40 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 15, 1894. 
THE CACTUS DAHLIA. 
Both at the Royal Aquarium and the Crystal 
Palace the Cactus Dahlia was seen to great advan¬ 
tage as an exhibition flower. I think they showed 
up best at the Aquarium, though they were not at 
the side of the building where the fullest light could 
fall upon them. Perhaps they seemed all the more 
attractive on account of the stands being more con¬ 
centrated, and they did indeed represent a blaze of 
colour. Straight lines are inevitable in the Aquarium, 
for the building is not adapted to make departures in 
the way of arrangements, as ample space must be 
left for promenading. At the Palace, Mr. W. G- 
Head, having ample space at hiscommand, was able 
to break up his tables into various shapes, the floor 
space beiDg so extensive, but it was done pretty 
much at the expense of bold and striking massing. 
Six fine blooms of a Cactus variety, arranged on an 
appropriate frame in the form of a pyramid, forms a 
large and imposing object; but anyone looking at a 
collection is forced to the conclusion that the Cactus 
Dahlias are shown almost too large in size, for 
they verge on coarseness. I should prefer seeing a 
collection of eighteen varieties of the type ©f 
Cannell’s Gem, a medium sized variety of the true 
Cactus character, and perfect in form. It may be 
said to represent the Pompon element in the Cactus 
Dahlias, and the sooner we get additions to it the 
better. At any rate, that beautiful, clear, soft 
yellow variety, Lady Penzance, is quite large enough, 
and some of the larger flowered varieties, of which 
Gloriosa may be taken as a representative, are large 
to coarseness. 
Two reforms are needed in the Cactus Dahlia — 
one I have already touched upon—that of keeping 
the type as near as possible to Lady Penzance as an 
ideal, the second is to improve the habit of growth 
and the greater freedom of bloom in the varieties. 
There are but few indeed which bloom freely and 
throw their blooms well above the foliage, and until 
this improvement is carried out the Cactus Dahlia 
will be of little value indeed for garden decoration. 
A variety that will give two or three well developed 
blooms only at one time is certainly not free enough 
for garden decoration. I think the best variety, 
bpth in respect of habit and freedom, is Perkins & 
Sons' Matchless, one of the best and most useful 
varieties of last year’s sending out. That conspicuous 
fault in Juarezi, of hiding its few flowers among its 
foliage, has been continued in most of its progeny, 
and we frequently hear gardeners and others saying 
that the Cactus Dahlia is of little value for garden 
decoration ; but as exhibition subjects the varieties 
of the Cactus Dahlia are simply superb, and at a 
Dahlia show the greatest pressure of visitors is found 
about the Cactus types. 
Raisers having done so much to improve the 
character of the flowers, and this work has pro¬ 
ceeded with rapid strides during the past few years, 
must now turn their attention to improvements in 
the habit, for this has become a matter of sheer 
necessity. If this is not done, growers will find the 
Cactus types rapidly declining in the popular favour. 
The popular fancy goes out towards what they 
can themselves grow and enjoy, and so, if they find 
the Cactus Dahlia useful in their gardens for 
decorative and cutting purposes, they will continue 
to cultivate it. This, then, is the lesson set to be 
learned in the future, how to improve the habit of 
the Cactus Dahlia. 
One other fact came out conclusively at the 
Aquarium and Crystal Palace Shows, that judges 
are prone to favour the true Cactus types in prefer¬ 
ence to what is termed the decorative varieties. I 
think that is to be commended. In the Cactus 
varieties we get a distinctive type of Dahlia, but the 
decorative varieties are after all only inferior forms 
of the show and fancy types. Our forefathers threw 
away hundreds such, because the aim of the florist 
in those days was in the direction of obtaining 
symmetrical varieties as double and as finely 
shaped as possible. That was the work the florist 
set himself to perform ; and he rejected everything 
that did not come up to his ideal. The decorative 
varieties have had a good time of it, but it has now 
come to an end, and in the future we shall see but little 
of them as exhibition varieties, though they will still 
be grown in many gardens for cutting from, and for 
general ornamentation. 
A fine selection of eighteen varieties of true Cactus 
Dahlias will be found in the following : Chancellor 
Swayne, bluish plum colour ; Gloriosa, brilliant 
crimson scarlet, when not grown too coarsely ; Lady 
Penzance, pure soft yellow—my model Cactus ; Mrs. 
A. Peart, which I include as a white variety, though 
it has been very disappointing this season, although 
I saw it very fine early; and Matchless, intense rich 
velvety maroon,extra fine in every respect. These are 
all new varieties, sent out this season. Of those sent 
out in 1893, mention must be made of Apollo, crim¬ 
son lake ; Bertha Mawley, crimson cochineal ; 
Countess of Gosford, cinnamon, with citrous centre ; 
Countess of Radnor, bright pinkish salmon, with 
creamy primrose centre; Kaiserin, sulphur yellow 
tinged with lemon ; and May Pictor, bright yellow. 
Of 1892 varieties, Beauty of Eynsford, soft buff 
shaded with velvety chestnut in the centre ; 
Delicata, a distinct and lovely variety, light salmon 
at the base of the petals, gradually shading off to a 
lovely delicate pink; Ernest Canned, soft red, with 
deeper centre ; Kynerith, bright vermilion, with a 
lighter shade at the base of the petals; and Robert 
Cannell, magenta, with a decided bluish tinge to¬ 
wards the tips of the petals. 
Of older varieties, mention may be made of 
Canned's Favourite, bronze or old gold; and Mrs. 
J. Douglas, bright pinkish salmon, quite distinct. 
In the improvement which may be made in the 
habit of the Cactus Dahlias, dwarfness is a needed 
requisite ; and also the flowers displayed on erect- 
stems. In the case of our show Dahlias, the habit 
of growth has been so modified in the direction of 
dwarfuess, that tall growing sorts are now few, and 
some of the show varieties make excellent garden 
types. So there is improvement all round, but, as a 
matter of course, the nearer an ideal perfection is 
reached, the slower is the rate of progress made. 
Good things should be displaced, only by something 
better.— R. D. 
- -- 
SOME LESSONS FROM 
FLOWER SHOWS. 
What are the lessons to be learnt from flower 
shows ? Everyone who has done much frequenting 
of these exhibitions has some time or other asked 
himself this question. The difficulty is to find a 
c ear and definite answer; indeed, this difficulty is 
so great to some that they have almost given it up 
or decided that there is no answer. There is one 
though, and the answer which most thoughtful 
people will give — and it is a real one—is that, looked 
at in a right spirit, the lessons are largely educa¬ 
tional. They teach lessons in beauty and taste and 
experience by the practical excellences of cultivation, 
and by the skilful way those excellences are pre¬ 
sented. The great thing is, how to crystallise or 
solidify the ideas formed by what is seen, and then, 
how to reduce those solidified ideas into our own 
practice. How to get the most out of what we see, 
even when most visionary. 
Take the ideas with respect to taste or beauty, as 
shown in the different plant classes, whether as 
groups of plants set up to show pleasantness and 
harmony of arrangement, or as specimens of 
individual merit. If we follow the judgment of 
these various exhibits, we often find ourselves rather 
puzzled to account for the respective disposition of 
them as first, second, third, etc. Nay, many times 
we are tempted to wonder why the first is first, and 
not the second first, and so on ; but then, we know 
there must be a reason if we look for it calmly and 
without prejudice, and we do know that the judges 
are men of intelligence and experience, and men of 
honourable standing. They must have these 
qualities, or they would not be selected for the 
arduous and responsible office of judge, and, when 
we have gone into the matter and made a close 
examination of the exhibits, we find that our first 
judgment is wrong and the decision of the judges is 
right. 
One of the most notable and recent of these 
puzzles I have in my mind, and which many people 
were perplexed by, including many gardeners, 
occurred at the great show at Shrewsbury last month. 
The groups of plants were set up by Edmonds, of 
Bestwood, Notts; Cypher, of Cheltenham ; Wright, 
of Oswestry ; and Jones, of Shrewsbury ; and they 
were placed first, second, third, and fourth as they 
are set down here. But nine out of ever}' ten 
people who saw them would inevitably and at once 
say, " Oh ! how is this ? The second should 
undoubtedly be first ! ” Well! perhaps so, but a 
closer examination would show that the competition 
was uncommonly fine and close, including many 
delicate points, and presumably the decision turned 
upon some technical point or points not apparent to 
the superficial observer; and further, when it was 
known that Outram, of London ; Ranger, of Liver¬ 
pool ; and Chapman, of Hawkesyard Park Gardens, 
Rugeley, were the judges, everybody would conclude 
that it was so. 
The puzzle was to discover those technical points, 
and draw out the educational lesson of beauty and 
taste there given. Having seen many flower shows, 
great and small, I have at last come to the con¬ 
clusion that I get the greatest satisfaction and enjoy¬ 
ment by not being too critical, not going into all the 
niceties of a show, and sitting in judgment on every¬ 
thing, but to quietly look round, and let the spirit of 
the show soak unconsciously into me. I find that I 
come away with lessons within me which do not 
shew themselves in a plethoric note book, but which 
none the less are there and which work themselves 
out in my own duties in after days. Mind, I do not 
say this to dissuade any from taking notes, by no 
means ; nay, I would rather urge upon the young 
gardener to do this, and do it well, too, but, (and 
this is a large " but ”) let him discriminate and only 
make notes of those things which are notable, and of 
things specially which lie along the line of his daily 
duties and his requirements. 
In this way he will get together much information 
which will be of real service to him, whereas, if he 
puts down in a sense everything he sees he will get 
his note-book crammed full of crude, imperfect 
matters, which will be of no practical use to him 
whatever in his work. I am writing from experience 
now, as this was an error of my youthful days, and 
it was not till I got a warning from one of the best 
of our craft that I gave the practice up much, to my 
comfort, and equally so to my professional gain. 
One of the lessons of shows to me is not to 
gormandise—if I may so use the word—but to feed 
lightly upon it, to " tak it aisy." Our receptivity is 
limited, like one’s stomach, and if we go on feeding 
after being full, we know that a fit of indigestion will 
be our portion, so it is with sight-seeing, and yet 
often we go on staring at first one thing and then 
another until we are thoroughly satiated and weary. 
The best way, in my opinion, is first to make a 
general survey of the entire show, and then take 
those portions in detail with which we are most con¬ 
cerned. One man is a plantsman, another a fruit- 
man, another a flower man of some section or other, 
another a vegetable man. Let each take his 
speciality, and then if be feels he has not had 
enough go on to other things. He will, however, be 
well advised if he breaks these duties by some of the 
lighter adjuncts of the show, as the music, or the 
games, or the fun ; and as these are provided of the 
best at the large shows, as at York and Shrewsbury, 
his day’s profit and enjoyment will be considerably 
increased thereby. 
I have put down in desultory fashion one or two 
of the lessons learnt at flower shows; others may 
add to them to our mutual benefit. I say again 
there are lessons to be learnt from flower shows, 
how to get them out best is the great question.— X. 
ELVETHAM PARK. 
Early in August I had the pleasure of visiting 
this fine establishment, which lies close to Winch- 
field, North Hants. The mansion,—a fine ornamental 
structure, built in the the modern style of archi¬ 
tecture,—stands in a well-wooded park, and is distant 
about two miles from Winchfield railway station. 
Its walls are prettily covered with many fine 
climbers, which add much to its beauty. The front 
of the mansion commands a full view of the flower- 
garden, which is of geometrical design, although the 
beds are far more simple in outline than is usually 
the case in gardens of this kind. In the centre of 
the garden stands a fine specimen of Magnolia 
purpurea. This splendid plant covers a good deal 
of space, is in robust health, and when in bloom 
must present a truly magnificent appearance. Its 
branches reach right to the ground and are thickly 
clothed with large healthy leaves. I never remember 
seeing so grand a specimen of this beautiful 
Magnolia in any ether of the gardens I have 
visited. 
