THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



by forcing the spade deeply under the center. It is an advantage 

 if two persons can work together and lift at the same time from 

 opposite sides. Though not so important as the preservation of 

 the neck, it is also advisable not to cut ofif the tip of the fleshy 

 root, as it is from this end that the first and most vigorous fine 

 roots are likely to come the next spring. Moreover, cuts and 

 abrasions of the surface give the rot-producing fungi a better 

 chance for attack. 



After lifting, it is well to let the roots dry ofif for a few hours, 

 with a view especially of removing any excess of sap or moisture 

 from the pith or hollow of the stump, as this loose fluid might 

 prove a culture medium for the spores of moulds and perhaps 

 might prove injurious in other ways. Some dahlia experts, in 

 packing away roots for the winter, turn the stump downwards so 

 that any excess moisture can drain out. This seems to work 

 well, though in turning the clumps upside down, there is more 

 danger of breaking the necks of the roots than in leaving the 

 clumps in the more natural upright position. It is not necessary 

 or desirable to shake off all the adhering soil before carrying the 

 roots to the cellar, as any naturally adherent earth appears to 

 help prevent drying out and shriveling during the winter. 



In a cellar without furnace heat, dahlia roots usually keep all 

 right when stored away on shelves or in boxes or barrels without 

 any special covering. In cellars with a furnace it is usually better 

 to wrap the clumps in newspapers or to cover them with sand, 

 coal ashes, or with fairly clean soil from the field or garden, but 

 soil containing much decaying organic matter is to be avoided 

 for this purpose. When the roots are covered in this way and 

 when the containers are placed as far away from the furnace as is 

 consistent with safety from freezing, the roots commonly come 

 through the winter in a vigorous and plump condition. How- 

 ever, roots that have shrunken mvich and show no buds or sprouts 

 at planting time are often viable, as may be determined by test. 

 If sprouts have started and are more than two inches long, it is 

 usually best to break them off and depend upon new buds for the 

 future plant. Long cellar-shoots commonly develop into weak 

 hide-bound stems. 



Divisions of the clumps are made as short a time as possible 



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