CHAPTER VI 



BREEDING 



THERE never was a lover of dahlias who 

 sooner or later did not "try his luck" in the 

 production of a new seedhng. Most of it is 

 haphazard work — just saving a seed pod — and 

 if one plant produces a fairly good bloom, lo! 

 another goose becomes a swan ! 



There are more than five thousand named 

 varieties known to be on the market and oflB- 

 cially listed by the American Dahlia Society — 

 and they have not stopped counting yet! Many 

 varieties are as alike as twins and some so in- 

 ferior that they should not be allowed to con- 

 tinue. Some varieties are sold under two or 

 three names, and sometimes the same name is 

 given to two or three varieties. 



Nevertheless, dahlia breeding should go on, 

 but it should be done intelligently and the 

 standard looked to should be high — our patience 

 should be as great as our ambition. It takes 

 years to produce the fine variety which some 

 people think they can produce in a few months. 



61 



