MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 43 
row, long and flat or broad and rounded, not noticeably 
twisted or curled. 
5. Cactus.—A fluted type with double flowers; floral rays 
long, narrow, incurved or twisted, with sharp divided or 
fluted points and with rolled-back margins forming in the 
outer florets a more or less perfect tube for more than half 
the length of the ray. 
6. Decorative-—Double flowers flat, having broad, some- 
what loosely arranged floral rays with broad or rounded tips 
which are straight or decurved, and with margins revolute 
if rolled at all. 
_ 7. Show.—Double flowers globular, full to center, show- 
ing regular spiral arrangement of florets; floral rays more or 
less quilled with markedly involute margins and rounded 
tips. 
8. Peony-flowered. —Semi-double flowers with open 
centers, the inner floral rays being usually curled or twisted, 
the other or outer petals being either flat or more or less 
irregular. 
9. Pompon.—Small-flowered, stellate, five-petaled cactus 
dahlias. 
10. Tom Thumb.—Dwarf, bushy, single-flowered dahlias. 
CULTURE 
The simplicity of its culture, adaptability to soils, and 
production of numerous flowers make the dahlia a general 
favorite in climates where atmospheric conditions are mod- 
erate. The plant is a perennial but tender to frost, so that 
it is necessary to lift the roots in the fall, store them durin 
the winter, and plant out in the spring. The planting o 
entire clumps sometimes leads to failure in producing 
flowers, the strength of the plant being —_ in foliage 
growth. It is therefore advisable to divide the old clumps, 
using but a single tuber. As this tuber should contain a 
art of the collar of the plant where the new buds occur, 
it is best to wait until buds develop before planting. 
The division of the clumps is the most common manner 
of propagation, but the commercial method is by means 
of soft-wood cuttings. For this pu the clumps are 
removed from storage in February or ch and placed upon 
a greenhouse bench where they are covered with sand or 
sphagnum moss and kept at a temperature of 60° F. As 
soon as buds start water should be applied in copious quan- 
tities. When the shoots show two to three leaves they are 
