CACTUS VARIETIES 3 



of flowers, it appears a marvellous accomplishment to have 

 evolved the noble show flower, the graceful cactus variety, 

 and the diminutive pompon, with numerous other types, 

 from the same wild species. In order to avoid any mis- 

 apprehension upon this point it may be well to state here 

 that Dahlia Yuarezii, from which the race of cactus varieties 

 has descended, was a cultivated plant in Mexican gardens 

 previous to its introduction into Europe, and it had under- 

 gone considerable modification before it left its native 

 country. This fact notwithstanding, there is full justifica- 

 tion for a strong sense of gratitude for what the raisers, 

 both past and present, have accomplished in the enrich- 

 ment of our gardens with flowers so distinct in character 

 and possessing so much beauty as the cactus Dahlias. The 

 earlier raisers may be regarded as unwise in endeavouring to 

 mould the flowers of all Dahlias on similar lines, and these 

 characterised by great formality. It would have been a 

 great advantage had the desirability of a diversity of form 

 been recognised at an earlier period than was the case ; but 

 it should be remembered that raisers have for business 

 purposes to produce that for which there is a ready sale. 

 Long after the Dahlia had made its home in this country the 

 demand was for finely formed flowers. Endeavours were 

 made to meet this, and the result is seen in the show 

 and fancy varieties. 



Coming down to recent times, much the same thing has 

 occurred with the cactus Dahlia. Until quite recently the 

 demand was almost exclusively for varieties bearing blooms 

 large in size, pleasing in colour, and with gracefully arranged 

 florets, and the raisers concentrated their efforts on the 

 creation of varieties that met the requirements of pur- 



