78 
BOTANICAL. INDEX. 
presents itself to the world as the unattained king of colors, and promises it to he in- 
exhaustible in producing an acceptable mixture of. colors, or a contrast of two or 
more, (Fancy Dahlias,) for instance: rosy, with a bordered, clean white center, or 
vice versa; purple, with a rose center, figured, with a white center, or large white 
points; fiery scarlet, with gold-yellow points, pinkish, etc.; also ground color, with 
one or more colors, innumerably sprinkled, punctured, striped, handed, etc. As in' 
the great quantities of its colors, the Dahlia was also, by the thoughtful growers, 
perfected to many forms of flowers, and differed from the original fiat shape in the 
form of the flower-head, in order to make a division ground of the form and position 
of the only bloom, as 
in scale, ball, pyra- 
mid, rose, turban, 
chrsyanthemurn, as- 
ter, ranunculus, 
pearl, pinnacle, reed, 
cell and shell forms, 
etc., and rebind the 
same again, as for 
instance, in reed- 
scale forms, shell-ball 
and cell-pyramid 
forms, etc. Many 
of the flower sorts 
of these shapes have 
the appearance of be- 
ing finished by an 
artist, the flower 
leaves being pointed, 
slit, turned, folded 
over one another, 
reeded, arched, bent 
smooth forward or 
backwards, rounded 
with the greatest har- 
mony, and it was in 
vain that the least 
unevenness of the 
growing of the flower 
could be found. Al- 
though not all of the 
finest forms give an 
abundance of seeds; 
still to produce other 
varieties of merit, on- 
ly the seed of the 
choicest and most 
perfect sorts will 
produce favorable re- 
sults. The seed while 
ripening must be 
protected from the 
cold by from 1 to 2 
degrees, Reaumur, 
and if planted imme- 
diately when ripe in 
a moderate situation 
will germinate about 
the end of March. 
After the young shoot 
becomes well estab- 
FIO.20G. Pompons, Dahlia. Rshed they Should 
have plenty of air, and about the middle of May should be planted in the free 
ground as deep as possible. They can also he raised easily, and with profit, in 
pots. Garden grown plants can be set out at the beginning of May, and pot 
grown plants, rooted shoots and seedlings, by the middle of May, when there 
is no danger of frost. They must be planted free about 5 centimeters deep, and 
after planting, if it does not rain, must be watered occasionally. During the time of 
blooming the ground can, when absolutely needed, be wet, but never wet the flow- 
