112 DAHLIA ECONOMY. 



with your permission I shall narrate, as concisely as possible, an 

 economical method which I have pursued for the last several years 

 with considerable success and advantage. I shall also enumerate a 

 few of those staunch, old sorts which abound plentifully, and may be 

 had for a mere trifle, that when properly grown will never fail to 

 please the eye, and recompense the labour bestowed on them, and 

 which will still bear competition with many of the newer kinds. 



In the first place, then, I dig over the ground where I intend set- 

 ting my plants, after well manuring it, and plant it with early potatoes 

 in furrows, about a foot from each other. When planting time for 

 the Dahlia comes on, the potatoes having grown up, I set a row of 

 Dahlias, planting one in every other furrow between the potatoes ; 

 about a yard from that I set another row, placing them in different 

 furrows from the first lot, to form a triangle with them ; and so on to 

 the end. When the potatoes are ready, I get them up with care, and 

 the process lightens the soil about the roots of the Dahlias, and essen- 

 tially benefits them, and thus I enjoy the pleasure of a bed of Dahlias 

 without loss of ground. The following is a list of old varieties which 

 I have grown for a number of years, and know to be good, constant, 

 and recommendable : — 



Essex Rival, dark, constant. 



Springfield Rival, crimson, superb. 



Unique, yellow tipped, constant. 



Rival Sussex, dark, very compact. 



Eva, cream-coloured, pretty. 



Knight's Victory, crimson, good. 



Hope, best Rose out. 



Frances, beautifu 1 , edged. 



Ne Plus Ultra, shaded, very fine. 



Har wood's Defiance, sometimes grand, always decent. 



Dodd's Mary, edged, pretty. 



Marquis of Lothian, shaded purple. 



All these may be had at a very trifling cost, and the amateur can- 

 not grow too many of them, though he might increase his variety by 

 many more kinds which I could name. 



