248 THE FLOWER-GARDEN. [CHAP. VIII. 



June; but those of the finer kinds are not 

 planted till May and June. When they begin to 

 grow, the side shoots are removed for from one 

 foot to three feet from the ground ; the prin- 

 cipal stem is then either tied to a stake driven 

 deeply and firmly into the ground, or the whole 

 plant is drawn through a set of dahlia rings. 

 Dwarf plants are frequently suffered to trail on 

 the ground, and are pegged down so as to cover 

 the whole of the bed, with which treatment 

 they look extremely well. In dry weather, the 

 plants should be regularly watered, but not too 

 abundantly. When the leaves and stalks are 

 killed by the frost, they should be directly cut 

 down; but the tubers may be left in the ground 

 a little longer, as, if taken up too soon, they 

 will shrivel, and often become rotten. When 

 taken up, they should be kept in a dry place, 

 and covered with a mat, or buried in sand or 

 sawdust, to exclude the frost. 



Dahlias are propagated either by dividing the 

 root, by making cuttings of the stem, or by 

 seeds ; and the first is by far the most common 

 method. As, however, the buds are not very 

 perceptible when the tubers are in a dry state, 

 and as very often the ring of buds round the 

 collar is by no means complete, it is necessary 

 to throw the roots into a growing state before 

 they are divided. For this purpose the dahlia 

 roots should be potted early in March, with the 

 crown of each plant above the mould, and the 

 pots should be plunged into a moderate hotbed. 

 The buds will soon begin to develope them- 

 selves ; and, as soon as they have grown two 



