MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 145 
mother bulbs with the bulblets are set out in rows four inches 
apart and eight inches between the rows, and covered with 
three inches of soil. Later these beds are mulched with 
straw to a depth of three to five inches for winter protection, 
the mulch being removed in the spring. At the time of 
harvest in July the old bulb will have rotted off and the 
_ new bulbs are then taken up and dried. These are grown 
in beds and taken up every year for five or six years until. 
bulbs of marketable size are obtained. The method of 
Saree 2 produces fewer but larger bulblets and reduces the 
time of maturity to three to five years. The process con- 
sists of making four cross cuts across the base of the bulb 
about one-third the way through. This kills the growing 
point and produces the same result as the scooping. The 
treatment thereafter is similar to the scooping except that 
some growers prefer to bury the scored bulbs in trenches for 
six weeks before taking them to the propagating sheds. 
The bulbs and corms which produce an abundance of 
offsets are simply taken up each year and the offsets allowed 
to develop. The time required to reach maturity is much 
shorter than with the hyacinths, varying from one to three 
years. In this connection it is necessary to note the repro- 
duction of corms. During the season a new corm grows 
above the old one and at the base the cormlets are produced. 
At the same time two kinds of roots are noticed coming from 
the base of the new corm, the feeding and the thicker, ringed 
roots. The latter push deeper into the soil than the feed- 
ing roots and then contract, thus bringing the new corm to 
the same level as the old one. 
The tubers and rhizomes are propagated by means of 
division, the clumps of “roots” being cut into sections bear- 
ing at least one bud. These divisions are planted out in the 
Ge and the roots are readily developed in a warm soil. 
f greenhouse facilities are available the cannas may 
started in sand, and as soon as the roots are formed, potted, 
and grown until ready to be set outdoors. Under the same 
conditions dahlias are propagated by means of soft cuttings, 
two to three inches long, which are taken from the old 
shoots and rooted in propagating benches. The dahlia, un- 
like the potato, has no other buds than the one at the point 
of connection between the tuber and the old stem, and has 
not the function of producin adventitious buds, so that care 
should be taken to include the bud with the tuber in divid- 
ing old plants. The crowns or pips are propagated by sep- 
arating the offsets from the main plant, each offset formin 
a new plant. This is generally done in the spring, althou 
it may be done in the fall, as the lily-of-the-valley is hardy. 
