556 
GLENNY ON THE DAHLIA 
ITS VARIETIES AND CULTURE. 
The history of the Dahlia and its intro- 
duction have been so hacknied by most writers 
who have attempted to instruct us in its culture, 
that we omit all notice of either, except so far 
as to show that when introduced there were 
but few varieties, and these few all single. 
Of course, among botanists, different colours 
were treated as different species, as is usual 
with every thing that comes from a distance ; 
but when the florists took the plant in hand 
all distinctions were levelled. The gentlemen 
who had been figuring three or four different 
colours as so many different species, were 
startled when the early seedlings in this 
country and in Holland produced varieties far 
more distinct from each other than those 
already figured. No plant ever yielded more 
readily to the florist's art, and with such success 
was it raised from seed in this country that all 
kinds of forms, sizes, colours, heights, and foliage 
might be found in one batch of seedlings, 
saved from the same flowers. As with 
botanists a very trifling difference would 
distinguish between two species, the wide 
distinctions to be found among the hundreds 
raised from seed, appeared like a practical 
satire on the minute descriptions of the 
botanists ; and there were even those who 
condemned the doings of florists, and petu- 
lantly observed that such absurd multiplication 
of the varieties was destructive of the original 
species, and would lead to endless confusion. 
The botanists denounced the double varieties 
as monstrous, and for a time opposed the 
public taste, declaring that in double flowers 
all the botanical distinctions, beautiful as they 
were, would be destroyed. The Dahlia was 
for many years only single, and semi-double, 
but the Dutch florists at length obtained them 
very double, and from these importations 
seedlings were raised in France and in Great 
Britain, (for Ireland and Scotland did their 
