THE 
FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
November 1 , 1841. 
ON THE DAHLIA. 
WITH A PORTRAIT OF THE “CONQUEROR OF THE PLAIN.’ 5 
Though the Dahlia is so easily cultivated, and has now become 
so common, as to be found in every cottage garden, yet it still 
affords scope for the talents of the floriculturist; and though the 
varieties are almost innumerable, new ones are produced in abun¬ 
dance every year ; and among a number of seedlings, if the seed 
is taken from good plants, there are generally beauties, and occa¬ 
sionally very splendid ones. Mr. Edward Spary, of Denford, 
near Hungerford, in Berkshire, has been very successful in grow¬ 
ing choice seedlings. On the two previous seasons, he sent out 
two very fines ones, named “ Beauty of the Plain,” and “Admira¬ 
ble and the variety now figured has been shown, admired, and 
received prizes at many of the open exhibitions, during the present 
season ; among the rest, the grand exhibition of blooms at Salt 
Hill: although from the late period of the season at which that 
show took place, the blooms -were much out of condition, and did 
not show the perfection of their beauty. 
To describe in words the colour, or rather the colours, of this 
splendid Dahlia, is by no means easy, as there are no particular 
names for the finest of the exquisitely blended tints ; but 
Mr. Holding, our artist, who painted the flower from nature, has 
done it so much justice with the pencil, that any attempted addi¬ 
tion with the pen would be unnecessary, and also a failure. 
Mr. Spary describes the plant as of fine habit; of four or five 
VOL. II. NO. XII. 
M M 
