MINIATURE SINGLE DAHLIAS. 
T HE single dahlias, useful as they are for cut-flowers, 
for all floral decorations in the house, as well as for 
border plants, seem to have a hard time in winning popu¬ 
lar favor. It is true that many regard them highly and 
pay due attention to their cultivation ; in fact, the few that 
really appreciate them soon become enthusiasts, and we 
hope through their influence these flowers may become 
generally cultivated. And why should they not be ? they 
are for all practical purposes greatly superior to the dou¬ 
ble forms. Much has been said against them, because in 
many instances their colors do not please. The popular 
taste is for dazzling colors, scarlet, white and yellow, but 
the most attractive colors are the delicate soft hues, the 
mauves, cerises, pinks and the rich margined maroons. 
And this should not be a serious objection to their cultiva¬ 
tion, because there are sufficient varieties with positive 
colors to satisfy any reasonable desire, and the same can 
be purchased at moderate rates. Prominent in this class 
is D. Juarezi, one of the most valuable flowers of recent 
introduction, and it is more desirable, because of its easy 
culture, requiring no different treatment from that given 
to ordinary double dahlias. It is more popularly known 
as the Cactus Dahlia, and it is questionable whether it be¬ 
longs to the single class, where it has been placed by com¬ 
mon consent, although it is by no means a double flower 
in the strict sense of the term. It has a remarkably fine 
form, and its brilliant scarlet color makes it a conspicuous 
object in the garden, and the flowers are very useful in a 
cut state, for filling vases for table decoration. 
D. coccinea is a tall-growing plant, with bright scarlet 
flowers that rarely vary. Nearly related to this and only 
differing in some slight points, is D. Cervantesi , also with 
showy scarlet flowers. 
D. White Queen is one of the best and most useful of 
all plants. The flowers are of the purest white, from 
three to four inches in diameter. The great value of this 
acquisition will be better understood when it is known 
that it resembles the Eucharis amazonica, being similar 
in color, and almost as good in form and substance, 
flowering through the summer and fall months until cut 
down by the frost. 
D. Yellow Gem has clear yellow flowers, extra fine, and 
the plant is a free bloomer. 
D. Painted Lady is a beautiful pink-colored variety; 
of medium growth and a very fine bloomer. 
D. paragon is one of the best; color dark rich velvety- 
maroon, with yellow centre, and a rainbow shade of pur¬ 
ple round the edge of the petals. It grows fully four feet 
high, much branched, and is a prolific bloomer. 
In addition to these is a limited number of varieties 
with miniature flowers, the subjects of our illustration. 
But there are sufficient to form a very good collection, and 
as our florists are devoting special attention to them, the 
number will doubtless rapidly increase, the same as with 
the carnation, the geranium or the gladiolus, 
The most desirable varieties to grow, especially for 
the supply of cut-flowers, are undoubtedly the follow¬ 
ing, being dwarf in growth, very free in flowering, and 
producing flowers of small or medium size, light and 
elegant in appearance and attractively colored : Alma, a 
•very pleasing variety, the flowers below medium size, and 
delicately tinted with mauve on a white ground. Bedding 
Gem, one of the most valuable of its class, being profuse 
in flowering, and bearing small blooms of the most intense 
orange scarlet; they are borne on erect wiry stalks, and 
are not surpassed by any flowers of their color for both 
large and small epergnes and vases. Bronzi well merits 
attention, for it is very free, and the flowers, though 
small in size, are of a brilliant scarlet hue. Buffalo is useful 
for its distinct color, the flowers being of a pleasing shade 
of reddish buff. Fernandaz affords a very desirable com¬ 
bination of color, and should be included in the small¬ 
est collection. The flowers are of medium size, rather 
stout in substance, and bright lemon yellow in the 
centre shading to delicate rose at the tips of the florets. 
For contrasting with the scarlet flowers, those of Fernan¬ 
daz are simply invaluable. This variety has a very pleas¬ 
ing appearance in the garden. Freedom is remarkable for 
the profuse manner in which it blooms and for its effec¬ 
tive coloring. The flowers are rather small, of a rich 
lake color, and are very bright and pleasing when cut and 
associated with other subjects. Glabrata has a dwarf 
habit, is exceptionally free in blooming, and the flowers 
are very small and light in appearance, and of a pleasing 
rose-lilac color, with small centres. 
The raising of dahlias from seed is one of the pleasures 
of gardening, and we cannot understand why the practice 
is not more common, since it is attended with so little 
difficulty in proportion to the success gained. Seed sown 
in a hot-bed, or in pans in the house, will make good 
flowering-plants by August; in fact, they come into flower 
nearly as quick as when the roots are planted out in May. 
The certainty of getting some remarkably fine varieties is 
well balanced by some that are not worth growing, but 
these are easily thrown away, giving the remaining plants 
a better opportunity. To get good seed, some growers 
consider it absolutely necessary to cross-fertilize; we do 
not, however, consider this essential, our experience hav¬ 
ing been that seed saved from good flowers is quite as 
sure to produce good plants without cross-fertilization as 
with it. Certain it is, however, that seed from poor or 
medium flowers should not be saved, and that for seed 
purposes but few flowers should be allowed to go to 
seed : these should be well defined as to form, color or 
markings, and in order to keep the plants true to the sin¬ 
gle form, the seed should be saved at the hottest part of 
the season, early in August being preferable. When the 
nights begin to get cool the plants are more likely to 
begin to assume the double form ; the disks elongate in 
order to protect the infant plant, which they will not do 
in hot weather. It is impossible to keep the double form 
in hot climates, and it is nearly as difficult to retain the 
single forms in cool climates. 
