452 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



side of the circle, with an edging of dwarf asters or nasturtiums. ' The roots- 

 should be dug up and placed in a box and covered with sand, after the foli- 

 age has been killed by frost, and they will winter safely in a frost-proof 

 cellar ; but some of them are so hardy that they will winter with only a pro- 

 tection of leaves in the gardens of the middle and southwestern States. 



The Dahlia's History. — The Scottish Agricultural Gazette gives the 

 following history of the dahlia: The gorgeous dahlias which so brilliantly 

 ornament the gardens at this time, and are so effectively used in decorations, 

 are of Mexican origin. They were first introduced into Germany by Dahl; 

 their name was then " ' bidens magnifica. " Afterwards they were called 

 dahlias, in honor of the man who found them. They were, when discovered, 

 quite single, having only one ray of petals about a golden disc. The colors 

 were scarlet, yellow, and white — the latter being distinct from the others, 

 having smaller flowers and being of a dwarf habit, with leaves much divided 

 and fern-like in character. The English were the first to attempt the 

 doubling of the dahlia, which was prized by royalty, and so jealously guarded 

 that those in charge of them were sworn to secrecy as to their cultivation. 

 It was considered a great privilege even to see them growing. In a few 

 years semi-double flowers appeared, and ultimately the perfect double dahlia 

 was obtained, which sold for five guineas a plant. One grower netted $130,- 

 000 in two years. 



The Tuberose. — Josiah Hoopes contributed the following notes to the 

 New York Tribune : The tuberose was first grown extensively in the vicinity 

 of our large Northern cities, but in view of the longer seasons and warmer 

 atmpsphere of the South, thousands of bulbs have been cultivated there and 

 shipped to Northern markets. It is questionable, however, whether such 

 bulbs are intrinsically better ; some dealers claim they are inclined to be 

 spongy and imperfect, although of larger size. American bulbs for a time 

 almost drove the Italian-grown article out of the English market, the former 

 affording a larger percentage of bloom, but now that they are succeeding so 

 well in Africa, our foreign trade in bulbs has a tendency to suffer in conse- 

 quence. 



The tuberose delights in a deep, rich, light soil, with a southern exposure 

 to lengthen the season as much as possible at the North. The occasional 

 early frosts of autumn frequently destroy the flower-buds, or the bloom 

 before it arrives at maturity ; hence any assistance we can render our plants 

 to hasten the flowering season is a great point gained. This is partially 

 accomplished by potting the bulbs and slightly forcing them before planting 

 in the open ground, a measure feasible in a limited way, but rather expen- 

 sive for culture on a large scale. Such plants, it is thought, are rendered 

 weakly, and do not, as a rule, yield so large a percentage of bloom as those 

 grown in the usual way. Beginning with the small bulblet or offset, it takes 

 about two seasons to form a first-class or flowering bulb — the third summer 

 usually finds it in perfection, after which it deteriorates somewhat after the 

 manner of many bulbous plants, as, for instance, the hyacinth. 



It seems to be pretty generally conceived that the tuberose will bloom but 

 once. This is certainly erroneous, as I have tested bulbs with special care 

 to ascertain their capacity to bloom continuously for a succession of years, 

 and the spikes were produced regularly. However, a marked diminution in 

 quality was plainly perceptible. 



