160 ON RAISING DAHLIAS FROM SEEDS. 



About the beginning of April, a friend of mine gave rne a 

 quantity of Dahlia seeds, which he informed me had been say$fik 

 from very fine double flowers, and of various colours. 



About the 7th or 8th I sowed the seeds pretty thickly in pots, 

 in a very light and rather sandy soil. I then plunged the pots in 

 a hot bed made of about a barrovvful of horse-dung. After water- 

 ing and plunging the pots into the bed, I covered the surface of 

 the pots about four inches thick of horse-dung, and placed a large 

 hand-light firmly over the bed to exclude the air. The dung used 

 for the hot bed was not fresh from the stable, but was taken from 

 the middle of a large heap, and partly decayed, so that the heat 

 of the bed was moderate, but by being made in a part of the 

 garden exposed to the heat of the sun, the heat was sufficient to 

 cause the seeds to vegetate. At the end of the first week after 

 being sown, I examined the pots to see if any seeds had appeared, 

 by clearing off the dung, but none having appeared, I again re- 

 placed the dung, and covered with the glass. At the end of the 

 second week I again examined them, when about one or two of 

 the seeds in each pot were just appearing. I then cleared the 

 dung off the surface of the pots, and allowed them to enjoy the 

 sun and air every day till evening, by raising the light at each 

 comer about four inches, but taking care to shut close at night. 

 When the first pair of leaves (exclusive of the first large fleshy 

 ones) appeared, I planted them out on a bed of very light soil 

 about four inches apart, taking care to keep the soil moist. They 

 have now most of them made strong little plants ; and I am now 

 about finally transplanting them to remain for flowering ; and 

 having about 250 plants, doubt not but that I shall have at least a 

 few fine ones. The plants appear fond of moisture ; therefore, 

 whenever the surface of the soil becomes dry (which in my garden 

 is every morning) the plants should be attended to. With respect 

 to impregnating them, I should consider those flowers which form 

 the greatest contrast to be the most proper to be acted upon, such 

 as impregnating crimson, scarlet, lilac, rose, &c. on a. pure white, 

 or yellow, and the manner of applying the pollen the same as 

 recommended by Mr. Tyso for Ranunculuses. 



D. Pearce. 



