396 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



PEONY FLOWERED DAHLIA "DUKE 

 HENRY.'' 



two to three days in perfect condition 



hut if you should wish to send dahlia 

 Mowers to your friends at quite some 

 distance away and they should arrive 

 in wilted condition advise them to 

 place the stems of the flowers imme- 

 diately into boiling hot water and they 

 will quickly revive and be just as 

 fresh as they appeared the time they 

 left you. 



The taking up of the dahlia roots 

 should not take place until severe frost 

 has killed every particle of foliage 

 right to the ground. When this occurs 

 one or two days should be given for 

 the sap of the plant to return to the 

 bulb. 



Then the stalks of the plant should 

 be cut back to within six inches of 

 the ground. The roots should be care- 

 fully lifted as they often take up a 

 space of fully two feet and mure. A 

 fork is best used and the ground 

 should be loosened before you try to 

 lift the roots. The lifting of the roots 

 should take place only on a bright 

 sunny day and during the sunny hours 

 when the temperature is highest. Af- 

 ter the roots are lifted they are placed 

 up side down on the ground until the 

 soil around them seems to be dry. 



Do not shake any soil off the roots 

 1ml allow any part of it to remain 

 around the bulb. Then before sun- 

 down place all your roots in a cool 



dry cellar, spread them out and let 

 them dry thoroughly. 



When this has been accomplished 

 which usually takes from a week to 

 ten days they can either be placed in 

 boxes or left on the floor provided this 

 is dry and covered up with newspa- 

 pers. One condition is essential and 

 that is the temperature should not 

 fall below forty and not rise above 



50°. 



It may be necessary from time to 

 time to look at the roots and see that 

 no decaying takes place. If any parts 

 show that they are decaying they 

 should be immediately removed and 

 the freshly cut parts should be well 

 coated with air-slaked lime. If on the 

 other hand the roots begin to dry it 

 will not do any harm, in fact it will 

 benefit them considerable by sprink- 

 ling the newspaper above them thor- 

 oughly with water, also to sprinkle 

 the floor upon which they are lying. 



Towards March first the roots should 

 be carefully moistened so as to produce 

 the eyes to start. The separating of 

 the bulbs could take place April 15th 

 when they may be treated the same 



SINGLE DAHLIAS. 

 The first type in existence. 



