ON THE DAHLIA 



undoubtedly been felt in the rather striking results 

 attained in working with a race of flowers that, 

 despite its comparatively recent advent in the hor- 

 ticultural garden, is already highly specialized. 



That further improvements of striking charac- 

 ter will be attained can scarcely be doubted by 

 any one who takes into account the fact that the 

 dahlia is a parvenu among the admitted aristo- 

 crats of the flower garden. It is impossible that 

 the hereditary resources of any plant should have 

 been exhausted within the comparatively brief 

 period of time that has elapsed since this extra- 

 ordinarily responsive and adaptable flower was 

 first brought from the wilds. 



Brought from sub-tropical 

 Mexico to the relatively cold 

 climate of England, the dahlia 

 soon showed the effects of the 

 altered climatic condition. The 

 tendency to vary was accentu- 

 ated and presently there was 

 a new race of dahlias, so utterly 

 divergent from the parent form 

 as to be almost unrecognizable. 



