216 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER*. 
progress seems to have been made in their cultivation, and 
it is doubtful whether any attempt had been made to mul¬ 
tiply them from seed, for so long as ten years after their 
first introduction we find Cavanilles distributing to various 
Botanic Gardens in Europe tbe identical three varieties lie 
had first raised. It was not till 1802 that they were sent 
to the Jardins des Plantes, at Paris; and about the same 
time they were also forwarded to M. Decandolle, at Mont¬ 
pellier. The Gardens of Berlin and Dresden seem to have 
had them some time before this, for so early as 1800 we 
have an account of Dahlia rosea being sent from Dresden to 
Berlin. About the period that Cavanilles sent his plants 
to the Jardin des Plantes, at Paris, the illustrious naturalists, 
Humboldt and Bonpland, in descending from the table land 
of Mexico towards the coast of the Pacific Ocean, found the 
Dahlia in a, prairie between Areo and Patzcuaro, at a height 
of nearly five thousand feet above the level of the sea. The 
plants then discovered were transmitted to the Botanic 
Garden at Mexico, and in 1804 transferred to tbe Jardins 
des Plantes, and several other gardens throughout Europe, 
and among them was found the D. coccinea of Cavanilles. 
On its first reception, in 1802, in the Paris Garden, M. 
Andre Thouin, director of that establishment, judging from 
the climate of the country of which the Dahlia is a native, 
had it placed in a stove and treated as a tropical plant. In 
1804 he published an elaborate treatise, illustrated with 
engravings, in the ‘Annales du Museum d’Histoire Natur- 
elle,’ on its culture and management; but from all we can 
discover it was many years after this before any progress 
was made in the production of good double flowers. 
“ Till about this period, the generic name established by 
Cavanilles had been universally adopted by botanists through¬ 
out Europe ; but Professor Wildenow, of Berlin, labouring 
under the impression that the name adopted by Cavanilles 
had been previously applied to another plant by Thunberg, 
he, in the fifth volume of his ‘ Species Plantarum,’ discon¬ 
tinued the name of Dahlia, and substituted that of Georgina, 
which he founded in -honour of Professor Georgi, of St. 
Petersburgh.* For some years this new nomenclature 
was pretty generally followed, particularly in Germany and 
central Europe; and even so recently as in some of the 
writings of Loudon, in our own country, it was preserved; 
but as it was clearly shown that the precedence must be 
given to Cavanilles, the name of Dahlia was again restored, 
and still continues, as in all probability it ever will, to be 
associated with this now justly popular and noble flower. 
“ Several cultivators on the continent, observing the natu¬ 
ral disposition of the Dahlia to sport from its original form, 
began now to direct their attention to raising new varieties, 
and treating it as a florist flower. Many attempts were 
made to procure double flowers, but without success. In 
1806, the gardener at Malmaison forwarded to the gardener 
at St. Cloud all the three varieties which were then known, 
namely, coccinea, purpurea, and croceu. These produced 
seeds, which were sown, but, notwithstanding all the attempts 
which were made year after year, they still remained single. 
In Belgium, however, they were more successful; for we 
learn that in 1812, M. Donkelaar, botanic gardener at 
Louvain, having sown a quantity of seed, raised plants 
which the first year produced ail single flowers. Disap¬ 
pointed, but not discouraged, he from these saved a second 
quantity, which in their turn produced semi-double flowers ; 
and, emboldened with the success which attended this 
second essay, he from the best of these semi-double flowers 
procured a further supply of seed, the produce of which, in 
the following year, presented him with three plants which 
■ bore flowers perfectly double. These were, therefore, the 
| first really double flowers which were ever produced. After 
this there were many varieties raised of all shades and 
depths of colour, and from this time the Dahlia began to 
attract for itself a measure of interest which has gone on 
increasing, and which even at the present day seems to be 
as great and unabating as if it w r ere a plant of the most 
recent introduction, and which was still a novelty in the 
midst of us. 
“ Hitherto, we have been treating of the Dahlia as a plant 
* “In a recent number of the ‘ Revue Horticole,’ a correspondent 
goes a long way out of his road to indulge in a spiteful ebullition against 
‘ les Anglais because they have, as he says, taken the honour from the 
Swedish botanist by changing the name of Itahlia to Geurgina, in honour 
j of one of their Kings—George! ” 
June 23. 
confined exclusively to the continent; it must not, however, 
be inferred from this that it was not known and appreciated 
as soon, and as greatly, in our own country. The first 
account we have of its introduction to this country was 
by the Marchioness of Bute, in 1789, from Madrid, where 
the Marquis was then residing as ambassador from England 
at the court of Spain. It does not appear that the roots 
or seeds, whatever they were, had been duly tended or taken 
care of, for certain it is that it never became generally 
known, or was ever even partially distributed. In all proba¬ 
bility it shared the fate of many hundreds of other plants j 
which at that period were sent home by collectors and 
travellers to Kew Gardens. The space for the continual 
accessions which were taking place was far too limited, and 
the consequence was that a large number of the plants 
perished, either from neglect or too much crowding. The 
same liberal spirit which now exists in that establishment 
did not prevail in those days, by which new plants are dis¬ 
seminated throughout numerous large public and private 
establishments in the country; so that if the original plants 
in the Royal collection should be lost, a fresh supply can 
always be procured from those to whom they had been 
supplied. It was not so at the time of which we are writing, 
and the consequence was, when a plant which was unique 
died, it was entirely lost to the country. Such was the case 
with the Dahlia, for, besides the mere fact of its introduc¬ 
tion, nothing more was known of it till 1804, when seeds 
were again forwarded from Madrid—on this occasion by 
Lady Holland. A plant of the Dahlia coccinea had, how¬ 
ever, been in the country before this, because John Fraser, 
the celebrated traveller, who established a nursery in 
Chelsea, had flowered it in 1803. On the occasion of this 
second introduction, seeds were forwarded to M. Buonaiuti, 
who was at that time librarian to Lord Holland, at Holland 
House, Kensington. This gentleman was successful in 
raising all the three varieties, and as they flowered they 
were illustrated in the leading botanical periodicals of that 
day. Great attention was paid to the cultivation of the 
Dahlia in this country, and with various degrees of success; 
but it is only within the last twenty years that it has been 
brought to that degree of perfection which now constitutes 
it one of the most attractive of our florist flowers.” 
COVENT GARDEN. 
There has been, of late, an unusual display of fine 
Forced Fruit in the market, in consequence of so many 
exhibitions happening about the same time. Many of 
the prize specimens which were produced at Chiswick, 
and the Regent's Park shows, find their way, at last, to 
Covent Garden. Of these, there are splendid specimens 
of Peaches and Nectarines, of large size and finely 
coloured. Grapes, also, of unusual size, and colour, con¬ 
sisting of White and Grizzly Frontignan, Muscat of 
Alexandria, and Black Harnbro’. Strawberries are now 
much more plentiful, and, instead of being sold by the 
ounce, may be had by tbe pottle, or punnet ; we have 
observed some offered at Is. Gd. per pottle. There are 
also beautiful specimens of early Cherries, but not quite 
sufficiently coloured. They are evidently forced, or 
are from a southern district. The sorts are, May Duke, 
Black Tartarian, and a few of the Early Purple Guigne. 
We also observed a few of an early variety, which lias 
been introduced to this country of late years, called 
InduJle. Green Gooseberries are very plentiful, and 
make 4d. per quart. Asparagus is very plentiful, but 
not cheap—anything good cannot be had under 3s. Gd. 
or 4s. per bundle. Early Peas are in, and make Is. per 
pint. Early Potatoes, 8d. per lb., of good quality ; but 
some may be had at 6d. Vegetables are improving last 
