CHAPTER III 

 SHOW AND FANCY DAHLIAS 



FOR purposes of exhibition Dahlias have been arranged in 

 seven classes or groups, namely, the show and fancy, cactus, 

 single, bouquet or pompon, paeony-flowered, collerette, and 

 decorative. For a considerable period the show and fancy 

 varieties were divided into two sections and shown in 

 distinct classes ; but they resembled each other so closely 

 that the National Dahlia Society decided to break down the 

 barrier between them and have them shown together in the 

 same classes. This is a great advantage, more especially to 

 the smaller growers, because many of the fancies originated 

 as sports from the show varieties, and now and again they 

 produce self-coloured flowers, which could not be included 

 in a collection of fancies, but may be shown in a stand of 

 mixed varieties. 



The show Dahlia, as it is technically termed, com- 

 prises all self-coloured flowers, all shaded flowers, and all 

 flowers that have a pale ground colour, whether it be 

 blush, primrose, yellow or white, tipped with crimson, 

 mauve, maroon, purple or rose. The fancy Dahlia com- 

 prises all the flowers that have a blush, primrose, rose or 

 yellow ground flaked or freckled with crimson maroon 

 and scarlet flowers that are tipped with blush white or 

 yellow, and yellow flowers tipped with white. 



