The Florida agriculturist., 1907-11-06
A Floral Miracle.

OnQer II11S llIlG Tic TA111C11Nd1 l. dA Ill
er tells of the production OF an i'm
proved variety Of the Cactus Dahlia
The writer is evidently not very well
posted as to flowers, he speaks as
though the Cactus Dahlia was new
thing, when it has been. offered by
florists for several years. Probably
the new variety is an Improvement On
anv which were in existence before
still they were we'll worth cultlvatlng
all the time.
Great are the achievements OF the
Horticulture experiments. things
beautiful are made still more, beauti-
ful and un1ove1y things are deprived
of their ugliness. Burbank takes the
cactus in hand with its prickly leaves
and forbidding thorns. The wand Of
genius touches the plant and behold a
Transformation excelling the utmost
achievement of Aladdin The thorns
have disappeared, the harshness is all
gone and we see before us a plant not
only harmless but useful. A Chicago
florist, completely reversing the pro
cess, puts thorns on the gentle dahl1a
They are not stiff and singing, how
ever, and that would be calamity in
stead of improvement. The petals
have simply been transformed into
floral needles which in general appear
ance, with the exception of the rich
co1oring, bear a striking resemblance
to the thorns of the desert plant
Thus the cactus dahlia emerges as the
latest floral wonder, a witness extra
ordinary of what can be done by man
operating along the lines of evolution
ary science.
This floral miracle was evolved
through elaborate culture processes
at the Vaughan hothouses in Western
Springs and is at present on view at
the Randolph street store Of the firm
in Chicago. 1t has been grown in three
principal colors-yellow, scarlet and
pale pink. It may be seen at the
flower show, which will occur at the
Coliseum in November, and will GER
tainly receive "esthetic homage" from
all flower lovers who attend the exhi-
bition. The fluffy chrysanthemum and
other old-time favorites will have to
take back seats in presence Of this
new flower queen, certainly until the
novelty wears off. Even the peerless
American Beauty rose and all her love
ly sisters will have to step aside while
the cactus dahlia passes with her won
drous new equipment of needles. The
band will play Hail to the Chief," the
ushers will box obsequiously and the
chorus will sing hosannas in praise Of
the new wonder that attests the ST.
preme achievement of experimental
genius. By all means Burbank should
be invited to come and bring his de-
thorned cactus to be placed beside it's
more civilized sister. Then it may be
explained how the needles taken away
from the cactus have been trans
ferred to the dahlia without their
sting and offensive qualities. The oc-
casion will be one of wonderful inter-
est, not simply for flower lovers or
the general multitude, but for all
scientists and others interested in
these famous illustrations of the truth
Of Darwin's theory as set forth in his
epoch-making book on the "Origin of
Species" In this publication, which
was the greatest achievement of the
nineteenth century and most far
raching in its results, was for the
first time unfolded one of the most in
teresting secrets of nature. It ex-
planned elaborately the processes by
which an original type, either anima'
or vegetable, was differentiated into
species. The operations were all un-
der the natural law and long periods,