DAHLIAS. 



ingenuity in the invention of these un- 

 stable compounds as is now displayed 

 in designs for wall paper and oil cloths. 

 These things were catalogued under the 

 " Fancy " class, for the English divide 

 the large-flowering varieties into " Show " 

 and " Fancy." The '' Show " section 

 contains the " selfs,'' that is those varie- 



ihirty pure, distinct single colors in forty 

 different forms of expression ! 



There was not a single new or original 

 idea in the evolution of the dahlia until 

 1873 at the very earliest, and whatever 

 freedom or grace the dahlias now have 

 is traceable to a single plant that bloom- 

 ed for the first time that year. Instead 



1I-. 



.\lif 



A. 1'kakt. .V Wmitk (aitin 1)ahi,i\. 



single 



ties each of which has but 

 color.'' 



In the evolution of the Dahlias too 

 much attention has been paid to color, 

 and not enough to form. Those 1,200 

 varieties of 1841 were too much like 

 1,200 variously painted balls of two sizes. 

 How much better would it be to have 



of short, stiff, artificially formed rays, this 

 flower had long, loose, flat rays with 

 pointed or twisted ends and the peculiar 

 red that is associated with cacti. This 

 variety was named y«n/'f:/V, in honor of 

 Juarez, President of Mexico, and first 

 offered for sale in 1874, by a Dutch 

 merchant. This was the parent of the 



