350 



CALIONDAR OF OPERATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER. 



height of tlie hloom may be con 

 sidered to last until the frosi 

 catciies them. The growth of the 

 hranclies, however, renders thein 

 too heavy to be supported by the 

 single stake, and therefore two or 

 three, or even more, are some 

 times necessary to save tlie heavy 

 side branches from the effects of 

 tlie wind. Towards the end of the 

 month you must expect frost, and 

 be prepared for it, and it is de- 

 sii-able to earth-up the stems and 

 roots a few inches all round, that 

 the crown may he protected in 

 the event of a frost coming, be- 

 cause, if at all injured, the root 

 may be lost by rot during the 

 winter, or the stem may I'ot round 

 the crown and destroy the eyes: 

 earthing-up is an effectual protec- 

 tion. We need not repeat the 

 directions for last month as to the 

 general management. The cut- 

 tings that are striking, or have 

 struck, must be kept growing in 

 heat until tubers are fairly formed, 

 when they may be gradually 

 cooled, and have no more water ; 

 they may be then placed in the 

 greenhouse to dry and die down; 

 but this must not be done until 

 there is a fair tuber formed, 

 When perfectly dry the pots may 

 be piled up in the dry pai-t of the 

 greenhouse on their sides, or 

 placed anywhere out of the 

 danger of frost, heat, and wet ; 

 but many of these will not be 

 ready till October, or perhaps 

 November. 



D'tldhi Seedlings. — By this time 

 you will have been able to get rid 

 of hundreds not worth growing, 

 and you continue to see them 

 opening from day to day without 

 discovering anything, perhaps, 

 really worth propagating. You 

 must not be disheartened by the 

 want of success so far as vou have 



■rone; the best may come out 

 last, and, inasmuch as single and 

 semi- double ones are always earlier 

 tlian othei's more double and de- 

 cided, be not therefore careless 

 from day to day because you hav6 

 so often been disappointed, but 

 go more particularly over tho>;e 

 which you have considered doubt- 

 ful, and, unless there is something 

 very good of an old colour, or 

 very novel in coli)ur, have resolu- 

 tion enough to throw them away, 

 and be not perplexed with a quan- 

 tity of doubtful things not worth 

 the trouble of propagating. The 

 only vaiieiies not really good that 

 are worth trying again are thos« 

 which happen to have splendid 

 petals, but from their want of 

 doubleness are of no use. It is 

 just worth while to try such as 

 these a second year, by cutting the 

 bulbs up into a few pieces, and 

 giving them a chance of coming 

 double. The only excuse for this 

 is the constant experience of our 

 best flowers coming now and then 

 single and bad, showing that a 

 really good flower may give bad 

 blossoms. We argue, therefore, 

 that deficient blooms in a seedling 

 may be the same as deficient 

 flowers in an acknowledged good 

 sort — only accidental. Pick off all 

 the ripe seeds of Dahlias, and 

 especially keep separate any of 

 the pods or sorts that you may 

 have rnai'ked as having been re- 

 markably fine. Let the seeds be 

 dried in the sun, and rubbed, to 

 clean them from the husks. They 

 may then be preserved in dry 

 boxes until wanted for use. The 

 seedlings that are really promising 

 might be protected in some way 

 from the chance of frost, and 

 especially earth-up round tiie 

 stems and roots, as directed for 

 old plants, to save the roots from 



