CpLTIVATION OF THE DAHLIA. %%() 



plunged to their rims in a bed of dung, which had nearly 

 lost its heat, having been made two months. A dozen 

 plants soon came up; and on the fiist of June, being about 

 5 inches high, as well as very stiff, from throwing dow.i the 

 glasses in the day time, were transplanted into separate pot3 

 Of 2£ inches diameter. In these they continued three 

 weeks, when two of the strongest were removed without 

 breaking any of their fibres into large pots of very rich 

 mould, with the intention of following Monsieur Thouin's 

 directions minutely; tive of them into pots one size larger, 

 of very rich mould, and tive of them into pots one size larger, 

 of poor sandy mould. All these plants were twice more 

 transplanted into somewhat larger pots before the 10th of 

 August, by which time the two largest were 4 feet high, and 

 theothersnotmuch shorter, though less branched. They were 

 now all removed from the hot-bed frame, having been ex- 

 posed to the open air both night and day the last month ; 

 the two largest into a border of rich earth, but the rest 

 plunged as they stood in the pots, in various parts of the 

 garden, near the walls, but only in west and east aspects, 

 that to the south being entirely filled with other plants. 

 Their stems and branches, as they advanced, were carefully 

 secured from being broken by the winds, and they were 

 supplied with water, whenever their leaves flagged. They F ] ovm . in< , 

 all grew rapidly in August and September, but I despaired 

 of seeing any flowers till the middle of the latter month, 

 when almost every branch terminated in a flower, the first 

 of which opened the 7th of October. Soon after others 

 came out; but what is well worthy of attention, the two 

 largest plants, which had been nourished the most luxuri- 

 ously, though placed in the warmest corner, were the 

 latest in showing flowers. One of these, which had at- 

 tained to twelve feet in height, did not expand its first flower 

 tili the 2Qth of October, producing however a plentiful suc- 

 cession till the beginning of December; in the first week of 

 which a violent storm of wind and rain nearly put a stop to 

 its vegetation. All the plants ripeued seeds more or less, 

 and were suffered to remain in the ground with their decay- 

 ing stems uncut, till a frost came, which was severe enough 

 to freeze the borders an inch deep. The morning after, 



t^ose 



