush, edged with lavender, free and constant, 3 feet.

ADMIRATION, crimson, tipped white, 3 feet.

ADRIENNE, crimson scarlet, small and fine-shaped flowers.

AGATE, pale sulphur or cream inside the flower, passing to ivory

white at the edge, 4 feet.

ALWINE, pretty shade of pink, slightly shaded lilac.
AMBER QUEEN, rich clear amber, shaded golden apricot, good

habit, 3 feet.

ANNIE HOLTON, rich crimson, tipped with silver, 3 feet.
ARTHUR WEST, crimson, with every desirable property, 2 feet.
BACCHUS, scarlet, most perfect in every way, 2-J feet.
BOULE D'OR, rich yellow, splendid shape, very free, 4 feet.
BRILLIANT, crimson, very pretty, neat habit.
BRUNETTE, red, often blotched and tipped white.
BURNING COAL, yellow with scarlet edge.
BUTTERCUP, pale yellow, perfect shape, very free, 2 feet.
BUTTERFLY, orange, heavily tipped with claret.
CAMELLEFLORA, pure white, flat open petals, 2j feet.
CAPTAIN BOYTON, maroon, shaded crimson, splendid exhibition

variety, 3 feet.
CARDINAL, coral red, shaded crimson, a most attractive variety,

31 feet.

CARL MENDEL, bright rich crimson, splendid shape and habit.
CATHERINE, yellow, a neat flower, 3 feet.
CECIL, red tipped with white, distinct and good, 3 feet.
CERES, primrose, perfect shape, 3 feet.

CHAMELEON, bright yellow ground, heavily edged with lake.
CHARM, pure white, tipped with heliotrope.
CHEERFULNESS, base of petals old gold, margined or tipped

scarlet crimson.
CHIIYSTABELLE, pale yellow, edged with red, very free and

attractive.

CICERO, red, tipped with white, distinct and good.
CLARIBEL, pale ground, heavily edged with rosy purple, 2 feet.
CLARISSA, pale primrose, occasionally tipped with purple, 3 feet.
CLEOPATRA, deep rose, new in colour.

82 The Dahlia

COUNTESS VON STERNBERG, cream, edged bright yellow, 3 feet.

CRIMSON BEAUTY, crimson, fine form, 4 feet.

CRIMSON GEM, deep crimson, shaded purple, small flowers of

perfect form, 3^ feet.

CRUSOE, white ground, distinctly edged bright rosy pink, 4 feet.
DAGMAR, maroon, shaded crimson, very distinct, 3 feet.
DAISY, amber, shaded orange, very free flowering.
DANDY, crimson purple, small and very pretty.
DARKEST OF ALL, deep velvety maroon, nearly black, 3 feet.
DARKNESS, very dark, perhaps the best of its colour.
DEEGEN, deep clear yellow, distinct.
DEMON, deep rich crimson, with darker shade towards the centre,

21 feet.
DISTINCTION, a pleasing cerise crimson, flushed with magenta,

3J feet.

DR. BOULANGER, nice shade of yellow, tipped with white.
DOCTOR JIM, light ground, heavily edged with rich purple,

3 feet.

DR. KAUCH, orange red, small and pretty.
DOLLY KEITH, pure white, markings of clear yellow, 3 \ feet.
DON JUAN, maroon, small and of perfect shape, free habit, 3

feet.
DONOVAN, white, tipped pale mauve, very delicate, splendid

shape.

DORA, pale primrose and white, pretty and attractive.
DORIS, mauve pink, deeper towards the centre, tipped with

yellow, very free, 2j feet.
DOUGLAS, deep maroon, shaded crimson.
DOVE, white, with soft delicate tip of rosy lilac.
DUCHESS, violet purple, globular form.
ECCENTRIC, chestnut, splashed with white, 3 feet.
EDITH BRYANT, orange ground, tipped reddish lake.
EDITH SEALE, amber and salmon, very pretty.
E. F. IMIKER, amber, one of the best, 3 feet.
ELEGANT, primrose, tipped with lake, 3 feet.
ELI MILLARD, softly shaded blush, full size, fimbriated, 4 feet.
EMILY HOPPER, clear yellow, splendid form, dwarf and free, 3

feet.

ERIC, scarlet, tipped and striped white, distinct, 2j feet.
ERICA, pale lemon yellow, fine shape and very free.
ERNEST, dark maroon, at times shaded, distinct, 3 feet.

Pompon Dahlias 83

ERNEST HARPER, rich coral red, very free, 2 feet.

EURYDICE, blush, tipped with purple, flowers profusely, 3 feet.

EVA, rosy carmine, distinct, 2 feet.

EVELYN, orange, shaded with buff, 3 feet.

FABIO, yellow, heavily edged with scarlet, good centre and

petal, 3 feet.

FAIR HELEN, white, shaded purple, 2j feet.
FAIRY PRIMROSE, canary yellow, tipped white.
FAIRY TALES, very pretty, delicate rose, 3 feet.
FANNY WEINER, rich orange, tipped chestnut, 3 feet.
FASHION, light orange, profuse bloomer, 2 feet.
FAVOURITE, dark maroon, crimson edges, 3 feet.
F. GSCHWINA, dark crimson, tinted and tipped with white.
FIREFLY, bright dark scarlet, very free.
FIRE KING, very deep red.

FLORA, rich golden yellow, neat small flowers, 2^ feet.
FLORENCE, distinct lilac shade, small splendid-shaped flowers,

3 1 feet.
FLORENCE WOODLAND, golden yellow, edged crimson, fine form,

3 feet.
Fosco, bright crimson scarlet, good petal and outline, bright

centre, 3 feet.

FRAU EMIL HEINICKE, rosy pink, tipped lighter.
GALATEA, bright crimson, shaded purple, fine petal, 3 feet.
GANYMEDE, fawn colour, shaded with lilac, free and dwarf.
GARNET, light ground, edged deep lilac, 2| feet.
GAZELLE, yellow ground, edged magenta, 4 feet.
GEM, intense rich scarlet, fine form, very free, 3 feet.
GEORGE BRINCKMAN, pure white, very free, fine form, 3 feet.
GERMAN FAVOURITE, bright cherry red and light ground.
GIPSY, rich plum, dwarf habit, 2 J feet.
GLOW-WORM, rich yellow, striped bright scarlet, 3 feet.
GOLDEN GEM, yellow, small and free, 3 feet.
GOLDEN QUEEN, clear yellow, a very useful variety.
GOLDFINCH, yellow, small, very pretty, good habit, 3 feet.
GRACE, cerise, shaded with lilac, very pretty, 3 feet.
GRUSS-AU-WIEN, deep shade of crushed strawberry, well formed,

3 feet.

GUIDING STAR, white, fine, 3 feet.
HECTOR, dark lilac, flowers freely, 4 feet
HEDWIG, reddish golden brown, 2 feet.

84 The Dahlia

HEDWIG POLWIG, deep red, distinctly tipped white, 3 feet.
HERCULES, dark lilac rose, beautifully quilled.
H. E. SEARLE, bright orange, good petal and outline, 3 feet.
HESPERIA, each petal distinctly edged vermilion, pale yellow

at base of petals, 3 feet.

HILDA, deep rose, shaded crimson, tipped white, 2 feet.
HYPATIA, amber, shaded fawn, edge of petals and centre lemon,.

3 1 feet.
IOLANTHE, deep orange, shaded buff, sometimes tipped white.,

2J feet.

IONA, good yellow, a splendid variety, 2 feet.
IRENE, rosy purple, tipped with white, very distinct, 2 feet.
IRIS, amber and fawn, shaded salmon and pink, 3 feet.
ISABEL, bright orange scarlet, free, 3 feet.
ISEULT, small, clear yellow, free, 3^ feet.
IXION, purple, tipped white, petals reflexed, free and constant.
JANET, rich salmon, very distinct, 3 feet.
JESSICA, amber yellow, edged with red, 3 feet.
JESSIE M'MiLLAN, yellow, beautifully suffused with orange,,

3 feet.
JEWEL, pure primrose, sometimes the whole flower is pure

white, 4 feet.

JOHN LUCAKS, deep orange red, tipped white.
JULIETTE, yellow, shaded orange, 2^ feet.
KATIE, yellow ground, edged and flushed with rosy pink,.

2 feet.

KATIE PARNHAM, white, tipped with lake, 2 feet.
LADYBIRD, crimson purple, tipped white, very effective.
LADY BLANCHE, pure white, resembling a Ranunculus, 3 feej.
LADY CHURCHILL, pale salmon ground, edged purplish rose.
LADY JANE, shaded lilac, well-formed flower, 3 feet.
LADY ROGERS, white, invaluable for cut flowers.
LA PETITE BARBIER, beautiful pure white, well-formed.
LELIA, reddish buff, tipped with white, 3 feet.
LILIAN, primrose, edged peach, attractive, 3 feet.
LITTLE ARTHUR, orange scarlet.
LITTLE BOBBY, crimson, small and very fine, 3 feet.
LITTLE BUGLER, rosy purple, constant and free, 3 feet.
LITTLE DEAR, blush white, flushed and tipped rosy lilac.
LITTLE DORRIT, rich maroon, flowers of medium size, free,.

21 feet.

Pompon Dahlias 85

LITTLE DUCHESS, white, crimson edges, 3 feet.
LITTLE ELIZABETH, rosy lilac, tipped purple, very free.
LITTLE FRANK, light amLer, deepening to salmon, free blooomer,

3 feet.

LITTLE JACK, rich crimson maroon, 3 feet.

LITTLE JULIA, bright scarlet, perfect form, 2 feet.

LITTLE NIGGER, deep dark maroon, very small, 2 feet.

LITTLE SWEETHEART, red, tipped white, small and good, 2 feet.

LOCKET, pure white, clouded crimson, base of petals amber,

4 feet,

LOTHAIR, yellow ground, deeply edged magenta.

MABEL, lilac, excellent form and free, 3 feet.

MADELINE, pale primrose, heavily edged with rosy purple,

2 feet.

MADGE, crimson, tipped with white, 2j^ feet.

MAGGIE BEATTIE, bright purple, small, neat, and of fine form.

MARION, rich yellow, very free, 3 feet.

MARS, vivid orange scarlet, fine, 2|- feet.

MARTIAL, crimson scarlet, very free, and good habit, 3^ feet.

MARY KIRK, soft yellow, fine form and habit, 3 feet.

MDLLE. VALENTINE FACONET, white, splashed and striped rosy

lake.

MDME. HUARD, light chestnut, shaded orange.
MENIE CHRISTIE, deep yellow, free flowering and constant,

3 feet.

MERCURY, reddish salmon, heavily tipped white.
MIDNIGHT, rich deep crimson, erect habit, very free, 4 feet.
MINNIE, yellow ground, heavily shaded orange, small and free,

3 feet.

Miss ELSIE, lovely yellow colour, edged carmine.
Miss MINNIE, pale lemon, shaded lilac.
Miss NELLY, yellow, heavily shaded rose lake.
MODEL, fawn and pink, exquisite shape, 3 feet.
MONTAGUE WOOTTEN, white ground, heavily edged and shaded

with lake, 3 feet.
MRS. IRELAND, orange scarlet, shading to white on the tips of

the petals, 3 feet.

NELLIE BROOMHEAD, mauve, with a lighter ground, 3 feet.
NEMESIS, rich maroon crimson, at times tipped with white,

3 feet.
NERISSA, soft rose, tinted with silver, very distinct, 4 feet.

86 The Dahlia

NOR AH, yellow, scarlet edge, and free flowering, 3 feet.

OPAL, bright yellow, with a pure white tip, very distinct,

3 feet.

ORPHEUS, yellow, good petal and outline, constant, 3 feet.
OTHELLO, dark crimson, perfect in form, 4 feet.
PAULINE, rosy lilac, deeper centre, distinct.
PEASANT GIRL, nice mixture of white and carmine.
PHCEBE, deep golden orange, of finest form, 4 feet.
POMPONEI, creamy pink, primrose towards the centre, 3j feet
PRIMROSE, canary yellow, fine form, free flowering, ij feet.
PRINCE OF LILIPUTIANS, deep maroon.
PSYCHE, yellow ground, edged red, small perfect-shaped flowers,

3J feet.

PURE LOVE, rosy lilac, very pretty, 2j feet.
PURITY, pure white, most profuse bloomer, 3 feet.
QUEEN BESS, a soft shade of rosy pink.
RAPHAEL, maroon crimson.
RED INDIAN, coral red, one of the best, 3 feet.
REVENGE, rich mauve, deepening to purple lake, 3 feet.
RINGDOVE, terra-cotta, very free and attractive, 3j feet.
ROSALIE, pale primrose, tinted rose, 3 feet.
ROSALIND, yellow, tipped with white, 3 feet.
ROSEA, deep rosy cerise, good form and habit, free blooming,

.21 feet.

ROSEBUD, white ground, edged rosy pink, free, 3j feet.
ROSE PERRY, sulphur ground, tipped rosy lake, 3 feet.
ROSY GEM, dark straw, edged bright rose.
ROWENA, yellow, edged with scarlet, good petal and outline,

3j feet.
ROYALTY, light orange, edged bright crimson, prettily quilled,

3 feet.
RUY-BLAS, crimson and purple, tipped white, base of petals

yellow 3 feet.

SENSATION, solt primrose yellow, very free bloomer.
SNOWFLAKE, beautiful pure white, perfect shape and size, 3 feet,
SOVEREIGN, bright yellow, small compact flower, 3i feet.
SPITFIRE, bright scarlet, very free, small and good, 3^ feet.
SUNNY DAYBREAK, a lovely tint of pale apricot, edged with

rosy red, 3 \ feet.

SUNSHINE, geranium scarlet, splendid form, 3j feet.
SURPRISE, bronze yellow, distinct.

Single Dahlias 87

SYBIL, yellow, shaded and tipped with scarlet, very free, 4 feet.
THALIA, rose pink, with well-defined eyes of ivory white, early.
THE DUKE, deep velvety crimson, habit very dwarf, and free

flowering.

THE GBOST, of the purest white, petals much reflexed, 3^ feet.
THE MIKADO, deep maroon, tipped and splashed, 3 feet.
TOMMY KEITH, red, tipped white, small, neat, free, and constant,

3 feet.

UNIQUE, bright salmon, shading to French white.
VARA, yellow, a fine variety, small petals, and perfect-shaped

flowers, 4 feet.

VENUS, primrose, tinged buff, pretty, dwarf, and free.
VIOLET, pure white, pretty shape, 2 feet.
VIRGINIA, pure white, free.

VIVID, bright orange scarlet, perfect centre, very free, 3 feet.
VOLTAIRE, yellow and white, 3 feet.

VULCAN, bright crimson, good petal and outline, very constant.
WHISPER, yellow, edged gold, 2j feet.
WHITE ASTER (or Guiding Star), pure white, a grand cutting

variety, 3 feet.

WHITE BUTTON, very small, pure white flowers, 2 feet.
WILHELMINA, amber, shaded with old gold.
WINIFRED, white, tipped with lavender, 3 feet.
WINNIE KICHARDS, white, shading to light pink.
ZERLINA, crimson and maroon, dwarf habit, very free, 2 feet.
ZOAR, yellow, beautifully edged salmon and pink, very free,

2 feet.

ZOE, yellow, tipped white, small neat flower, very distinct,

3 feet.

SINGLE DAHLIAS

ACQUISITION, crimson, scarlet bar at edge of petals, 4 feet.
ADONIS, white ground, striped crimson, with broad disc of pale

lilac, 3 feet.

ALBA PERFECTA, pure satiny white, flowers erect, 4 feet.
ALICE NICHOLSON, soft flesh, shaded fawn, each petal striped and

splashed with rich crimson, 4 feet.

ALICE SEALE, deep crimson maroon, edged scarlet, 4 feet.
AMOS PERRY, fine deep velvety maroon, 3 feet.

88 The Dahlia

ANNIE HUGHES, clear yellow, passing to peach, 3^ feet.
ANNIE LAURIE, pure white, with side margins of lake, shaded

bright cherry red, 4 feet.
ANNIE MITCHELL, creamy white, bright yellow at the 'base of

the petals, 2^ feet.

AURORA, yellow, suffused with orange, 3j feet.
B. BARKWAY, scarlet, edged orange.
BEACON, dark crimson.
BEAUTY OF CAMBRIDGE, crimson.
BEAUTY OF SEVENOAKS, old gold, striped and splashed blood

red, each petal tipped white, 3j feet.
BEAUTY'S EYE, mauve, crimson ring round disc, 3^ feet.
BERYL, white ground, beautifully striped and naked maroon,

3£ feet.

BESSIE, light ground, very evenly flaked crimson maroon, 3^ feet.
BUTTERFLY, orange red, 3 feet.
CADET, pure white, with well-defined margin of bright orange

scarlet, 3j feet.

CETEWAYO, dark maroon, 3 feet.
CHARLES PARROTT, rich dark maroon, each petal edged with

crimson scarlet.

CHILWELL BEAUTY, chestnut, 3 feet.

CHUM, rich velvety crimson scarlet, tipped white, 3j feet.
CISSIE, mauve, deep magenta disc, 3 feet.
CLARA OBLEIN, rich velvety crimson, shaded scarlet, tipped

with flesh,

CLAUDIA, reddish salmon, 3 feet.
CLEOPATRA, deep velvety crimson, 4 feet.
CLYTIE, straw colour.

COLTON BEAUTY, white, sometimes edged with clear yellow.
COLUMBIA, rich silvery lilac, striped crimson, and with a broad

disc of deep crimson, 3 feet.
COLUMBINE, a fulgent rose colour, with suggestion of orange

towards the centre, 3^ feet.
CONSPICUOUS, white, magenta, and maroon.
DAIRY, pale ground, flaked with dark crimson purple, 3j feet.
DEAREST, white, each petal margined with beautiful clear

yellow, 4 feet.

DEMON, blackish maroon, the best dark, 4 feet.
DONNA CASSILDA, copper orange, with dark maroon ring shading

to tips of petals to bright rose, 4 feet.

Single Dahlias 89

DOROTHY SEALE, the ground colour is a delicate shade of soft

amber, passing towards the base of the petals to a brownish

red, 3j feet.
DUCHESS OF ALBANY, soft mauve, edged with pale buff brown,

3 feet.
DUCHESS OF ANHALT, white centre, broad margin of rose,

3j feet.
DUCHESS OF FIFE, lovely amber, shaded orange, splendid shape,

3 feet.

DUCHESS OF MARLBOROUGH, white centre of petals, edged with

deep crimson, 4^- feet.
DUCHESS OF WESTMINSTER, purest white, free flowering and

good habit, 3j feet.

DUKE OF YORK, fine light scarlet, exquisite form, 3j feet.
ECLIPSE, mauve and salmon, crimson ring, 4 feet.
EDIE OBLEIN, pinkish heliotrope, suffused with old gold, 3^ feet.
ELSIE, pale lilac, striped crimson, perfect shape, slightly reflexed,

3| feet.
EMMIE, blush white, with clear margin of bright lake or

magenta, 3 feet.

ENCHANTMENT, Chinese red, yellow disc, 3 feet.
ERIC, vivid flame colour, with softer rosy shade to wards /margin

of flower, 3 feet.

ETTIE SWAN, old gold, with band of scarlet, 3 feet.
EVELYN, clear white centre, outer margin of flower shaded

delicate pinkish mauve, 4 feet.

EXCELSIOR, white, with broad margin of bright lilac, 4 feet.
FASCINATION, beautiful creamy white, with broad margin of

rosy peach, 3j feet.

FLAME, rich orange yellow, striped and flaked scarlet, 3j feet.
FLORRIE FISHER, mauve, white ring, 4 feet.
F. L. TEMPLE, maroon, shaded with carmine, 4 feet.
FOLLY, bright cherry red with margin, small cupped flowers,.

4 feet.

FORMOSA, rich dazzling crimson, in fine contrast to golden

centre, 3j feet.
FRANCIS FELL, rosy purple.
FRED LESLIE, red, tipped white, very attractive and free,

3i feet.
GIRLIE, cream, each petal edged with deep red, splendid form

and habit.

90 The Dahlia

GLITTER, maroon, edged lake.

GOLDEN LOCKS, lovely yellow, of good form, 3| feet.

GRACE BALLANTYNE, yellow, shaded and streaked with deep

chrome, 3j feet.
GRANDIA, purple maroon.
GULIELINA, pure white, with side margins of beautiful golden

buff, 3 feet.
HALO, lake coloured.

HARRY BRATEN, rose, splashed maroon, 3j feet.
HILDA, white, flushed' with flesh colour, petals margined

yellow, 3 feet.

H. M. STANLEY, scarlet, tipped with white, 3 feet.
HUGO, rich scarlet, shaded purple and tipped magenta, 4 feet.
HUNTSMAN, orange scarlet, petals slightly reflexed, 4 feet.
INDIAN CHIEF, striped crimson,
IRENE, rich purple, shading off to white at margin of florets,

4 feet.

ISAAC PITMAN, lilac, striped maroon, 3 feet.
JACK SHEPPARD, clear yellow, striped bright red, free flowering,

3j feet.

JAMES COOK, dark yellow, striped red, 3j feet.
JAMES DOBBIE, dark orange, striped red, 4 feet.
JAMES KELWAY, white, edged purple.
JAMES SCOBIE, yellow, striped scarlet, 3 feet.
JANET BRAES, magenta, flushed with crimson, orange at base of

petals, 3 feet,
J. DOWNIE, scarlet, 4 feet.
JEANIE MITCHELL, scarlet, yellow disc, 2j feet.
JEANNETTE, white, with clear margins of bright scarlet crimson,

4 feet.
JESSIE, dark crimson, deep yellow disc at base of petals,

3£ feet.

J. HUMMESTON, fawn, striped crimson, 4 feet.
J. MERCER, silvery lilac, primrose disc, 3 feet.
JOHN COWAN, dark mahogany.

KATE CHALMERS, deep orange, shaded with carmine, 2j feet.
KILLARNEY, rich amber, suffused with scarlet, passing gradu-
ally to a deeper shade at base of petals, 3^ feet.
KITTY, silvery pink, good form, 3 feet.
KOH-I-NOOR, rich dark velvety crimson, with scarlet shading,

3j feet.

Single Dahlias 91

LADY HELEN, clear bright yellow, each petal tipped white,

4 feet.

LADY M. MARSH AM, yellow, suffused rose, 3 feet.
LADY MONTEFIORE, rich golden yellow, shaded rosy peach,

4 feet.

LADY OP THE LAKE, lake and violet.
LADY WHITEHEAD, rich dazzling rose purple, yellow ring

round disc, 4 feet.
LESLIE SEALE, rich silvery lilac, broad ring of deep crimson

round the disc, 3 feet.

LITTLE NELL, small, sulphur yellow, with white tip, 4 feet.
LIZZIE DICKSON, canary yellow, each petal tipped with white,

2j feet.
LORD HOSEBERY, deep rich orange, striped and flaked scarlet,

free and distinct.

LOUISETTE, bright crimson purple, with white tip, 3 feet.
LOWFIELD BEAUTY, lovely terra - cotta red, fine bold flowers,

3 feet.
LUTEA GRANDIFLORA, soft pleasing yellow, good habit, 3

feet.

MADGE, lovely clear rose, striped and flaked crimson, 4 feet.
MAID OF ATHENS, lovely shade of old gold, each petal tipped

pale flesh, 4 feet.
MARIE LINDEN, bright rich crimson, each petal edged light

scarlet crimson, 3j feet.
MARION, dark crimson.
MARION TERRY, terra-cotta.
MAUD NICHOLSON, rich satiny amber, bright fiery crimson

disc, 4 feet.

MAUVE QUEEN, mauve, 4j feet.
MAUVE QUEEN (improved), mauve, 4^ feet.
MAY SHARPE, buff ground, with reddish orange ring round

disc, flaked bright crimson, 3 feet.
M. C. C., rich yellow, striped and flaked bright orange scarlet,

3 feet.

META, rich deep orange, striped and flaked crimson, 4 feet.

Miss BAKER, yellow, shaded bronze, 3 feet.

Miss CANNELL, creamy ground, deeply edged purplish crimson,

4 feet.

Miss GIRDLESTONE, white ground, striped and splashed purplish
crimson, 3 feet.

92 The Dahlia

Miss GLASSCOCK, soft clear lavender, margined pale mauve,

4 feet.

Miss GORDON, purplish crimson, with golden disc, 4 feet.
Miss GOSCHEN, white with side margins of rich purplish

crimson, 4 feet.
Miss HENSHAW, pale primrose, with distinct picotee edge of

white, 3 feet.
Miss HUDSON, lovely delicate rose, each petal tipped white,

3 feet.

Miss LINNAKER, bright cherry red, 3j feet.

Miss L. PRYOR, velvety crimson, 3 feet.

Miss MORLAND, lovely rich crimson scarlet, good habit, 4 feet.

Miss RAMSBOTTOM, lovely pink colour, shaded cerise, 3 feet.

Miss ROBERTS, lovely clear yellow, beautifully reflexed, 3^ feet.

Miss ZULEMA, orange, striped scarlet, 3 feet.

MOHA, pure white, clear margin of bright crimson, 4 feet.

MRS. GOLDRING, rosy pink.

MRS. GRANT, mauve, perfect form, 3 feet.

MRS. HARRIS, blush white, with side margins of bright rosy

purple, 4 feet.

MRS. HENSHAW, dazzling crimson scarlet, 3 feet.
MRS. JOUGKINDT CoNiNCK/pure white, effectively shaded pale

mauve, 4 feet.

MRS. KENNETT, yellow, striped crimson.
MRS. PARROTT, pure white, rich margin of beautiful pale rose, 4

feet.
MRS. PHILIP HOARE, deep rich velvet maroon, each petal tipped

white, 2 feet.

MRS. WYTHES, beautiful rich yellow, striped crimson, 4 feet.
NAOMI TIGHE, sulphur, with orange ring, 4 feet.
NELLIE, intense crimson maroon, 3 feet.
NELLIE NICHOLSON, pure white, each petal margined soft rosy

lilac, 3j feet.
NEW YEAR, rosy lake.

NORTHERN STAR, bright red, margined golden yellow, 4 feet.
OCEANA, deep mauvy lilac, deep crimson ring at base of petals,

4 feet.

PARAGON, rich velvet maroon, shaded purple at edge of each

petal, yellow centre, 5 feet.

PEACOCK, rich purple, each petal tipped white, 4 feet.
PENELOPE, white ground, yellow ring round disc, 3j feet.

Single Dahlias 93

PERCY BICKNELL, rich fawn, shaded scarlet and striped crimson,

4 feet.
PHYLLIS, pale ground, striped with lilac round the centre,

flaked crimson, 2 feet
PINK PERFECTION, lovely clear pink, good form and substance,

3J feet.
POLLY ECCLES, satiny fawn, with red disc, pretty recurved

flower, 3 feet.
PRINCESS BEATRICE, blush ground, petals edged rich dark

maroon.
PRINCESS PETULA, lemon yellow, with bright purple flakes, 4

feet.

PUCK, bright orange, rich crimson ring round disc, 2^ feet.
QUEEN OF SINGLES, rich magenta, suffused with rose, 4 feet.
ROBERT MORRIS, white ground, mottled mauve, and striped

crimson, 3 feet.
ROBIN ADAIR, rich petunia, passing to pure white at tips of

petals, 3 feet.
ROB ROY, scarlet.
ROSEBANK CARDINAL, lovely rich cardinal, perfect shaped flower

and very free, 4 feet.
ROYAL SOVEREIGN, rich crimson disc, shading off to pale mauve

at tips of petals, 3 feet.
RUBY KING, ruby red.
RUTH, rich velvety crimson, at times with deeper shades, 3j

feet.

SCARLET DEFIANCE, scarlet, 5 feet.
SCARLET DEMON, scarlet seedling from "Demon "and quite as

good, 3 feet.

SCOTCH LASSIE, buff, striped rose.

SHAMROCK, rich purplish maroon, tipped rosy purple, 4 feet.
SNOWDROP, pure white, very free flowering, 3^ feet.
SPITFIRE, scarlet.

SUNNINGDALE WHITE, remarkably free flowering variety, 3 feet.
SUNNINGDALE YELLOW, deep golden yellow, fine shape, very

free, 3 feet.

SYBIL, clear rose, edged lake.

TAM o' SHANTER, deep rich velvety crimson, with scarlet shad-
ings, and white tip to each petal, 3^ feet.
TED SEALE, pale yellow, striped and splashed cherry ,red, 3j

feet.

94 The Dahlia

TERRA-COTTA, terra-cotta, red, 3 feet.

THE BRIDE, beautiful pure white, 3j feet.

THE GEISHA, lovely art shade of pale terra-cotta, with broad
disc of crushed strawberry, 3 feet.

THE MIKADO, crimson, tipped gold.

THE SIRDAR, deep rich velvety maroon, with white band down
centre of each petal, 4 feet.

TOM BURNIE, bright yellow, striped and flaked crimson, 3 feet.

TOMMY, violet, scarlet and yellow, 3 feet.

TRILBY, deep velvety maroon, with white tip, 3 feet.

UNION JACK, white, striped red.

URBAN YOUENS, canary yellow, each petal tipped white, 3 feet.

VERONICA, lovely bright orange scarlet, each petal tipped with
amber, 4 feet.

VICTORIA, white, edged crimson, very free, 3 feet.

VIOLET FORBES, pure white, with clearly defined edge of rich
purple, 3 feet.

W. C. HARVEY, rich yellow, shaded with orange, having a dis-
tinct red ring round disc, 2|- feet.

WHITE QUEEN, white, large and good, 3 feet.

WHITE SWAN, white.

WILLIAM PARROTT, rich orange scarlet, tipped white, 3j feet.

WILLIE FIFE, clear yellow, striped with bright scarlet, 3 feet.

YELLOW PERFECTION, bright yellow, fine form and upright habit.

YELLOW QUEEN, lovely bright clear yellow, 3| feet.

YELLOW SATIN, lovely clear pale yellow, of splendid form, 3
feet.

SINGLE CACTUS DAHLIAS

ALBION, half of the petal canary yellow, the other half pure

white.

ALICE LEE, pink shading off to white at base of petals, 3 feet.
ALTHEA, deep crimson, florets twisted and recurved, 3 feet.
AMY ROBSART, bright scarlet, 3 feet.
ANNE OF GEIERSTEIN, peach, flushed salmon, base of petals

yellow, 3^r feet.

ARGYLE, rich deep crimson, of true cactus form, 3 feet.
BERTHA, pale sulphur yellow, free flowering, 2| feet.

Single Cactus Dahlias 95

BRENDA, chrome yellow, petals well twisted and incurving,

2 feet.

BRENHILDA, white at base of petals, soft rose at the points.
BRUCE, pale lemon colour of a beautiful shade, 3 feet.
BURNS, buff ground, splashed with glowing crimson, 3 feet.
CRUSADER, orange ground, streaked bronzy red, edges tipped

crimson, 3 feet.
DANDIE DINMONT, yellow, flushed with rose, striped carmine,

2J feet.

DIANA VERNON, yellow at base, shading to vermilion, 3^ feet.
EARL OF RAVENSWOOD, old gold colour, flowers incurved, 3 feet.
EVENING STAR, canary yellow, long petals, 4 feet.
EVERARD, glowing scarlet, with magenta tips, very free, 2 feet.
FAIR MAID, pale flesh, deepening to rose at point of florets,

3 feet.

FENELLA, crimson at the base of the petals, passing to deep

orange, remainder pink, 3 feet.
FLORA M'lvoR, deep orange, streaked crimson, deep crimson at

base of petals, 3 feet.
GUY MANNERING, creamy white, sulphur shading towards centre,

3 feet.

HELEN M'GREGOR, lower half of the petals yellow, the upper a

deep mahogany, 3 feet.
HEREWARD, yellow ground, flaked and striped with scarlet

orange.

HIGHLAND MARY, clear cardinal red, quite distinct, 4 feet.
ISABELLA WARDOUR, bright red, florets twisted and curved,

4 feet.

IVANHOE, rose colour, with crimson band round centre, 2j

feet.
JEANIE DEANS, orange scarlet, shading to deep red at tips,

2j feet.
JUPITER, purplish rose, with blotch of crimson at base of petals,

4 feet.
KENILWORTH, rose, slightly streaked with white, good form,

3| feet,

LADY CLARE, scarlet, shading to magenta at the tips, 3 feet.
LADY EDITH, lower part of the petals yellow, passing to deep

pink, pale pink at edge, 2 feet.

LADY EVELINE, old gold, bold flowers, fine habit, 3j feet.
LADY ROWENA, sulphur, tipped with salmon rose, 3 feet.

H

96 The Dahlia

LOCHIEL, cinnabar red, florets nicely twisted and reflexed,

3 feet.
LUCY ASHTON, white, florets broad at base, twisted at the

points, 3ty feet.
LUCY BERTRAM, yellow ground, flushed crimson towards the

tips, 2j feet.

MAID OF BUTE, soft rose colour, long and flat florets, 2^ feet.
MARGUERITE, pure white, a large bold flower, 5 feet.
MARMION, crimson scarlet, very showy and attractive, 3 feet.
MEG MERRILIES, clear yellow florets large and twisted, 3 feet.
METEOR, brilliant crimson without shading, 4 feet.
MINNA, red, flushed orange, crimson at base, edged pink, 3 \ feet.
NIGEL OLIPHANT, canary yellow, petals finely twisted, good

habit, 3 feet.
NORNA, canary yellow, slightly deeper at the base, and flushed

pink, 3 feet.

NOVAR, crimson purple, shading to magenta, 3 feet.
PEVERIL, deep terra-cotta, petals twisted and incurved, 3 feet.
PIRATE, dark crimson, shading to purple at the tips, 3 feet.
QUEEN MARY, purest white, with pale yellow discs, deep golden

centre, 3 feet.

REDGAUNTLET, fiery crimson, shading to purple, 3 feet.
ROB ROY, purple, with violet shading, free flowering, 3 feet.
ROSE BRADWARDINE, clear yellow ground, bronze, tipped with

red.

ST. RONANS, fiery scarlet, deep crimson at base of petals, 3 feet.
SIR WALTER, rose pink, deep orange disc at the base, 3 \ feet.
TALISMAN, velvety dark crimson, tine habit, 3 feet.
THE ABBESS, purest white, petals twisted and curled in a

graceful manner, 3 feet.

THE DOMINIE, reddish orange, flushed with salmon, 3 feet.
URSEL, deep orange at the base, bright purple, shading to
mauve at the top of the petals.

TOM THUMB DAHLIAS

BANTAM, dark scarlet, 9 inches.

BOOTLES, rich velvety red, 12 inches.

BO-PEEP, maroon self, dark ring round disc, 15 inches.

Tom 7^humb Dahlias 97

CANARY, well-formed, bright yellow flowers, 9 inches.

DAISY, rich velvety crimson, blooms erect, 1 5 inches.

FAIRY, white, shading to mauve at outer margin of flowers,

15 inches.

FRAM, white, tinted with delicate pale pink, 15 inches.
GEM, clear bright yellow, of erect habit, 15 inches.
GOLDEN FAIRY, rich golden yellow, 14 inches.
Hour LA, rich velvety maroon, with clear yellow ring, 1 1 inches.
LILIPUT, bright scarlet, lined orange, petals somewhat pointed,

14 inches.

LITTLE NELL, orange, very free and effective, 15 inches.
MAUD, dark velvety scarlet, perfectly-formed flower, 1 8 inches.
MIDGET, pure bright scarlet, green, glossy foliage, 18 inches.
MIDNIGHT, deep velvety maroon, 12 inches.
MIGNON, bright clear pink, white ring round disc, 9 inches.
MINIATURE, fine clear yellow, very bushy habit, 12 inches.
Miss GRACE, light orange, effective and telling colour, 14 inches.
PEARL, deep mauve self, handsome flower, 11 inches.
SNOWFLAKE, pure white, and good-shaped flower, 15 inches.
TOM TIT, orange scarlet, light yellow eye round disc, 1 8 inches.
VENUS, rich crimson, each floret edged maroon purple, 1 5 inches.

t DAHLIA ANALYSIS

By E. MAWLBY, Esq., Pres. E. Met. Soc., Pres. National
Dahlia Soc.

(By permission from the Journal of Horticulture}

IN writing this, the nineteenth Dahlia analysis that I
have contributed to the Journal of Horticulture, I am
reminded of the great changes that have taken place
in the Dahlia world during the period covered by
those analyses. In the earlier years of the period the
Shows and Fancies formed the mainstay of any Dahlia
exhibition, and the splendid new varieties which
appeared year by year served to maintain the great
interest taken in them, whereas at the present time,
although the number of Show and Fancy Dahlias
exhibited is still well maintained, they are, at all
events for the time being, rendered less prominent
than before by the imposing displays of the more
generally attractive Cactus Dahlia. The most re-
markable contrast is, I think, to be found in the ages
of the varieties in the two sections. For instance,
there are only five varieties among the Shows on the
accompanying table which are less than six years old,

98

Dahlia Analysis 99

whereas a Cactus Dahlia which is still prominently
exhibited, or indeed, exhibited at all four years after
the date of its introduction, is now regarded as quite
an old stager.

For the present position of the Cactus Dahlia
much credit can, I think, be justly claimed by the
National Dahlia Society, which at a critical period in
the development of this new type of flower so stead-
fastly and consistently discouraged the exhibition of
the so-called Cactus or Decorative varieties, with
their flat and often flimsy florets. Any readers
of the Journal who may be interested in that
grand early autumn flower, the Dahlia, and its latest
developments in all sections, should, if possible,
visit the next exhibition of the National Dahlia
Society.

The number of blooms or bunches, as the case may
be, set up in competition at the last five exhibitions
of the National Dahlia Society, in each of the five
sections into which Dahlias are now divided, will be
found in the following short statement : —

1897 1898 1899 1900 1901

Shows, No. of blooms . . .930 838 702 682 832

Fancies, „ „ 312 305 336 314 272

Pompons, No. of bunches . . 234 190 180 222 228

Cactus, „ „ 432 361 297 354 357

Cactus, shown singly . - . . 216 216 798 672

Singles, No. of bunches . . 116 131 117 126 153

In the above list no account is taken in the case
of Shows and Fancies of the number of blooms set up
in the classes for three or more flowers of any one
variety, nor in the case of the Cactus varieties of the
exhibition blooms staged in vases.

100

The Dahlia

In the accompanying tables the positions of the
Shows and Fancies are dependent upon the average
number of times each variety was staged at the last
eight exhibitions of the National Dahlia Society in all
instances where their records will allow of this being
done. In the case of the newer sorts, which are
comparatively few in number, their average records
for a necessarily shorter series of years have been
utilised.

SHOW DAHLIAS

a o

«g

4* | $H

Llli

|1|

E

'sl

fcoS

8§§B

Name.

||

-00 J*

Colour.

j!

y> X

fcD £

iff,!

§1

& ^

£s

|

1 28-1

29

Mrs. Gladstone . . 1884

Hurst .

Pale blush

2 26-1

27

R. T. Rawlings . . 1886

Rawlings

Clear yellow

3 23-4

24

John Walker . . i 1892

Walker .

White

4 21-8

22

Duchess of York . j 1894 Keynes .

Lemon, edged salmoi

pink

5

21-3

16

Colonist . . . 1887 Keynes .

Chocolate and fawn

6

20'9

20

J. T. West . .1887

Rawlingrs

Yellow and purple

7

19-8 • 16

William Rawlings . 1881 Rawlings

Crimson purple

8

17-6

19

Duke of Fife . . 1890 Keynes .

Rich cardinal

9

17-1

11

Harry Keith . . 1886 Keynes .

Rosy purple

10 17-0

18

William Powell . . 1892 West .

Primrose yellow

11

16-9

13

Mrs. Langtry . . 1885 Keynes .

Cream and crimson

12 16-7

19

Dr. Keynes

1896 Keynes .

Rich buff

13 16-6

19

Maud Fellowes . . 1889 Fellowes

Pale pink, shadec

purple

14 16-4 12

Arthur Rawlings . 1 892 West .

Deep crimson

15 16-2 14

James Cocker . . 1871 Key lies .

Purple

16 14-8 12

Miss Cannell . .1881 Eckford .

Creiim and crimson

17

14-5 13

Florence Tranter . '1896 Tranter .

Blush white, edged

1

rosy purple

Dahlia Analysis

101

SHOW DAHLIAS— CONTINUED

S 93

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d

1

£ §

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£.2

£ 5

00 S>

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03 &

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Name.

£ *

Colour.

5 5

cp a,

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gst^

1

^!

1

gsfc-i

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1—1

=

£

•«

IS

M

18

14-2

18 Shotesham Hero

1895 Fellowes

White, tipped and

shaded rose

19

141

11

John Hickling .

1890 Keynes .

Clear bright yellow

20

13-5

16

Chieftain .

1894 Keynes .

Purplish lilac

21

13-4

12

Mrs. W. Slack .

1886 Keynes .

Blush white and purple

22

13-3

17

Henry Walton .

1873 Keynes .

Pale yellow and scarlet

23

131

14

Harrison Weir . 1

1883 Rawlings

Yellow

24

11-1

9

Arthur Ocock

1892 Rawlings

Reddish orange

24

11-1

13

Victor

1887 Keynes .

Dark maroon

26

ll'O

17

Prince of Denmark

1881 Fellowes

Dark maroon

27

10-8

15

Willie Garrett . ? .

1887 Garratt .

Bright cardinal

28

10-6

1

Ethel Britton .

1880 . Keynes .

White and purple

28

10-6

14

T. J. Saltmarsh .

1885 i Rawlings

Yellow and chestnut

28

10'6

15

Goldfinder .

1881 Fellowes

Yellow and red

31

10-5

8

Shirley Hibberd.

1881 i Rawlings

Dark crimson

32

9-8

11

Warrior

1894 Keynes .

Scarlet

33

9-5

11

Virginale . .

1893

Keynes .

Blush white, edged

pink

34

9-1

13

George Rawlings

1882

Rawlings

Dark maroon

35 9-0

17

Mrs. D. Saunders

1888

Rawlings

Pale, edged rose

36 8-1

13

Hon. Mrs. P. Wynd-

1881

Keynes .

Pale yellow and rose

j

ham .

37

7'6

3 Perfection .

1889

Fellowes : Orange buff'

38

7-5

9

Daniel Cornish .

1897

West . Terra-cotta red

38

7-5

7

Mabel Stanton .

1896

Tranter . Deep yellow

38

7-5

5

Majestic . . .

1890

Keynes . White, edged purple

41

7'3

7

Mr. Glasscock . . ! 1886

Rawlings Purple

42

6-8

2 Alice Emily . . 1890 Keynes . Buff yellow

42

6-8

6 Glow-worm . . ; 1889 Turner . Bright orange scarlet

44

6-6

6 Diadem . . .1888 Fellowes

Deep crimson

45

6-5

4 ; Crimson King . . , 1887 Keynes .

Deep crimson scarlet

46

6-4

9 Imperial . . . ' 1883 Keynes . Purple and lilac

47

6-3

3 Earl of Ravensworth .

1883

Harkness Lilac

48

6-2

4 Mrs. Morgan

1893

Fellowes Pale ground, tinted

rosy purple

49 57

5 Mrs. Every . »

1896

Keynes . White, edged lilac

50 5-7

6 Muriel Hobbs . ' .

1898

Hobbs . Yellow

51 5-4

3 Prince Bismarck

1879 Fellowes Puce

102

The Dahlia

FANCY DAHLIAS

c ! .

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£
§ *- rt

fc.'d =o

•^sS-2 c

0

** ' to

If 111

ill!

Name. J

Q

I 11

Colour.

1 is

Ogt

»= 1

(2 3

a

S^-1

1 20-6

27

Rev. J. B. M. Camm . 1873 ; Keynes .

Yellow and red

2 17-4

14

Duchess of Albany . 1884 Turner .

Orange and crimson

3 16-5

25

Mrs. Sauuders . . 1 872 < Turner .

Yellow and white

4 15-0

10

Mrs. John Downie . 1889 Turner .

Orange and scarlet

5 14-0

14

Goldsmith . . . 1895 Keynes .

Yellow, striped crimson

6 12-6

15

Matthew Campbell . 1889 Keyues .

Buff and crimson

7

11-5

7

Dorothy . . .18

88 Keynes .

Fawn and maroon

0

O

11-0

5

T. W. Girdlestone . : 1890 Keynes .

Lilac and maroon

9

10-6

15 ! Emin Pasha . . 1894 Keynes .

Yellow, striped crimson

9

10-6

7 i Frank Pearoe . . 1886 Rawlings

Rose, striped crimson

11

10-5

16

Buffalo Bill . .1890 Keynes .

Buff, striped vermilion

12

9-4

10

Peacock . . .1877 Turner .

Maroon and white

13 87

14

S. Mortimer . . 1894 Mortimer

Rose, striped crimson

14 8-5

7

Watchman . .18

99 Keynes .

Golden yellow, striped

crimson

15

8-0

6

Rebecca . . .18

83 Keynes .

Lilac and crimson

16

7-0

12 Dandy . . .18

91 Keynes .

Orange, striped crimson

17

6-3

3 Comedian . . .18

92 Kevnes .

Orange and crimson

18

5-5

6 Hercules . . .1877 Keynes .

Yellow and crimson

POMPONS. — According to their averages for the last
four exhibitions, the best varieties arrange themselves as
follows : — Bacchus, Nerissa, Tommy Keith, Emily Hopper,
Douglas, Phcebe, Whisper, Ganymede, Sunny Daybreak,
Captain Boy ton, G. Brinckman, Dr. Jim, Demon, * Lilian,
Madeline,* Arthur West, Snowflake,* Hypatia, Eurydice,
Donovan, Vara,* The Duke,* Clarissa, Ernest Harper,
Adrienne, and Rosebud. The varieties marked with an
asterisk were sent out in 1899, or subsequently.

CACTUS. — In the following list the leading varieties
will be found arranged according to the number of times
they were staged at the last exhibition of the National

Dahlia Analysis

103

Dahlia Society, and also, for comparison, their records,
where available, for the two previous shows.

1901 1900 1899

1 Britannia, 1898 .

2 Uncle Tom, 1900 . . ' .

3 Mrs, J. J. Crowe, 1900

4 C. Woodbriclge, 1897 .

5 Countess of Lonsdale, 1899 .

6 J. W. Wilkinson, 1901

7 Lord Roberts, 1901

7 Mrs. Carter Page, 1900

9 Lucius, 1899

9 Mary Service, 1898

11 Viscountess Sherbrooke, 1899

12 Zephyr, 1900 . . .

13 J. F. Hudson, 1899
13 Magnificent, 1899

15 Galliard, 1901 . . .

15 Mayor Tuppeney, 1900

17 Stella, 1898 .

18 Emperor, 1900 .

18 Lyric, 1901 ....

20 Vesta, 1901 ....

20 William Jowitt, 1900 .

22 J. Weir Fife, 1901

22 Night, 1898 . . . • .

22 Rosine, 1901

25 Ajax, 1900 . . . ,

25 Elsie, 1900 . . V

25 Imperator, 1901 .

25 The Clown, 1899 .

25 William Treseder, 1900

30 Cornucopia, 1900 .

30 Laverstock Beauty, 1898

30 Starfish, 1897

48

55

26

salmon pink and apricot

36

23

maroon

30

23

clear canary yellow

29

47

25

crimson

28

38

17

salmon and apricot

25

rosy crimson

24

ivory white

24

26

deep crimson

23

20

13

deep orange

23

42

23

russet and heliotrope

19

26

9

reddish terra- cotta

18

18

bright rose pink

17

20

reddish carmine

17

23

17

salmon pink and apricot

15

crimson scarlet

15

26

yellow, orange, and fawn

14

12

9

bright crimson

13

15

velvety plum

13

deep bronzy red

12

pink

12

8

scarlet

11

deep crimson

11

41

18

maroon

11

rose

10

"7

orange and buff

10

8

rose

10

ruby crimson

10

18

brick red, edged white

10

9

blush white

9

10

deep reddish salmon

9

24

8

soft red

9

41

25

orange scarlet

SINGLES. — The following varieties have been arranged
according to the average number of times they were shown
at the last three exhibitions : Polly Eccles, Victoria, Miss
Roberts, Aurora, Leslie Scale,* Naomi Tighe, Miss
Glasscock, The Bride, Northern Star, Girlie,* Peacock,*
Tommy,* Duchess of Marlborough, Beauty's Eye, Formosa,
Donna Casilda, Jack Sheppard, Demon, Phyllis, Puck,*
Jeanette. The varieties marked with an asterisk are new
varieties — those sent out in 1899 or subsequently.

SELECTIONS FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES

SELECTIONS OF VARIETIES FOR GARDEN DECORATION.
—The following varieties have been chosen for this
purpose on account of their robust and free-flowering
habits, and because they produce their flowers on
long footstalks, and thus carry them well above the
foliage : —

TWELVE SHOW DAHLIAS FOR GARDEN
DECORATION

CANARY BIRD, bright canary yellow, grand outline and high

centre, 3 feet.

GLOW-WORM, bright orange scarlet, high centre, very fine, 3 feet.
GOLDFINDER, yellow, tipped with red, large and well-built, 2i

feet.
GRACCHUS, bright orange buff, good outline and petal, and very

constant, 3 feet.
HARBINGER, most beautiful shade of peach, good form, petals

and centre, 3 feet.

JOHN WALKER, finest white Dahlia ever raised, 3 feet.
MRS. GLADSTONE, delicate soft blush, 3 feet.
MRS. LANGTRY, cream, edged with crimson, 4 feet.
MRS. W. SLACK, blush white, edged with purple, 3 feet.
OCTAVIA, yellow, shaded orange, tinted with rosy purple, 3

feet.

PERFECTION, orange buff, 4 feet.
WARRIOR, intense scarlet, 3 feet.

TWELVE CACTUS DAHLIAS FOR GARDEN -
DECORATION

ARTUS, orange buff, graceful form, 4-1- feet.

AUNT CHLOE, very dark, the younger florets being quite black,
3 feet.

104

Varieties for Garden Decoration 105

GABRIEL, ground colour bright velvety crimson, upper half of

each floret snow white, 4^ feet.

GENERAL FRENCH, deep bronze, large flower, free flowering.
J. H. JACKSON, intense blackish maroon, 3 feet.
J. W. WILKINSON, deep rosy red, 3j feet.
LORD EGBERTS, white, with creamy centre.
MRS. J. J. CROWE, flowers very large and of a lovely clear

canary yellow, without shading, 5 feet.
MRS. JOWETT, apricot, slightly shaded with coppery red on the

points of the petals.
MRS. MAWLEY, clear yellow, very large, full, and finely-outlined

flower.
MRS. WINSTANLEY, colour yellow disc, gradually shading to

soft scarlet, 5 feet.
RICHARD DEAN, red, heavily tipped with white, 4 feet.

TWELVE POMPON DAHLIAS FOR GARDEN
DECORATION

AMBER QUEEN, rich clear amber, shaded golden apricot, 3 feet.

ARTHUR WEST, crimson, 2 feet.

BACCHUS, scarlet, 2j feet.

DAGMAR, maroon, shaded crimson, very distinct, 3 feet.

FLORA, rich, golden yellow, neat small flowers, 2^ feet.

NERISSA, soft rose, tinted with silver, not too large, 4 feet.

RED INDIAN, coral red, 3 feet.

ROSEBUD, white ground, edged rosy pink, 3j feet.

ROSEA, deep rosy cerise, 2j feet.

SYBIL, yellow, shaded and tipped with scarlet, 4 feet.

TOMMY KEITH, red, tipped white, 3 feet.

WHITE ASTER, pure white, a grand cutting variety, 3 feet.

TWELVE SINGLE DAHLIAS FOR GARDEN
DECORATION

ANNIE MITCHELL, creamy white, bright yellow at the base of

petals, 2j feet

AURORA, yellow suffused with orange, 3^ feet.
DUKE OF YORK, fine light scarlet of exquisite form, 3| feet.

io6 The Dahlia

GOLDEN LOCKS, lovely yellow, 3^ feet.

GRACE BALLANTYNE, yellow, shaded aiid streaked with deep

chrome, 3j feet.
JANET BRAES, magenta, flushed with crimson, orange at the

base of petals, 3 feet.

Miss HENSHAW, primrose, edged white, 3 feet.
Miss RAMSBOTTOM, lovely pink, 3 feet.
MRS. HENSHAW, dazzling crimson scarlet, 3 feet.
PHYLLIS, pale ground, striped with lilac round the centre and

flaked with crimson, 2 feet.

W. FIFE, clear yellow, striped with bright scarlet, 3 feet.
WHITE QUEEN, white, large and good, 3 feet.

TWELVE SINGLE CACTUS DAHLIAS FOR GARDEN
DECORATION

ALICE LEE, pink, shading to white at the base, 3 feet.

ALTHEA, deep glowing crimson, 3 feet.

BRENDA, chrome yellow, 2 feet.

BRENHILDA, white at base of petals, soft rose at points.

CRUSADER, orange ground, streaked with bronzy red, edges

tipped crimson, 3 feet.
FENELLA, crimson at the base of petals, passing to deep orange,

3 feet.
HELEN MACGREGOR, lower half of petals yellow, upper a deep

mahogany, 3 feet.
IVANHOE, bright rose colour, with crimson band round centre,

2j feet.

LADY CLARE, scarlet, shading to magenta at the tips, 3 feet.
LADY EDITH, lower part of the petals yellow, passing to deep

pink, pale pink at the edge, 2 feet.
QUEEN MARY, purest white, with pale yellow disc, deep golden

centre, 3 feet.
ROSE BRADWARDINE, clear yellow ground, bronze, tipped with

red, 3 feet.

THE DAHLIA IN AMERICA

By LEONARD BARRON, Editor, American Gardening

THE beginning of the twentieth century has seen a
wonderful revival in the cultivation of the Dahlia in
the United States, and at the present time there is a
more deeply -rooted and more critical interest than
ever before. And it is not only the professional
gardener who is thus concerned, for among the pioneers
of the revival are some of the most prominent leaders
in society. Whether the inspiration has come from
Europe it would be hard to say, but certain it is,
however, that it is to Europe that we of the States
look for the really good new things. There is a good
market here for a limited quantity of a sterling novelty,
but it must really be good, and, besides having the
attribute of novelty, must be decidely superior to what
is already in existence. The purely academic interest
in a new thing merely because it is new, such as is
so characteristic of the English amateur, is not met
with in the person of his American cousin. Intrinsic
merit counts for very much more. And again, as it
is with other flowers, the American pays very particular
regard to the useful qualities of the variety. That is
to say, such things as the length of stem and the

107

io8 The Dahlia

enduring qualities of the bloom when cut are all
powerful factors in the determination of the merit of
a claimant for notice. All these little points are
worthy of remembering ; for a clear understanding of
the conditions will enable the English student to better
appreciate the sometimes very frigid reception that has
been accorded to some of the most heralded beauties
from " across the water." Then, again, it must be
remembered that climatic differences influence the
behaviour of a variety, and the popular Green's White
of the English fancier is not a success in the gardens
about New York solely for this reason. The flower
as seen here is undeveloped, and of a poor nondescript
colour. This is given merely as an example ; it is not
an isolated case, nor, on the other hand, is it to be
understood as a rule. Each variety must be tested
for itself.

Up to about fifty years ago there was a great
interest in the growing of Dahlias in the neighbour-
hood of Philadelphia, Pa. Indeed there was an
intense rivalry among a few prominent gentlemen
of the city as to who should have the best and the
latest varieties of the flower of their fancy. We
gather/from the records of that period that then, as
now, the novelties came from Europe, chiefly from
England indeed. And big prices were paid for the
privilege of securing the most sensational of the new
things. Indeed it is said that two gentlemen were in
the habit of making the voyage each year, collecting
the new things, and fighting out the battle for supre-
macy on the exhibition boards the next season.

Then carne a lull. The Dahlia, although grown
on a fairly large scale, was not a flower of critical

The Dahlia in America 109

appreciation, and indeed was saved from oblivion only
because of the interest that attached itself to a plant
that had the associations of childhood's days to keep
it fresh in the mind. For several years this period of
desuetude endured, and it was in March of 1895 that
the revival movement became active in the forma-
tion of the American Dahlia Society in Philadelphia.
Interest was aroused, and the Dahlia once more came
into a prominent place among Flora's gems. From
this date can be counted the era of the modern Dahlia
cult in Eastern America. The organisation itself,
however, soon became moribund, and after enduring a
struggling existence was formally dissolved at a meeting
in New York in 1901. Strange to say, simultaneously
with the dissolution of the society a very intense
interest in the Dahlia spread more widely than ever,
and a New York gentleman, Mr. J. W. Withers, who
had been growing a small collection for a few years,
struck upon a cultural detail that materially increased
the chances of the future of the Dahlia as a garden
plant in this climate.

The one reason why the Dahlia had not held its
own in this country was perhaps the uncertainty of
flowering properly, and which peculiarity appeared to
baffle all the modern cultivators except those who
had some particular location which just suited the
plant. It was so with Mr. L. K. Peacock, at Atco,
N.J., and from the ease with which he produced really
first-class blooms in abundance, it seemed that other
growers who tried the plant and found it wanting
were negligent of its wants. But just what those
wants were was an evasive problem. His soil was a
pure white sand, poor and dry. In New England

i io The Dahlia

one or two nurserymen had maintained the successful
cultivation of the plant. But elsewhere it was the rule
that in the full season of the Dahlia, — that is to say, in
the early fall, — the plants, which had up to that time
been full of promise, became suddenly sickly. They
stopped making free growth, producing only stunted,
twisted shoots ; the leaves fell victim to a mildew which
seriously disfigured the plants ; and, moreover, the
flower buds which were present refused to expand, and,
becoming black, finally shrivelled up and fell. It is
abundantly demonstrated now, however, that the secret
of successful Dahlia culture lies in not allowing the
plant to make too much growth before the proper
season. With the hot dry spell of weather which
usually strikes about the months of July and August,
plants which have been in full growth for some time
before, and are already in the flowering stage, suffer so
severely that they succumb to the conditions, and are
not able to recoup their strength in the early fall
sufficiently soon to. enable them to again flower before
the frost arrives and the tops are cut down. The end
in view is attained by late planting. In a word, the
successful cultivation of the Dahlia in this country—
I am speaking of course for the Eastern States — rests
absolutely upon keeping the roots out of the ground
just as long as it is possible to do so. The temptation
to plant early, — that is, as soon as danger of frost is
gone in the spring, — is a strong one, but the wise ones
will hold off until even July is fairly in. The case is
well presented by Mr. Withers himself in a com-
munication to American Gardening of llth May
1901. The reason that amateurs have had little
success, while those of the trade obtained gratifying

The Dahlia in America 1 1 1

results, is no doubt due to the fact that in the case of
the latter late planting is a necessity owing to the
rush of other things in the early spring season.

Koots thus planted do not start, do not begin their
growth until after the first hot spell is over, and as a
matter of fact they do not stop growing when once
fairly started on the road. Moreover, plants thus
grown do not require stakes, for they keep within a
reasonable height, and again can be planted more
closely together.

Planted out about the 1st of July (that is, roots,
not cuttings), bloom will begin about the middle of
August and continue until frost. The old time
growers apparently followed this plan or something
like it, for in the first volume of Hoveys Magazine,
dated 1835, a writer calls attention to the desirability
of retarding the growth of the plants " even two or
three weeks, as when planted early they are apt to
form their flower buds at a period when the weather
is both so hot and dry as to cause these buds to
perish as fast as they are formed." And yet this
cardinal point was lost sight of until lately, and even
to-day is regarded with suspicion or doubt by some ;
at the same time it is a fact that there has not been a
successful exhibitor of Dahlias in recent years who
persistently and consistently adhered to early planting.
It is found to be good practice to plant the roots in
preference to cutting plants, dividing them so as to
leave one eye only. Field roots as lifted the previous
year may be used just as well, and will of course give
larger plants — that is to say, more stems ; but if divided
up, the results on the whole will be far better. One
reason that cutting plants are not so good as roots is

i

1 1 2 The Dahlia

that they are more difficult to ship, being in danger
of drying out on the one hand, or sweating during
transit on the other.

Eoots cut to a single eye may be planted in a
trench or hole so as to be 6 inches below the level,
and the soil gradually filled in as the stem develops.

With regard to the lifting and storing for winter,
the self-same conditions that govern the Dahlia in
Europe prevail in America too. Eoots are lifted
sometime in November, and stored where they are
free from frost and will not rot. The cellar of a
dwelling-house where there is a furnace is an ideal
place. The roots may be covered with ashes, after
having been allowed to dry off a little, and so stored.
In. the spring they will start into growth, and may be
carried into the open air in some half-shaded spot
and simply not planted until the middle of June at
the earliest. It is best to plant in full exposure, as
the stems then develop more sturdily and are able to
resist winds.

As to the question of feeding, much — very much
indeed depends upon the nature of the soil itself. In
a light sandy soil a mixture of four parts bone-meal and
one part nitrate of soda as a top-dressing after the plant
is well up is recommended. On ordinarily good soils
a mixture of bone black and acid phosphate has given
full satisfaction so far as both quality and quantity of
bloom were concerned, but there appeared to be a
tendency in this treatment to make small tubers, and
in some cases indeed no tubers at all were lifted at
the close of the season.

In the matter of watering debatable ground is again
entered. The best blooms that I have seen have come

The Dahlia in America \ 13

from plants that never were artificially watered ; but
the plants were on a moderately heavy soil. In the
case of the sandy soils already referred to, water can
naturally be applied in unlimited quantity without
really giving much to the plant, for from the very
nature of the soil it will dry out almost as soon as
watering is stopped.

It has been recommended already to let the plant
grow naturally. In some quarters it is the practice
to plant early and then pinch out the tip of the young
shoot to induce it to branch, and incidentally, it may
be remarked, it ensures a later growth. The largest
growers, whether commercial or amateur, do not ever
find it necessary to use stakes, unless the roots are
started too early.

To the genuine Dahlia enthusiast of the old school,
the perfect modelling of the true show or fancy type
of bloom ever appeals as the highest form of the
Dahlia, as indeed it is. But of late the tendency in
floral taste has leaned toward the more unconventional
and aesthetic types of the Cactus and the decorative
blooms. Indeed, Americans look with most kindly
eye upon the latter group ; and it is to a few good
introductions in this group — American raised varieties
— especially Wm. Aguew and Clifford W. Bruton, that
modern interest in the flower as a commercial possi-
bility for cut flowers had its origin. In the Dahlia,
as in other flowers, the American taste runs to loose
unconventionally, so that the decorative, or, as it is
sometimes called, the cactus-hybrid type, is increasingly
popular with the masses.

In the matter of classification there is much to be
accomplished yet, the tendency being to include the

H4 The Dahlia

two groups as one under the title of cactus ; and there
is a shrewd suspicion that certain dealers wilfully
muddle the two groups, and include any nondescript
seedling in the all-embracing and convenient class.
Still, there is a keen appreciation of the decorative
type, and it will grow. As a plant for cut flower the
Dahlia is assuming an important place. It gives really
rich colour and variety. What has been done for the
Dahlia in America is but the beginning ; the leaven
is at work, and from Newport in Ehode Island to
Washington, D.C., Dahlia gardens are being planned
as never before. And from California comes evidence
of the interest, a correspondent giving this account of
the methods adopted there : —

In the city of San Francisco the climate is very cool, especi-
ally in midsummer, and in being on the coast we get a deal of
foggy nights, which, of course, just suits the Dahlia, and there
are at this date some really first-class blooms to be seen in San
Francisco, especially in first-class Cactus vars. recently imported
from Europe. Personally, I do not grow them for early flower-
ing, as I prefer my Dahlias to bloom when most of our best
garden flowers have passed their best ; but some of our gardeners
here have them blooming with roses, carnations, etc.

The method which I have adopted is to pot small tubers cut
to one eye, and then plant out in the open ground when I think
they are strong enough to fight for themselves, as when planted
in mixed borders slugs and snails are liable to be very trouble-
some, if planted in the usual way. I allow but one stem, pinch
back, to make about four laterals. In growing for exhibition I
generally pinch out the growths of a couple of joints nearest to
the buds, and get a nicely finished flower in that way.

Now, the culture is quite different in the interior of California,
where the climate is much warmer than in San Francisco.
Dahlias are generally planted out in April or May, and kept
growing steadily. They usually produce a few, small, semi-double
flowers during the hot weather ; but in September, when cooler
weather prevails, they are cut down, well mulched and given a

The Dahlia in America 1 1 5

good soaking, when they make a rapid growth and come in bloom
about the same time as Chrysanthemums, and give a very good
display of flowers. Should the weather be dry, of course the
Chrysanthemum comes first in favour, but in damp weather the
Dahlia makes a good second. WILLIAM ELDRED.

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.

In writing of the Dahlia in America it must be
borne in mind by the reader that the territory thus
covered is immense. The particulars given in the
foregoing relate chiefly to New York as a centre, and
it would be necessary to make allowances for the
climatic variations as one went any considerable dis-
tance north or south ; and the west, again, is so entirely
different as to present entirely other problems.

As an indication of the standards of merit, the
following variety lists are taken from authoritative
sources. Mr. T. A. Havemeyer, the leading amateur
grower of the time, annually imports the season's
leaders from abroad, and his report for 1901 is as
follows : —

At your request I send a list of Cactus Dahlias that have
proved the most successful with me this season, taking as a
standard perfection of flower, freedom of bloom, length of stem,
and habit of growth. We tested the greatly advertised GREEN'S
WHITE, but unless it. does better it will be worthless in this
country, as we were unable to procure a perfect flower from ten
good, healthy plants. A new decorative Dahlia of great beauty
is MADAM VAN DEN DAEL, very large flowers, of a pleasing
silvery pink, splendid form, with long stems. I consider this the
best all-round decorative Dahlia I have seen to date. The best
new Show Dahlia we thought was DAVID JOHNSON ; it is the same
quilled type as A. D. Livoni. The colour is a delicate peach
pink or salmon, beautifully quilled, and a perfect sphere in
shape. It is very free and dwarf.

WIELAND, a new Cactus Dahlia of German origin; pretty
pink, free and dwarf.

1 1 6 The Dahlia

NIGHT, very dark, maroon, an improvement on Matchless, as
the petals are always well pointed.

VISCOUNTESS SHERBROOKE, bright reddish terra-cotta suffused
with apricot, the freest of all our Cactus Dahlias this year ;
flowers large and always perfect.

PROGENITOR, bright clear carmine, every petal furcated at the
end like a stag's horn, and forming several points ; very free
and dwarf.

MRS. J. J. CROWE, the best yellow, stems long and stiff,,
petals very long and narrow, plant dwarf and free.

MRS. CARTER PAGE, rich velvety crimson, petals very long
and narrow.

KINGFISHER, rosy purple, very good.

BRITANNIA, soft salmon pink, flowers perfect, very free and
dwarf, stem very long.

STANDARD BEARER, bright fiery scarlet, very free and flowers
nearly always full.

W. B. CHILDS, blackish maroon, with purple shading, large
flower, very free and dwarf.

SIR A. MILNER, bright orange red, large flower of very good
form.

ZEPHYR, rosy pink, flower always perfect, but stem not stiff
enough.

EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA, deep velvety crimson, long, stiff stem,
free and dwarf, one of the best.

RUBY, splendid for bedding ; plant mass of flowers ; blooms,,
although small, very good shape ; colour, ruby red.

MARIE LOUISE is also a very free bloomer and very useful.

T. A. HAVEMEYER.

Mr. J. W. Withers' selections of ten in sections
are : —

SHOW DAHLIAS

COLONIST. WILLIAM RAWLINGS.

COUNTESS OF RAVENSWORTH.
DANIEL CORNISH.
FLORENCE TRANTEE.
EMILY.

ARABELLA.
HARRISON WEIR.
HENRIETTA.
DR. KEYNES.

The Dahlia in America

117

FANCY DAHLIAS

MRS. DAVID SAUNDERS.
MME. SOUBYRE.
S. MORTIMER.
PEACOCK.
GENERAL GRANT.

DUCHESS OF ALBANY.
LUCY FAWCETT.
HENRY ECKFORD.
STRIPED BANNER.
STARTLER.

CACTUS DAHLIAS

AEGIR.

ALFRED VASEY.

CAPSTAN.

CYCLE.

EARL OF PEMBROKE.

EDWARD MAWLEY.
ERNEST GLASSE.
GEORGE MAHLOW.
HARRY STREDWICK.
JOHN H. EOACH.

The literature of the Dahlia in America is meagre.
A treatise was published in Boston in 1839 by E.
Sayers, and in 1896 Peacock's The Dahlia appeared ;
and other matter since then is found in the weekly
papers.

THE FUTUBE OF THE DAHLIA

IN the Florist for 1855 a writer asked the question —
Is there a reasonable prospect of the Dahlia's pro-
gression ? What would that writer say if he had
now to answer his own question ? He wrote at
a time when raisers had, by their exclusiveness,
almost eliminated Dahlias from public favour and
general cultivation. Then raisers aimed at raising
and retaining none but flowers of the Show and Fancy
type. Everything that failed to come up to their
standard of geometrical precision was discarded as
worthless. True this was brought about, in its earliest
stages at least, through a laudable attempt to extricate
the Dahlia from a perfect confusion of forms that
prevailed. The revival of Dahlia culture dates from
about 1870, when the National Dahlia Society was
instituted ; but what has done more than even the
National Dahlia Society to popularise the cultivation
of Dahlias has been the introduction of the Single,
Pompon, and Cactus sections. These have been taken
up, and enthusiastically grown by thousands who never
fancied the Show and Fancy varieties. It was in 1880
that the Single Dahlia was introduced, or rather re-intro-
duced into commerce, and in that year also the Cactus —

118

The Future of the Dahlia \ 1 9

Jaurezi — made its appearance in this country. From
that moment the future of the Dahlia was assured. The
graceful Singles took the public taste immediately, for
here was found a plant that produced beautiful flowers
in profusion with a modicum of trouble. Juarezi, the
precursor of all our Cactus varieties, was looked at a
little askance at first ; but, as seedlings from it began
to appear, showing improved form and fresh colours,
they were taken up by an interested public, and, at
the present moment, the interest in Cactus Dahlias is
very great, and is so rapidly on the increase that it is
quite safe to predict a great future for them. Much
remains to be done in the way of improving their
habit. Long stiff footstalks are wanted to all the
flowers. Every one must be discarded which does not
hold its head erect on a stiff, wiry stem, at least 12
inches long. May I suggest that larger flowers than
we at present have are not wanted, — smaller ones
would be an advantage sometimes. Then they will
be more useful for cutting, and the plants will form
much more effective objects through the flowers being
raised well above the foliage. These improvements
will only be the work of a very few years, and what
are the raisers of Cactus Dahlias then to aim at ?
New colours and new combinations of colours will ever
afford an illimitable field. The round-flowered Single
Dahlia and the Single Cactus forms will continue to
be grown wherever truly graceful flowers for cutting
are wanted, but their cultivation will not be nearly so
general as the other types. The Pompon varieties,
which are great favourites for garden decoration and
cut flowers, will continue to be popular for two
reasons : their perfection of form and daintiness of

1 20 The Dahlia

size will always commend them, and likewise will
their fine dwarf compact habit.

Although the Cactus varieties will absorb the
attention of the great majority of growers for the
next decade at least, yet, so long as we have a sturdy
artisan population — and may we always have it — who
delight in producing on their small plots large sym-
metrical specimens of either flowers or vegetables, so
long, I believe, will there be a steady demand for
Show and Fancy Dahlias. They are, without doubt,
the most perfect of Flora's creations from a true florist's
point of view.

Efforts will, I believe, be made to raise a hardier
race of Dahlias, and something will be done to produce
varieties with a tendency to flower earlier.

The future of the Dahlia is assured. It may
develop along new lines, but that it will be less
cultivated is most improbable, unless it becomes the
prey of some dire disease such as has attacked the
Hollyhock.

THE END

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BRIGHTON,

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