1887. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



45 



kinds, and it is only now, after nearly a 

 oentury of Dahlia culture, that we gladly 

 I urn liack again to the single form. 



SiMiLK Dahlias Classified, Etc. The 

 many new and beautiful varieties that have 

 within the last few years been raised may 

 he divided into ditferent classes as follows, 

 namely, the .Show, Pefection, Reflexed and 

 Stellate varieties. 



The Show kinds have large oblong and 

 Hat petals, and some flowers of this section 

 measure as much as seven inches in diameter. 



The Perfection varieties 

 are of medium size, the 

 petals are broadly oblong, 

 slightly reflexed at the ends 

 and generally of very good 

 substatice. 



Tlie Reflexed section com- 

 prises flowers with nearly 

 round petals, which are 

 much reflexed at the end, 

 aiul usually of good colors 

 and substance. 



The Stellate kinds are dis- 

 tinguished by their long 

 petals, which are reflexed 

 on the sides, thus fonuing a 

 loose flower of various sizes 

 and not quite as good sub- 

 stance as the foregoing 

 sections. 



Again as to color we can 

 divi<le them into Self and 

 Fancy kinds. The former 

 are of one color, or shades 

 of one color, while the 

 Fancy section comprises 

 flowers where two or more 

 difl'erent colors combine, 

 and to which many fine 

 varieties belong. 



A good single Dahlia 

 should have eight petals of 

 good substance and rather 

 broad, so as to form as round 

 a flower as possible. The 

 color, if a self, should be of 

 a clear shade, and if a fancy 

 then of course many freaks 

 may be allowed according 

 to taste. 



Raising Single Dahlia.s. 

 Raising new varieties is 

 eftected from seed. These 

 should be saved only from 

 good varieties and from the 

 best flowers. They may be 

 sown in March in gentle 

 heat, and potted otl singly 

 soon after germination, and then repotted 

 into ftve-inch pots, and by the time the roots 

 begin to fill that size they may be planted 

 out, which may, abotit Boston, be done 

 safely the latter part of May. 



The propagation of any individual variety 

 is done by means of division of the tubers, 

 by cuttings, or by grafting, the last mode 

 being seldom resorted to. The beginning of 

 May, as tubers begin to show growth, is the 

 time for division. The tubers should be cut 

 through the stem, so that each part will 

 have an eye. Plant info suitable sized pots 

 and set in a cool house or frame, where in 

 three weeks' time they will make nice roofs 

 and a growth of about six inches. If then 

 planted out they will grow right along and 

 far more vigorous than if the dividing is 

 done just before planting. 



When a quantity of any variety is desired 

 propagation from cuttings is practiced. For 

 this the roots should be planted in boxes of 

 light, sandy soil, and be set in a warm house 

 close to the glass. After having completed 

 the third pair of leaves the young shoots 

 may be cut off and inserted in thumb pots 

 and put under a bell-glass or propagating 

 fi'ame, where they soon root. Pot into 4 or 

 .5-iiich pots and when weather permits plant 



out. From a single root a large quantity of 

 plants niay be propagated in successional 

 lots, and then the root itself be divided and 

 set out later. 



Dahlia Cultiiuk. The culture of single 

 Dahlias is a sinii)le one. While like the 

 doubles they like deep and good soil, yet it 

 should not be too rich, otherwise they will 

 grow too vigorous and produce but few 

 flowers. They should ha\'e all the sun and 

 light possible, a very important point, as 

 Dahlias, like all flowers of the Composite 



the branches and put some dry material in- 

 side the pot: this will attract them as a nice 

 hiding place, and by hioking the pots over 

 every morning the earwigs are easily caught. 



-Golden-leaved Scion 



i— Variegated l*^aves betoiv point of union 



THE INFLUENCE OF SCION ON STOCK ILLUSTRATED 



family, are sun loving plants. A disregard 

 of the foregoing respects is the reason, no 

 doubt, why so many people fail to grow 

 these Dahlias to perfection. Some also 

 plant too close; the plants should be set 

 about four feet apart and the tuber three or 

 four inches deep. 



As soon as the growths reach the height 

 of a foot then the plants should each be 

 given a strong stake, three or four feet high, 

 : the Dahlia being a rather heavy plant and 

 very easily broken. The stem, and later 

 the main branches, should be tied to the 

 stake, but not so tight as to cut into the 

 stem. A good mulching with short manure 

 is very good, while an occasional hoeing and 

 watering in dry weather is all the care they 

 recjuire until autumn, when the seeds should 

 be gathered from the best kinds. After the 

 first sharp frost the tubers can be dug up 

 and stored in a dry frost-free cellar, or any 

 other cool place where they can have per- 

 fect rest until wanted in the spring. 



Enemies. The Dahlia has very few Insect 

 enemies. In Europe the earwigs are cjuite 

 troublesome, but I have not seen many of 

 them in this country, at least not around 

 Boston. The best way of getting rid of this 

 pest is to hang a few inverted pots among 



The Influence of Scion on Stock. 



The influences of stock on scion, and of 

 scion on stock, have supplied nuiterials for 

 an extensive mass of literature. In this 

 there is nothing strange, for it is a sub- 

 .iect of practical importance to all fruit 

 growers. Characteristic 

 illustrations, however, are 

 less abundant, on which ac- 

 count we avail ourselves of 

 the opportunity to bring to 

 the attention of our readers 

 a very clearly defined illus- 

 tration of the "contagion of 

 variegation," as the late 

 Prof. G. Morren called it, 

 and of which an engraving 

 was recently given in the 

 tiardeners" Chronicle. 



In this case a green-leaved 

 Kim of the campcKtrif! sec- 

 tion (See 1 in annexed en- 

 graving) furnished the stock 

 on which was emplanted a 

 scion of the Golden-varie- 

 gated Elm, known as Uhnits 

 campaftrix Vun H<>utti',the 

 leaves of which are shown 

 on the light-hand side of the 

 cut (2. ) The graft was suc- 

 cessful, and some time after- 

 wards a shoot with leaves 

 partly green, partly golden, 

 issued fi'om the stock bcUiw 

 the graft, and this also is 

 shown in the lower part of 

 the engraving. 



A summary of our knowl- 

 edge on this point is given in 

 Burbidge's "Cultivated 

 Plants," a book we should 

 like all young gardeners to 

 be thoroughly well versed 

 in. Darwin, in his "Animals 

 and Plants under Domesti- 

 cation," also mentions nu- 

 merous similar cases, the 

 most generally known be- 

 ing that cited by Bradley, 

 in which the stock of a 

 .lasmine threw out varie- 

 gated shoots clearly below 

 the point of union, after 

 having been budded or 

 grafted with a variegated scion. 



In former days, when fluids only were 

 supposed to pass from one closed plant cell 

 to another (through the porous membrane), 

 the difficulty of accounting for such phenom- 

 ena was greater than it is now, when we 

 know that not only liquids pass thus from 

 cell to cell, but that the protoplasm — the 

 living fonnative material of plants— itself, 

 in some cases at least, passes through min- 

 ute apertures from cell to cell, thus estab- 

 lishing the " continuity of protoplasm." 



Fall Application of Makure. Our recent 

 article on this subject brought out the following 

 practical ideas from D. N. L., Erie Co., N. Y. The 

 difference in effects from manure apjilied in the 

 fall or the folhnvinj.' spring i.s remarkable, 

 amounting in some instances to as much as 

 thi'ee times the benefit to the crop of the coming 

 summer. The fact is that the best effects from 

 spring applied maniu'c is not visible until the 

 second summer after, entailing a great delay. 

 For the N(^rth the best time to apply manure in 

 nearly every kind of culture is as long before 

 April as practical, so that the spring rains can 

 carry down the fertilizing properties to where 

 the roots can use them. On any but very sandy 

 soils, the loss by leaching is insignificant. An- 

 other advantage from winter manuring in many 

 cases is the benefits as a mulch to existing crops. 



