The Cactus Dahlia.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXI, Issue 8959, 7 December 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Cactus Dahlia.

(Xe-.v York Sun.)

I'll.- lengthening sojourn of men of v.-ilth a: llivir country homes has made ;ii" .(utiiTrni flowers more important tIs;i11 lii'-v used to lie. It was in part this cirritmstanc • that ltd s'.ni" years ago to the iii!t of tin- iiiry.-9.tnc}<• mum—;i cult that the owners ol country homes thousands ol dollars.

Itaik' '<! wealthy growers lias of recent yc.iii.-i turned toward ihc- dahlia, ami tii.it il'jwrr i., just now attracting the attei.tion ! (ii" the. chrysanthemum i-n----j'.yi >l.

"I here is always a gamble al>out raising d.thii.-.5." I,i ormrd liarron, the American ;iwihor;ty on tiie subject, told a »Suii re"•because there is no telling how nun h enjoyment will be had out ol them. "Xo matter what degree of care may h.we been taker: -.v:th tliem or how much Money may I i uii spent, the dahlia lades with the iirs; nip of whiter frost." Nevertheless more Americans of wealth ■ r " growing dahlias every year. Theodore Navemeyer, who began some time ago to devote his time and money to these flowers. has produced beautiful blooms in his gardens at Hempstead. .Mrs G. S. Hubbard at her country home, 'Twin Oaks, near Washington, wins prizes with the wonderlid exhibits that her gardener sends to the autumn [lower shows, and Charles .Stewart •Smith has been one of the most successful exhibitors this fall, sending beautiful specimens from his .Stamford home. Among amateur growers none is more successfiil than K. I). Adams, whoso home is at .Seabright. I here has been .1 noticeable tendency this year to return to the color form of the flower as the favorite, although it is with the cactus dahlia that the. novelties are possible. The cactus dahlia has been known to growers much longer than amateurs suppose. These dahlias were grown in England as early as 18S0 and had been sent from Mexico to Holland eight years before. Hie roots were named in "honor of President Juarez: of .Mexico, and these early plants were called after him. It was from this Mexican root that all the fancy dahlia.s grown to day were developed. The pompom dahlia, which is the kind most ordinarily seen in gardens, came firstfrom Germany, where .1 Baden florist succeeded in getting a double type from the ordinary red dahlia. These are the smallest of the commercial dahlias. They are most popular with those possessing gardens who do not make a cult of the flower, but grow it simply for decorative purposes.

The show dahlia is the form of tho (lower that corresponds most closely to the ordinary conception of the dahlia.

Varieties in color and form must be madi» as often as possible, else tho interestr'f tilt- cultivation wanes and the public inses interest. Xow that the vogue of the cactus dahlia has begun to decline the professional growers are seeking a novelty to replace it, and such .1 flower will probably bt? on the market- next year. The type which will probably next enjoy a. vogue made its first appearance several v.ars ago in the Grand Dtiko Michael. It h?.-> been exhibited in its fullest form in tho dahlia known as the Mrs Roosevelt.

This was grown by a professional gardener who has not yet put his flower on tho market, but will by next year have roots enough to sell. It is a large pink dahlia, with petals larger than the ordinary ami turning toward the centre in cuplike form. The pale pink and white pe-t-i!s are beautiful in tint and contrast. It is along these lines that- the future development of the dahlia will probably come. 'Hie taste of collectors and growers wiil probably not be either for the cactus or the show dahlia, but for the plant that shows the qualities of both just as the now Mrs Roosevelt does.

In spite of the great increase in the cultivation of the dahlia, most of the r.ovfities come from Europe. In order to become popular here a novelty must be notonly new. but also better than the forms ETOwn here. American cultivators, whether they ore professional or amateur, are not so insatiable for novelty as to be satsslied with novelty and nothing more.