446 



DAHLIA 



about 1881, and for several years thereafter several 

 hundred forms were kept distinct, and they were made 

 the chief feature of the European shows. It is exceed- 

 ingly interesting to get seeds of wild Dahlias from 

 Mexico. They give flowers like the star-shaped one in 

 Fig. 66.'). When the Dahlia first came into cultivation 



i?ly long, slender, 



with such wide spaces between 



t" give the flower the stellate 



iitjii. In the course of the evo- 



|.c. the gardeners retained the 



Dahlias 



■ < II- preserved. The ravs 



: I' Hinder, as in Fig. 660, 



IS they closed up the 



r iH-i-sents to the eye one 



■ntrated impression of a 



661. A Dahlia of the Single Cactus type (X H). 



rose-petaled Geraniums and the shouldered Tulips. In 

 a high bred single Dahlia there are no minute teeth or 

 notches at the tips of the ravs. 



In the wild Dahlia, no matter what the cnhir of the 

 T<iy may be, the base Of the ray is ii-'i:ili\ v.ll.i, ; .11111 

 times this yellow is very objectiiumi ' l' ' '!■ 1 1 1 

 policies have been pursued in tin n 



-and encouragement. Most of the siii^ .. ii.li, , 



pedigree have rays of uniform coKh.uiwu imiIi lu. ... r 

 ■ondary color at the base, but a few have a distiuct ring 

 of color at the base, often called an "eye or crown," 

 which is sometimes yellow and rarely red or some other 

 ■color. Usually the rays of a single Dahlia are spread 

 out horizontally, soin. tiin.-i tli. y bend back, and rarely 

 they bend inwards ,iinl liini :i .uii. shaped flower. These 

 three forms can il.mi.ili , i.i -i|iiirated and fixed dur- 

 ing those periods win n tin- intm-st in the Single type 

 warrants it. 



Single Dahlias are likely to lose some of their rays 

 after a day or two in a vase. In cutting them it is well 

 to select the younger flowers. A vigorous shake often 

 makes the older ones drop their rays. It is an easy 

 matter to keep the seeds from forming and save the 

 strength of the plant for the production of flowers. 



DAHLIA 



There are three modem types of minor importance,— 

 the Sintrle Cactus. Pompon Cactus and Tom Thumb. 

 Tbr SiiiL'lc ( ':i.-tus tv|ic dirtirs frmii the common single 



tyi" . Ill liiii ))ij I.I'. N'. nil r. i-ur\ . .1 iiiiu-gins, which give 



II f '•''■■ ilii' fls. Instead of 



s|.i. :. I i. 1 "1 1 c-n curve inward, 



f.ir>iiiii_'., II ii,„rii;i„at,-d with 



E. .J. LOHr. ' , . . , |,,,„,i ],., Ti.J.liii- 



& Co. abdill ; .!i . n ;. ■ .i :.| 1 -m. 



The Singli- ' . . nn,- 



and pretty. 1 1 ■ . . . < i m 



connect thf .-■'i.i^i. i . 1 ; , ■,.. :li,. 



Pompon is iuturiiirili... i. 1 ..ii'i. ^m : i.; - ; . . .v 



types. The writer In . 1 1 :i,is 



type, "Pompon Cai-iii 1 1:. 1 .: . i 1 , . .• 



small fls., with flat, i. il. ■. - il r.r. -. I ii.. r 'Itnnnb 



type is a miniature race of round-i-aVL-d single- Dahlias, 

 which grow from 12-18 inches high, and are used for 

 bedding. The type originated in England with T. W. 

 Girdlestone, and was developed and introduced by Cheal 



Kg,.,., 



Dahlia can hardly bo called an 

 it is an interesting abnormal 

 IS are partially or wholly sup- 



fr-:itiii-c of interest is a confused 



III u, which 



iiiii' « nil the il types 

 li term, which makes a 

 rather formal efl'ect. 

 [rs. A. W. Tait and its 

 blp foi-ms, and White 

 .,..,,. ,..,.,„„ tlip notches 



I I " \ give the 



!■ I - I inlable in a 



mum-like t . \'. • 1 - r i..i, , , 1 .. ;, 1 ;. .; , ,.,,- 



tion, but is u. • . r'l. 1 ■ .: ■ - 1 n, 1 , 1 ' , i .! i ...mil 



Duke AlcM.. II |. iM.ii-irilM Slr.,« I'.;..- ll v,.iI:,t, 



but i 1. ll .1 cltissed with the Cactus Hyhnd soc- 



tiiiii. I I iisi- it seems advisable to keep the 



Sli" I I'l 1 ...I sharply defined of all. It is to be 

 li..|" -i iiiii> ill 1 .1111 of Grand Duke Alexis can be re- 

 peat.-. 1 m all 111, kiading colors. Grand Duke Alexis is 

 a very flat lluwur, and the rays are remarkably folded, 

 leaving a round hole at the top of each. About midway 

 between Grand Duke Alexis and the show or cupped type 

 is an interesting form, the "quilled" Dahlia, a name 

 which is necessary, perhaps, though unfortunate. In 

 A. D. Livoni (which is one of the most popular of all 

 Dahlias, and the nearest approach to a pure pink un- 

 tainted by any suggestion of purple- cli-i-ivatinn 1 the rays 

 are rather tightly folded for al.-.ul 1 ..-- ilili-l -r iIh ir 

 length, leaving a round hole III ' < : l-il,.- 



Alexis, btit giving a peciili u h 



pl.ainly shows the spiral arnm 1 : 



le most important 

 the Dahlia, is the 

 ts into long, thin, 

 ! produced such 

 ' and have culmi- 



China As 



charming efliects 

 nated in the marvelous grace of such Chrysanthemums 

 as lora. North om Lights and Lillian B. Bird. The Dah- 

 lia may not 1.. .1, nii-,) ,i--l, possibilities, for in G.C. HI. 



20::i:!9 (Ifidii I ' ' '11 was described in which the 



quills are n iwo-thirds of their length. 



Mav we Imi - Hiking development of this 



forin withiu uur -.-iii im i-n ! 



The main types of Dahlias may perhaps be distin- 

 guished more clearly by the following scheme : 



