17I 
shades of red or pink. The large double flowers and the mar- 
velous colors and combinations of colors seen in the dahlias of 
today are modern developments. But a blue dahlia, like a 
blue rose, is something for the future, if it is ever attained. The 
nearest that we now come to it is a violet purple. 
Dahlias were introduced into the ornamental gardens of the 
United States about one hundred years ago, but their great 
(Ph New 
of the New He fate oo Stations.) 
development as to i — and color and as to popularity has 
been ae the last twenty years. 
The dahlia sae to ee family known to botanists as the 
ositae or more recently as the Carduaceae. It is a char- 
is in reality, like the sunflower, a flower-cluster or head, made up 
