DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF FLOWERS. 179 



tion ; it is no lonci^er a novelty ; they are satiated, and it is 

 discarded for some new favorite, to be in its turn set up 

 and adored as tlie JS/eplus ultra of all that is lovely and 

 desirable. One of this class, that has had its day, is the 

 Dahlia, which must now stand in the back ground, and 

 give precedence to the lovely Verbena and the gorgeous 

 Gladiolus. In the first edition of the "Book of Flowers," 

 I confess I was rather too severe upon the Dahlia ; I have 

 been criticized and censured by some friends, for the man- 

 ner in which this once fashionable flower was disparaged. 

 There was, however, some reason why a little ill-feeling 

 should be expressed, when speaking of a flower that had 

 given me more than usual vexation and disappointment, 

 besides that of the ill success which, in some seasons, I had 

 experienced in its cultivation. I am almost ashamed to 

 speak of my folly, in a transaction which took place a 

 quarter of a century ago, in connection with this flower, 

 from which the reader may well imagine the reason why I 

 should have manifested a little spite in my description 

 of it. A proposition was made to me by a celebrated and 

 wealthy florist, to join him in importing from England an 

 invoice of choice, new, high-priced seedling Dahlias, Avith 

 the understanding, that I was to pay one-quarter of the 

 expense, and receive as my share one plant each of all the 

 varieties thus obtained. So we sat down and looked over 

 some florists' catalogues of new Dahlias, in which was at- 

 tached to each variety a glowing description of its pecu- 

 liar merits and beauty, with its price, which by the way 

 was anything but moderate. But they were new and 

 fashionable^ and must be obtained, notwithstanding the 

 high prices. So a list w^as made out of such varieties as 

 were supposed to be the finest. As one to ten guineas a 

 plant was considered rather extravagant, a few only of 

 this class were ordered ; but some latitude was given to 

 the florist, which he took advantage of, and to our surprise, 



