108 PLANNING AND PLANTING 



with tobacco dust, applying it in the early morn- 

 ing while the dew is still on the plants. 



Sometimes worms will bore the stems of the 

 dahlia plants, and should this occur at any time, 

 dig out the worm with a sharp knife and bind up 

 the wound in the stem with a piece of adhesive tape 

 and scatter wood ashes around the plants, repeat- 

 ing this application weekly. Black fly is a product 

 of poor drainage or acid soil. Apply air-slacked 

 lime to correct the acidity of the soil, and also 

 give several applications of tobacco dust. 



One of the problems of many amateurs is when 

 to dig roots, and how to properly store them over 

 winter. Right after frosts have blackened the 

 leaves, dig the roots carefully; cut off the tops, 

 and turn the clumps upside down in the field for a 

 couple of hours or so for the liquid to drain off. 



One of the best plans we know for storing the 

 roots is to line some boxes or barrels heavily with 

 newspapers, place the clumps upside down therein, 

 cover the tops well, and store in a cool dry cellar, 

 as far removed from the heater, however, as pos- 

 sible. The clumps also may be brought into the 

 cellar with as much soil as will stay on them, 

 stacked in a heap upside down, and covered over 

 with paper, old burlap or carpet. 



Today there are probably thousands of sepa- 

 rate varieties of Dahlias, and nobody knows them 

 all nor wishes to. The field is so wide that we 



