DAHLIA. 



the Pseony in France (see Gtrafting) ; 

 but it requires great skill in the 

 gardener to do this successfully, as 

 the tuber is very apt to rot at the 

 point of junction between it and the 

 graft. One mode of performing the 

 operation is to take a growing shoot 

 of a choice Dahlia, and to cut it so 

 as to form the lower extremity into 

 a wedge shape (as shown at a in fig. 

 11). A barren tuber must then be 



should be taken to shade them fi'om 

 the direct rays of the sun, till they 

 have thrown out roots, as the leaves 

 are easily withered ; and when this 

 is the case, they cannot be recovered, 



prepared (as shown at b), and the 

 shoot inserted. Another method is 

 to make one or two holes in the neck 

 of a barren tuber, and inserting a 

 bud (see fig. 12), taking care to make 

 the two surfaces fit exactly, and 

 covering the edges with grafting- 

 wax. The tuber is then planted, 

 and the pot is plunged into a hotbed 

 till the leaves begin to shoot. 



Dahlias are also propagated by 

 cuttings of the stem, taken from the 

 lower part of the plant ; or young 

 shoots slipped ofi" the tuber with part 

 of the woody fibre attached. The 

 cuttings should be struck in sand, or 

 very sandy loam, imder a bell-glass, 

 and with bottom-heat. Great care 



FIG. 1:?. — PEG-GRAFTIJTG THE DAHLIA. 



; and the cuttings will perish for want 

 i of a due circulation of the sap. The 

 roots will generally form in a fort- 

 night, or at most three Aveeks. 



The best soil for Dahlias is a com- 

 post of equal parts of sand and loam, 

 with a little peat ; which may be 

 enriched with part of an old hotbed, 

 or decayed leaves. Manure of any 

 kind should, however, be used very 

 sparingly, as too much will cause the 

 plant to produce strong coarse-grow-~ 

 ing leaves and stems, instead of fine 

 flowers. Striped flowers are never 

 either bright or distinct in their 

 ' colours in very rich soil. Dahlias 

 will not .grow well in the richest 

 clayey soil without sand ; and though 

 . they will grow freely in sand without 

 I loam, the flowers will be poor and 

 only semi-double. Thoughtheyflower 

 ! so late in the year. Dahlias are killed 

 ! by the slightest frost ; and thus their 

 i beauty, great as it is, is generally 

 i rather short-lived. As soon as the 

 ! leaves turn brown from frost, which 

 1 is generally in October, the stems 

 I should be cut down: and in November 

 I the tubers should be taken up. A dry 

 I day should be chosen if possible ; and 



