Early Dahlia Culture 17 



ing Plate XVI by R. A. Salisbury on D. bidenti- 

 folia, and should be quoted verbatim; 



The specific character and descriptions of Cavanilles 

 seldom do him any credit, and respecting this Dahlia, he 

 has blundered as usual; for its leaflets are neither more 

 acuminated than those of the others, nor smooth on their 

 lower disk, and the ligulated florets of the second variety 

 are of a deep marigold colour, not scarlet . . * 



The variety with yellow flowers has only been lately in- 

 troduced into this country from Madrid by the Right 

 Hon ble Lady Holland, and flowered for the first time this 

 Autumn. 



Poor Cavanilles! Had he but named his 

 dahlia "Variabilis" in the beginning and left it 

 so, this Englishman might have given him a 

 better reputation. What would either of these 

 men think if they saw the dahlias of to-day ! 



Gradually our predecessors learned how to 

 grow dahlias, to hybridize and improve them. 

 They were doubled to form the "decorative" 

 type, showing no centre florets at all; then 

 again doubled until they became spheres the 

 "show" type. 



Dahlia enthusiasm soon became a veritable 

 craze, and the score of points for perfection be- 

 came more and more difficult. 



In "Every Lady Her Own Flower Gardener," 

 published in 1855 by Louisa Johnson, there ap- 



