

journal 



of ti^e 



jE|orticultural ^ocietp of jBteto ^orfe 



Incorporated 1902 



Vol II Nn 77 ■ss"^'' NDVFMRFR IQPO Free to Members 



VUl.il, nU.^/ Quarterly nw V CJTIDCIV, IVC\) By subscription $1.00 per year 



HOW TO GROW THE FINEST DAHLIA BLOOMS 



In discussing the subject of culture which produces the great 

 dignified dahlia blooms of today, it is well to take into consider- 

 ation the original home and habits of its ancestors. Dahlias, 

 of which there are eight known species growing wild in Mexico, 

 are only to be found on the high plateaux and mountain sides, 

 5000 to 8000 feet above sea level. There the sun is bright and 

 warm, the air is fresh and cool, and occasionally low hanging 

 clouds bathe them with the moisture so necessary for their 

 growth. The soil there is sandy, often of finely powdered lava. 

 Here and there great boulders of lava act as nature's mulch, 

 holding the needed moisture at the roots. 



We must remember, however, that the modern dahlia is not 

 a wild flower, descended from any one of those now growing 

 in Mexico. It is a hybrid of many varieties found in Mexico 

 at various times from, the early i6th century to the latter part 

 of the iQth century. Moreover, some of these ancestors were 

 probably hybrids themselves, like dahlia Juarezii, and many 

 of them have never been found growing wild in Mexico since. 

 The original species are apparently lost. 



Thus we see that dahlias need sun, fresh air, moisture and 

 loose fertile soil. A method of culture based on these principles 

 must necessarily be the best. Since dahlias like fresh air, do 

 not place them in a walled garden or close to a hedge which 



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