THE DAHLIA. 



579 



"When they have perfected one season's growth, 

 plant them out, or treat them like established 

 plants.* 



Although the shmbby pseonies will stand this 

 climate in warm sheltered situations, without 

 any winter covering, yet, in general, the protec- 

 tion of a frame is recjuired, especially as the 

 leaves which come out early in spring, are apt 

 to be nipt by the frosts. The best sort is a rich 

 sandy loam. As the growth of these plants is 

 very slow, they require very little pruning, 

 and, indeed, not much care in any respect. 



The shrubby pseonies may also be propagated 

 by cuttings. For this purpose, in February select 

 a stem from any of the species, and at the dis- 

 tance of half an inch from the centre of each 

 bud, both above and below it, cut out entirely 

 round the stem a small ring of the bark, rather 

 more than the sixteenth of an inch wide, as is 

 done in ringing fruit trees. Thus every hud 

 will occupy an inch of the stem, where the direct 

 continuation of its bark is obstructed both above 

 and below, by the rings which have been cut out 

 of it. The stems so prepared are then to be laid 

 horizontally about three inches beneath the soil, 

 leaving only the leading bud at the end of each 

 branch above the surface. In six months every 

 bud will have made a vigorous shoot, and, in 

 general, will have two radical fibres at its base. 

 In August, remove the soil from above the lay- 

 ers, and having raised the newly made roots, 

 carefully separate each young shoot from the 

 main layer, by passing a small knife from one 

 ring to the other, cutting out about one-third 

 part of the old stem. The young plants should 

 then be immediately put into pots, there to 

 remain till they are required for planting out in 

 their final situations. After thus gathering the 

 first crop of young plants, the old layers should be 

 again covered with good soil, and left as before; 

 and in the following summer a second and greater 

 crop of plants will be produced, than in the 

 first season; and what is more remarkable, they 

 will issue from various parts of the stem, where 

 no trace of a bud was previously indicated. 



The Dahlia ' (Georginia). Natural family 

 compositce; syngenesia, siiperfiua, of Linnaeus. 

 This flower was originally named dahlia, after 

 Dhal, a Swedish botanist; but as it was after- 

 wards ascertained that another plant had received 

 the same name, it is now changed to Georginia. 

 This genus, of which there are two species, with 

 several varieties, is originally a native of the 

 sandymeadows of Mexico, in South America, and 

 was sent to Spain in 1789, and thence to England, 

 in the same year. These plants, however, were 

 lost, and seeds were again introduced by Lady 

 Holland, in 1804; and from these, and other 

 plants imported after the peace of 1816, the 



• Loud, Gard. Mag. vol. 3. 



present British stock has originated. It is s 

 hardy plant, enduring our climate well, and 

 though the leaves are coarse and large, resem- 

 bling those of the dwarf elder, the great 

 beauty of the flowers, and the circumstance of 

 their coming into perfection in the end of autumn, 

 when most other garden flowers have faded, have 

 tended to raise the dahlias into estimation as a 

 fashionable ornament of the garden. 



The treatment of this plant is very similar to 

 that of the potato; it grows freely in any soil; 

 but the poorer the ground is, the smaller the 

 size of the plant, and the earlier and more abun- 

 dant the flowers. 



There are two species of Georgiana, the fertile 

 rayed (g. variabilis), with the rachis of the 

 leaves winged, leaflets ovate, acuminate, serrated, 

 shining, and smooth beneath, outer involucrum 

 inflexed. The barren rayed (g. coccinea), with 

 the rachis of the leaves naked, leaflets ovate, 

 acuminate, serrated, roughish beneath, and the 

 outer involucrum spreading. 



The leading varieties of the fertile rayed art' 

 the purple, rose, pale, white, sulphur, yellow, 

 tawny, copper, brick red, dark red, pomegranate 

 coloured, dark purple, very dark and lilac 

 flowered, single, semi-double and double, with 

 innumerable sub-varieties. 



Of the barren rayed species there are the 

 scarlet, bright scarlet, orange saffron, and yellow 

 flowered, single, semi-double and double, with 

 several sub-varieties. 



Besides these there are the dwarf, anemone- 

 flowered, ranunculus-flowered, and globe-flower- 

 ed. 



A fine dahlia should have the flowers fully 

 double, always filling the centre; the florets 

 should be entire, or nearly so, pointed or rounded, 

 reflexed, and so forming a globular kind, regular 

 in their disposition, each series overlapping the 

 other backwards; they may be either plain or 

 quilled, but never distorted. If instead of being 

 reflexed, the florets are recurved, the flower will 

 be equally symmetrical. The peduncles ought 

 to be sufficiently strong to keep the blossoms 

 erect, and consequently well exposed to view, 

 and long enough to show the flowers free of the 

 leaves. If they are a little pendulous in the 

 latter growing sorts, they will have a more ele- 

 gant appearance. The plant ought to flower 

 early and abundantly, and retain its characters 

 tiU the end of the season. Bright and deep 

 velvety colours are those most admired. 



Georginias are propagated by dividing the 

 roots by grafting, and from seed. 



Cuttings are to be taken from the root shoots in 

 spring, or from the tops of the young shoots early 

 in summer. In the latter case, cut the lower end 

 smoothly off, in the middle of a joint retain- 

 ing the leaves on the top, except such as would 

 be buried with the stem in the earth. They 



