196 CALIFORNIA GARDEN FLOWERS 



"In all parts of California I notice the dahlia is a great favorite 

 and is found in nearly every garden, both in city and country. If you 

 are situated in what is called a frostless belt and have a spot of really 

 warm exposure, a very early planting will result in flowering the 

 dahlia during the cool weather of early summer. But if you store the 

 dahlia tubers in a cool, very dry place, preferably dark, buried in deep 

 boxes of perfectly dry sand and plant out, after the hottest days of 

 summer have passed, in a rich, loose soil, rather deeply, and water 

 freely, you will have fine autumn bloom. After the tops are growing 

 keep well watered and fed and 'on the move' all the time. Stake and 

 tie the tops with care, and in the cool of autumn you will have dahlias 

 that will prove your heart's delight. These flowers are especially 

 adapted to California soils and conditions, being native to nearby ter- 

 ritory." 



This suggestion applies to places with a long frostless season and 

 high summer heat, but it applies also to places where autumn warmth 

 can be relied upon even if the summer temperature does not run so 

 high. In such places planting late in the spring, encouraging growth 

 during the cool summer and bloom in the early autumn gives excellent 

 results. The obvious conclusion is that one can largely determine 

 what the dahlia shall do for him by regulating the dormancy and 

 activity of the tuber intelligently, he who works too closely to a fixed 

 calendar does not get all that the flower can do for him. 



After the top growth dies take up the tubers, cutting off the old 

 dry stems and store the bunches of tubers as Mr. Braunton suggests. 

 We have succeeded admirably, with less labor than the sanding and 

 boxing, by packing the immense clumps closely in a dark, dirt-walled 

 cellar under the house. It is amply dry during the rainy season and 

 cool during the spring and the tubers keep dormant for late planting; 

 separating the tubers is found desirable at that time. 



In planting the large tuber, one forgets the rule for depth accord- 

 ing to size, but plants the long tuber vertically with the shoot-end 

 not far below the surface. It is necessary to see that dormant buds 

 on the stem-end -are provided for each section in separation; blind 

 tubers will be a disappointment. 



While favorites must be held by tuber-planting, it is very interest- 

 ing to grow a lot of seedlings, and some beauties are likely to be had. 

 Sow the seed in boxes in the frame or greenhouse, as heat increases 

 in February or March; plant out the seedlings after all danger of frost 

 is over; keep them going with water and shade if the summer heat is 

 high and bloom will be secured the first autumn. 



Although we have grown our plants in self-sustaining clumps, it 

 is better perhaps to give them more attention by removing surplus 

 shoots and training the best shoot to a stake; topping it at about two 



