THE DAHLIA IN AMERICA 



By LEONARD BARRON, Editor, American Gardening 



THE beginning of the twentieth century has seen a 

 wonderful revival in the cultivation of the Dahlia in 

 the United States, and at the present time there is a 

 more deeply -rooted and more critical interest than 

 ever before. And it is not only the professional 

 gardener who is thus concerned, for among the pioneers 

 of the revival are some of the most prominent leaders 

 in society. Whether the inspiration has come from 

 Europe it would be hard to say, but certain it is, 

 however, that it is to Europe that we of the States 

 look for the really good new things. There is a good 

 market here for a limited quantity of a sterling novelty, 

 but it must really be good, and, besides having the 

 attribute of novelty, must be decidely superior to what 

 is already in existence. The purely academic interest 

 in a new thing merely because it is new, such as is 

 so characteristic of the English amateur, is not met 

 with in the person of his American cousin. Intrinsic 

 merit counts for very much more. And again, as it 

 is with other flowers, the American pays very particular 

 regard to the useful qualities of the variety. That is 

 to say, such things as the length of stem and the 



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