8 



does not contain at least a few good dahlias, and 

 many possess plants of first-rate sorts. (Paxton on 

 the Dahlia, 9.) 



In taking a retrospective view of the dahlia fancy, 

 it is pleasing to remark the gradual improvement of 

 this autumnal favourite up to the present time. This 

 improvement is annually progressing towards greater 

 perfection ; for, of late years, many of the finest va- 

 rieties have been introduced ; and it is notorious that 

 an established fine seedling, at the present time, will 

 command a higher price than at any previous period. 

 To mark the progress of the dahlia, the stand that 

 obtained the ,£20 prize for the best twenty-four 

 blooms at the Cambridge Dahlia Show in 1840, con- 

 tained only one variety that was shown in the first 

 stand of the same number of blooms at the Metropo- 

 litan Exhibition of 1846, a brief period of six years. 

 That variety was Springfield Rival, a flower of 13 or 

 14 years' standing. Both stands were grown by Mr. 

 Turner. The former was considered to be the best 

 that has been produced up to that time, and the 

 latter was certainly the best twenty-four he had 

 shown during 1846. At Cambridge, Unique was 

 what is termed the " bloom of the exhibition Pe- 

 nelope, Amato, Hope, Conservative, Maid of Bath, 

 and many other flowers now out of date, were stars 

 in that superior stand. 



The publications which have hitherto appeared on 



