Early Dahlia Culture 13 



dahlia by a Frenchman comes from the pen of 

 "Citoyen" A. Thouin in the "Annales du 

 Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle" 1804 

 (Vol. III. page 420). It is accompanied by a 

 fine coloured plate of the three types of dahlias 

 described by Cavanilles. 



Thouin states that much gratitude is due to 

 "Monsieur" Cavanilles and to "Citoyen" Thi- 

 baud who brought the seeds to the museum, for 

 the plants give a blaze of colour in the garden at 

 a time when little else is in bloom. 



The first seeds were started in large pots of 

 rich earth and placed under a bench in the green- 

 house at a temperature of 12 to 15 degrees centi- 

 grade. They started slowly, but with increased 

 heat grew quickly, and flowered at the end of 

 autumn of the same year. Of the three varieties, 

 D. pourpre (D. pinnatd) was the latest in flower- 

 ing, but the handsomest the colour, a deep 

 pansy or plum, and the centre florets attempting 

 to put out "petals." 



His deductions were clever, though as we now 

 know, erroneous; but are well worth repeating: 1 



Abridged translation of Thouin s article. 



If one carefully examines the size and formation of dahlia roots, it will be easy to un- 

 derstand that these plants need a fertile clay and sandy soil, and it should be rich in humus. 

 It may be presumed that they need more heat than our climate provides, as Mexico lies 

 under the Tropic of Cancer. The following are some reasons why it would seem impossible 

 for dahlias to flourish in our climate or an even colder one. 



1 It is not usual for plants having such tall and delicate stems to grow on high 

 tains, exposed to weather conditions that would bruise and break them. 



