344 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 18, 1907. 
A Few of the Best . . . 
Dahlias 
/ 
The vear 1906 was a trying one for Dah¬ 
lia growers, unless water and labour were 
abundant, therefore it is scarcely surpris¬ 
ing that fewer new varieties than usual 
faced the committees at the various shows 
and meeting?. Enough turned up to 
make the task of selecting the best half- 
dozen a difficult one. and some real.y good 
things were, as usual, among the rejected. 
The modern craze is all for the Cactus 
varieties, and though .a few singles, 
doubles, and Pompons receive certificates 
annually, it cannot be said that any of 
them enjoy real popularity. 
The modern Cactus Dahlia itseif is 
undergoing a great revolution, varieties 
which were regarded .as models of elegance 
a few vears ago now being termed dumpy 
and flat. To win an award now, a variety 
must not only be distinct in colour, and 
possess a long, strong flower stem, but it 
must have real refinement in the petals, 
a long, narrow, slightlv in-curving petal 
marking the standard of excellence to-day. 
To sum the whole matter up in a few 
words, the modern Cactus Dahlia is 
rapidly falling into line with the Japanese 
Chrysanthemum, and even an expert need 
not be ashamed of mistaking either for 
the other at a little distance. All the 
varieties mentioned, below are distinctly 
modern in their attributes, while their 
colours in almost every case are a distinct 
advance. 
As usual, Messrs. Stredwick and Son 
have contributed the bulk of the novelties 
in the Cactus section, and to one of their 
varieties I should be disposed to award 
the palm for the prettiest Dahlia yet ex¬ 
hibited. This is Ruby Grinstead, a 
varietv with large flowers of a delicate 
fawn colour overlaid or flushed with sal¬ 
mon. a chaste and delightful flower. Rev. 
Arthur Hall is another of Stredwick’s. It 
is an unusually large flower, narrow in 
petal, in-curving in form to an unusual 
extent, and of a crimson colour with a 
purplish tinge. This was champion in the 
single bunch class at the Crystal Palace, 
and received a First-class Certificate. 
Messrs. Carter and Co. secured an 
Award of Merit for a variety -which prob- 
ablv has a future, as its colour makes it 
stand clear of all others. This is Ham¬ 
let, a very large flower, with long, straight 
narrow florets of a light crimson shade. 
Carter's had another good one in Daisy 
Staples. This is a smaller flower than 
Hamlet, but exceedingly pretty, being of 
a very attractive pink shade, with many 
narrow petals. Mrs. Reginald Gurney is 
another honoured pink variety* which 
pleased the connoisseurs. It is a massive 
flower. 
Good yellows are, and always seem to 
have been, plentiful, but Messrs. Keynes, 
Williams and Co.'s Cara doc will doubt¬ 
less make a host* of friends. This is a 
very pleasing yellow, of exquisite shape, 
and with the" favourite narrow petals. 
Princess May is a much larger flower, 
quite massive in build, but quite in ac¬ 
cord with modern ideas. It? colour is a 
salmon pink, a very telling shade. This 
was from Hobbies, Ltd. Gazelle is an- 
for 1907- 
other of what one likes to call the “ pretty" 
Dahlias, its colour being described by one 
fair beholder as ‘'too sweet for anything.” 
To attempt to put a colour like this on 
paper were a hopeless task, so I will con¬ 
tent myself by saying that the centre is 
white, with mauve outer petals, the tips 
being curled a little to show the white 
reverse. 
Diavolo is one of the now rapidly be¬ 
coming numerous fancy Cactus varieties. 
It is quite different from anything yet,sent 
out, and will doubtless be popular with 
those who admire this kind of flower. Its 
ground colour is a mixture of vellow-and 
white, being covered with crimson and 
chocolate flakes and spots. This is an¬ 
other of Stredwick's, as is Dr. G. J. Gray, 
the last variety that I need mention. This 
is a really splendid flower, of the most 
pronounced modern type, the florets be¬ 
ing narrow and very numerous. Its colour 
is a crimson scarlet, so vivid in hue as 
to make some varieties hitherto deemed 
bright appear dow'dy. This received 
several awards during 1906, and well de¬ 
served them. 
The above does not set out to be a list 
of all the new Dahlias shown in 1906, nor 
of those which received awards, but it 
contains the cream of what were shown 
at the various London exhibitions through¬ 
out the past year, and all received at least 
one award, while several obtained two 
awards. 
Exhibitor. 
-- 
Good for Aphides. 
Aphides must be getting scarce in Eng¬ 
land, observes an American contemporary. 
We notice that chemicals having a “bene¬ 
ficial effect not only on aphis but on other 
insect pests ” are advised in a gardening 
paper. 
Producing New Races of Plants. 
It has been shown by Prof. G. Klebo, 
of Germany, that remarkable metamor¬ 
phoses' can be produced in plants by arti¬ 
ficial methods of cultivation. From seve¬ 
ral remarkable results obtained by him 
from experiments with Veronica Chamae- 
drvs and other plants he expresses the 
opinion that new races can arise as a re¬ 
sult of changes in external conditions. 
How to Obtain the Highest 
Results in the Garden. 
The development of all plants depends 
upon the amount and quality of the food 
they obtain from the soil. In many cases 
the soil is deficient in one or the other of 
the essential elements of Plant Life. 
FERTILO supplies that deficiency. It 
imparts to the soil those exact properties 
on which the plant thrives and acting as a 
Fertilizer through the soil it strengthens 
and develops all plants. Note its inex¬ 
pensiveness : qlb., 1/4 ; 71b., 2/- ; 141b., 3/-; 
281b., 4/6; 561b., S/-; icwt., 15/-, all car¬ 
riage paid. Useful Pocket Diary, free, — 
J. P. Harvey & Co,, Dept. 6, Kidderminster. 
Chrysanthemums 
< T ? 
C A Manual for Exhibitors and all Growers of 
> the Queen of Autumn Flowers, by 
J R. BARNES, 
\ Price 2»., or Post Free 2s. 2d. 
\ 112 pp.. Bound In Cloth. Illustrated. 
CONTENTS: 
Foreword to Exhibitors. 
The Cutting. 
First Potting and Treatment In Frames. 
Seoond Potting, with Notes on Stopping. 
Final Potting and Summer Quarters. 
Watering and Tying, with Notes on Manuring 
Top-dressing. 
Inseots. Injurious and Otherwise. 
The Prevention of “ Rust ” and other Fungoid 
Pests. 
Inourved Varieties. 
Taking the Buds and Housing the Plants. 
Indoor Treatment. 
Dressing and Exhibiting, with Instructions 
for the safe carriage of Flowers. 
Crowing Plants for Grouping, with notes of 
arrangements. 
Chrysanthemums for Decoration. 
Speoimen Plants. 
Seedlings and Sporta. 
Early-Flowering’ Chrysanthemums for the 
Carden. 
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