DESCRIPTIVE FLOWER LISTS. — THE DAHLIA. 
79 
the ground must be trenched, and all the roots 
regularly grubbed up ; nor must this part of the 
business be neglected, for the ground must be 
freed entirely from all these roots and bits of 
roots. 
DESCRIPTIVE FLOWER LISTS. 
THE DAHLIA. 
Few plants came more rapidly into notice, 
when once fairly introduced, than the Dahlia, 
and, like all subjects which attain great popu- 
larity, it was the cause of great emulation, and 
soon afterwards of great excess. The intro- 
duction of double varieties from Holland and 
France created an enthusiasm rarely equalled. 
To be first in the attainment of a new variety 
was a sort of triumph aimed at by many; and 
so great was the thirst for extensive collec- 
tions, that, like the roses, the smallest con- 
ceivable difference was enough to call for a 
new- named sort to add to the catalogues. 
The raisers and dealers travelled far and near 
after novelty. A degenerate race of flowers 
sprung up, and the sole object appeared to be 
to make an extensive catalogue. It was not 
uncommon, in these comparatively early days, 
to find a batch of seedlings, of which not one 
was double ; and here and there were found, 
especially in Ireland, France, and Holland, 
flowers of the anemone form, others with a 
larger than average number of petals, and they 
much narrower than usual ; the former were 
called Anemone Flora, the latter China- aster 
Flora ; and various were the changes rung 
upon names even in these two monstrous 
families. Then there were globe-shaped 
flowers, which were sought after with great 
avidity ; and nobody in the trade thought of 
putting a less sum than half-a-guinea as the 
price of a novelty. There, were at that time 
a great number of persons whose ambition it 
was to boast of the largest collection — a kind 
of customer very useful to the trade. All at 
once showing for prizes became a fashion: it 
commenced in London by some one giving a 
silver cup for the best twelve blooms that 
should be exhibited at Billingsgate, a loca- 
lity easily accounted for by the fact of Mr. 
Goldham, the clerk of that market, being an 
old and influential florist, — and having esta- 
blished a society, called the Friendly Society 
of Florists, at that place, which Society 
comprised about twenty of the most suc- 
cessful amateur and professed cultivators; 
and as soon as the meeting was announced, the 
rooms of that Society were suggested as a 
fitting place for the proposed show of Dahlias. 
There is no doubt that show alone made many 
persons commence growing the flower ; and 
after the dinner, which was usual on such occa- 
sions, a rough outline of rules and regulations 
for a new Society were drawn up ; and then, 
shortly alter, there was a show at Hammer- 
smith, at which the prizes were silver medals, 
on which the inscription was, "The Metro- 
politan Society of Florists and Amateurs, 
established 1832." The gardens may be said 
to have at that time been overrun with Dahlias 
of every form and fashion. If there be any- 
thing in the doctrine of morphology, that 
flowers are malformed leaves, there could not 
be a more whimsical family of leaves in culti- 
vation ; for the noble flower of the Dahlia, 
which, in the best varieties, had not half 
reached perfection, had been frittered down to 
a weed, and a very untidy weed too. At this 
period but little had been said of what consti- 
tuted a good Dahlia ; catalogues were prepar- 
ing with the usual, or a much larger than 
usual, assortment of Anemone Floras, China- 
aster Floras, and globe-flowered kinds; but the 
Metropolitan Society did the first serious mis- 
chief to them, by deciding that those kinds 
were not to be shown for prizes, and publish- 
ing the description of the properties which 
constituted perfection. Here was an end to 
the monster family ; most growers discarded 
them altogether ; few, if any, bought any 
more; and the dealers, who depended on the 
usual call for novelties, were sadly disap- 
pointed. The consequence was, that all who 
raised seedlings had some guide for their 
selection ; a general improvement was soon 
perceived, and has been progressing ever 
since ; one of the necessary consequences of 
showing the florist what he is to strive for; 
not that he has an opportunity every season 
of bettering his collection, but that he has the 
means of knowing how to avoid adding new 
flowers that are worse. The trade, even at 
this period, encouraged by the rage for new 
varieties, still greedily purchased any novelty 
of which any taking description could be 
given. So anxious were they to grasp at every- 
thing, that anxious novelty-hunters were 
trying to supersede each other in the pur- 
chase of a flower without the slightest know- 
ledge of the parties who had raised it ; and 
nine times out of ten they retailed all the 
alleged good qualities of their newly-acquired 
treasure, got it talked of pretty generally, made 
the Dahlia fanciers mad after it, and sold in large 
quantities new kinds, which turned out good 
for nothing. The increase of the exhibitions 
did much towards correcting a bad taste, and 
preventing a good deal of this blind work of 
both dealers and amateurs; but it damped the 
ardour of many when they found, annually, 
that the greater portion of the new flowers 
were totally useless ; and those who had done 
most business incurred the greatest displea- 
sure, and eventually found it necessary to 
