674 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



Disbudding and Forcing the Dahlia for Exhibition 



MANY amateurs desire the largest and finest quality 

 Dahlia blossoms obtainable, so the following may 

 prove of value to both amateurs and professionals. 



To obtain the largest and most perfect flowers, only 

 the best and largest buds should be allowed to mature ; 

 the others should be removed, enabling the full strength 

 to develop the most promising buds into exhibition 

 blooms. 



Some varieties of Dahlias require thinning and disbud- 

 ding, to produce the best flowers. X'arieties having an 

 excessive amount of foliage and small growth should 

 have a considerable part of their branches removed, while 

 those having more buds than can be properly developed 

 or matured should be disbudded. The operation in no 

 way endangers the plants and any one can do it. Thin 

 and disbud :f necessary, moderately or severely as con- 

 ditions seem to require. 



Taking a budded stalk or branch, you will find the 

 large or first bud on the stalk, and also, that at each leaf 

 all the way down the stalk, new shoots or bud stalks 

 form : these in turn produce buds and flowering stalks, 

 which overtop the first bud. The first bud on every stalk 

 is always the largest and produces the largest and best 

 flower, ordinarily. Before the first flower is in full blos- 

 som, the first two side shoots have formed buds and burst 

 into flowers. These in turn become passe, to be replaced 

 by flowering stalks from the set next below, or the second 

 pair of side shoots. 



On most varieties the first flower has a short stem, and 

 we disbud to lengthen the stem and to secure larger 

 flowers. The proper way to disbud is when the first bud 

 is .small, the first pair of side shoots should be removed 

 with a sharp knife. This forces all the plant life that 

 ordinarily would have developed the first two side shoots. 



into the first bud. making the first flower much larger 

 and giving it a better stem. Removing the first set of 

 buds forces ahead the second set and they in turn burst 

 into flower. As you cut and remove the flowers, your 

 plants send forth new flowering stalks from the bottom 

 of plant : the more you cut the more flowers will grow. 

 Di.sbudding is more generally used for flowers for ex- 

 hibition purposes. When wishing the largest flower pos- 

 sible, for exhibition purposes, you can disbud every side 

 shoot down the entire length of the stalk, forcing all the 

 ])lant life that would have developed all its flowers, into 

 one flower, thus growing one flower of gigantic size ; or, 

 a portion of the side shoots can be removed. This dis- 

 budding in addition to forcing insures you much greater 

 success at exhibitions. In forcing Dahlias to secure the 

 very best results, apply either fertilizer or manure, or 

 both, broadcast or in liquid form, at each or every other 

 hoeing, which witl: disbudding will give you the best re- 

 sults obtainable. Nitrate of soda proves a very effective 

 fertilizer for forcing, but should not be used in too large 

 (|uantities. Apply in liquid or crystal form when plants 

 are in bud, making application often, and not using too 

 much at a time. Nitrate of soda is powerful and if too 

 much is used it will burn your plants or force them to 

 such an overgrowth that the roots will decay during the 

 \\'inter. The nitrate of soda crystals are best applied 

 if a small ring is made around the plant, and these placed 

 in the ring that keeps them from washing away, so the 

 plant will receive the entire benefit. If in liquid form, 

 using one tablespoonful of nitrate of soda to a gallon of 

 water, applying with sprayer or watering can. Anyone 

 can grow Dahlias of exhibition quality if thev will digest 

 these remarks, study plant requirements, and act 

 accordingly. — I. K. Alex.\xder in Thf Fhzirr Groivcr. 



Fertilizers for Grasses 



IN the March 3 issue of the Canadian Florist appeared 

 an article on the use of ammonium sulphate on lawns 



instead of nitrate of soda, as a means of eliminating 

 weeds. This article originally emanated from a bulletin 

 by the Rhode Island Experiment Station, and went the 

 rounds of the ]iress. It now appears, however, that the 

 method is not >o efficacious as suggetsed. 



The Central Experiment Farm, Ottawa, has the fol- 

 lowing to say : 



Sulphate of ammonia is the fertilizer to which the 

 wonderful influence is attributed. Furnishing nitrogen 

 in this form instead of by nitrate of soda, an acid condi- 

 tion of the soil is promoted — which, if intense, discour- 

 ages the growth of practically all cultivated plants. 



Two grasses, however, were found to persist despite 

 the acidity created in the soil — bent and fescue, grasses 

 unlovely at best. Clovers and the better grasses, as well 

 as certain weeds, were exterminated. 



Lest any, having learned only half the truth, should 

 proceed to transform their lawns by the method sug- 

 gested, be it remarked that unless bent and fescue grasses 

 are present and the owner of the lawn has decided that 

 these are preferable to the more "velvety" kinds, the ex- 

 periment is likely to prove disastrous. 



Respecting dandelions, which many regard as the most 



troublesome and persistent weed in lawns, the Rhode 

 Island bulletin has this to say : 



"Dandelions and plantains are often troublesome 

 weeds, but apparently are checked by a degree of acidity 

 which is not especially detrimental to the growth of bent 

 and red fescue. To check eventually the growth of these 

 weeds it is only neces.s'ary to introduce sulphate of am- 

 monia into the top-dressing in place of nitrate of soda. 

 This procedure will, of course, at the same time check 

 the development of certain grasses like blue grass and 

 also of clover." "Apparently are checked" offers but 

 little hope of getting rid of dandelions by this means. 



The following statement from the same source is sig- 

 nificant : 



"The sulphate of ammonia in the fertilizer apparently 

 'burned" the grass, for the trouble did not exist where 

 nitrate of soda and blood were used as sources of nitro- 

 gen, . . . The burning was especially noticeable in 

 clover."' This "burning" action might well deter one 

 from using sulphate of ammonia as a top-dressing. The 

 mixture used consisted of 250 pounds sulphate of am- 

 monia, 400 pounds acid phosphate and 250 pounds mu- 

 riate of potash per acre — a heavv dressing. 



The superior influence of nitrate of soda has been ir- 

 rcfntablv attested in the records of more than half a cen- 



