4 



only five varieties of D. super jlua, viz., Rubra, Pur- 

 purea, Lilaci?ia, Pallida, and Flavescens, besides 

 three varieties of D. Frustranea ; viz., Coccinea, 

 Crocea, and Flava. Probably, when he wrote, he 

 had not obtained any double flowers, though he evi- 

 dently expected such would soon be produced. 



Mons. Otto, as early as 1800, obtained from Dres- 

 den, for the Royal Garden at Berlin, a plant of the 

 D. Pallida of the " Hortus Berolinensis and in 

 1802, a plant of the B. purpurea, of the same work, 

 was sent to him from Madrid ; but he had no new 

 varieties from his own seed till 1806. 



The first introduction of the dahlia into the Royal 

 Gardens at Berlin has been already noticed, as having 

 occurred between 1800 and 1805. Mons. Otto in- 

 formed Mr. Sabine that the chief varieties were raised 

 between 1809 and 1817, but that the first which 

 shewed themselves were produced in 1806 and 1807. 

 About 1813 he began to pay more particular atten- 

 tion to their cultivation, and improved their kinds by 

 cross impregnations of the stigmata of the florets. 

 The first double flower he possesssed came from 

 Stutgard ; but a complete double one of his own 

 flowered in 1809 ; it was dark red, exactly similar to 

 that from Stutgard, but had, at first, blown only 

 semi-double. Three more double ones were raised in 

 1815 and 1816, and he had in 1820 no more than six 

 with double flowers. A pure white single one was given 



