ON THE CULTURE OF THE DAHLIA 131 



fire be kept in the room so much the better, though it is by n® 

 means so effectual for the rooting of the plants as stove heat. 

 The cuttings may be protected out of doors, by covering them 

 with inverted glass tumblers or jelly pots, but if a severe frost 

 occurs, they must be put under cover, or their destruction is 

 inevitable. 



1 find that in my practice the best method of forwarding Dahlias 

 is to place for bottom heat tan or well rotted dung in a frame, the 

 cuttings and young plants being moderately watered, giving as 

 much light as possible, till the small pots are filled with roots, 

 when they must be repotted into larger sized pots, using a com- 

 post of one third sandy loam, or common garden earth, one third 

 leaf mould, or cow dung two years rotted, and one third white 

 sand or scrapings. After this process is performed they must 

 still be kept in a slight bottom heat till they are re-established 

 in the pots ; after which it is better to keep them in a greenhouse 

 in a cold frame, or in the window of a room close to the glass, 

 where no fire is kept; or if the weather be mild they maybe 

 set out of doors under well matted hoops, exposing them only for 

 a short time, but before May tins is hardly safe. 



I have read in an Instructive Publication, that the growers who 

 propagate for sale, prepare their hot beds in February, or the 

 beginning of March, in order to have their plants ready to send 

 out in May; but as that month is too early to risk the planting 

 out of tender or valuable sorts, it is unnecessary for those who 

 cultivate, for their own amusement, to prepare their hot bed 

 before Lady-day, or the beginning of April. It may be made of 

 fresh hot stable dung, something larger each way than the frame 

 intended to be set on it, and after it is made up it must be al- 

 lowed to ferment about a week, for the heat to subside a little. 

 When the frame is to be put on, three inches of sandy soil should 

 be sifted over the dung on which the tubers are to be laid, and 

 covered with similar soil, or with dry moss, taking care to leave 

 the crown of the tuber above the level of the soil. If much heat 

 arise, the back of the lights must be raised a little so as to admit 

 (he fresh air and permit the escape of the steam; but at night 

 matting secured from being blown off by the wind will be re- 

 quisite unless the weather prove very mild, and must from time 

 to time be sprinkled with warmish water. When the eyes pusli 



