Hardy and Half-hardy Plants 31 



cessful in this branch of the business it must be carried out on a large 

 scale, so that young plants can be turned out in their thousands during 

 April, May, and June. To secure this end a start must be made in 

 December, so that the stock house can be filled ready for the first week 

 in the year. Benches on either side of an ordinary greenhouse are best 

 for placing the stools, for they are then near the light, and it enables 

 the cultivator to take the cuttings expeditiously without much stooping. 

 Almost any soil will do for covering the bare benches on which the old 

 tubers are placed in proper order and in divisions, each variety kept dis- 

 tinctly clear of its neighbour and with label securely attached. In cover- 

 ing the tubers with soil each crown or base of the old stem should be well 

 out of it. If a temperature of 55 F. is maintained it will be quite 

 sufficient during the early part of the year, but should be increased as 

 the daylight grows. 



PROPAGATION. The Dahlia will root well provided it gets plenty of 

 bottom heat and not too much top heat. Where plenty of pipes, say three 

 rows of 4 in., are placed under beds 4 ft. wide, this will give all the heat 

 required. As it is essential to keep the top cool, only sufficient heat is 

 wanted to keep out the frost and damp. Some growers plunge their pots 

 in ashes or fibre, but as this adds to the labour bill, and is not necessary, 

 it is more generally dispensed with, and the pots are simply stood shoulder 

 to shoulder on the beds. 



COMPOST. Elaborate composts are not required, and one that is open 

 and free will root and grow the young plants well. Old potting soil, with 

 the addition of spent mushroom bed makes a good mixture. Some growers 

 root their cuttings in "stores", either in boxes or pots, to economize room; 

 but rooting singly in thumb pots is certainly preferable, because it does 

 away with the second handling, an important item in most places. The 

 cuttings can be taken when they are 3-4 in. high, and in the same way 

 as in the case of Fuchsias or Heliotropes. Do not take them with a heel, 

 or the basal eyes will be destroyed. Cuttings should be inserted as expe- 

 ditiously as possible, to avoid their flagging, from which they always take 

 a long time to recover. As soon as they emit roots they should be moved 

 into another house and placed on beds of ashes, as close to the light as 

 possible. Finally, they can be sorted into the different sections to which 

 they belong and put into alphabetical order; where large collections are 

 kept this takes up an enormous amount of frame room, but it is absolutely 

 necessary to enable one to execute orders quickly and correctly, for now- 

 adays most orders are sent to purchaser's selection, and in these hustling 

 times every buyer is in a hurry. 



PACKING AND DISPATCHING. The plants are generally dispatched in 

 their pots, so that they are ready for immediate sale by the retailer, but 

 occasionally, when sent long distances and to avoid cost of carriage, they 

 are sent out of pots and each one papered up. In this case only well- 

 rooted plants should be sent, or during transit the soil will drop off" and 

 so cause delay to the buyer, who has then to re-establish them before 



