218 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS 



in size. A Pompon is quite big enough if as large as a golf- 

 ball ; it is too big if larger than a tennis-ball. Great size is a 

 defect, not a merit. The flowers of the best Pompons are borne 

 in clusters. The colours are varied and brilliant. 



There is a class of dwarf Dahlias in existence called the Tom 

 Thumb. It appeared somewhere about the year 1890, perhaps a 

 little earlier. The writers very well remember the interest which 

 it aroused on its introduction. The plants only grew about a foot 

 high, but the flowers were similar to those of normal plants. They 

 were mostly, if not entirely, single varieties. There seemed to be 

 an opening for such a class, especially for very small gardens, 

 but it did not prove to be very successful, principally owing to 

 the somewhat puny growth and few flowers. Plants can still 

 be got. 



The early years of the twentieth century saw a class of Dahlias 

 originate in Holland which was called the Paeony-flowered. The 

 varieties are remarkable for the huge size and brilliant colours 

 of the flowers. They are borne on long, strong stems, which 

 display them to the utmost advantage. Lovers of refined flowers 

 look askance at these huge, vivid blooms, and stigmatise them 

 as coarse. Owners of large gardens who want brilliant breaks of 

 colour seem inclined to take to them. At the time of writing the 

 popularity of the Paeony Dahlias is rather a matter of promise 

 than of fact. So far only a few varieties have appeared, but 

 if there are signs of a brisk demand more will come, and that 

 quickly, for trade florists are wonderfully quick in seeing and 

 meeting a demand. Strange as it appears to the layman, they 

 seem able to multiply the varieties almost as quickly as cloth- 

 makers can evolve new patterns, or lace-makers produce new 

 designs. 



The above do not exhaust the number of classes, although they 

 are the most important. There are also the Pompon Cactus, the 

 single Cactus, the Star, and the Decorative Dahlias. These are 



