184 breck's new book of flowers. 



Dahlias look best when planted in groups, as they hide 

 eich other's ugliness, and if they flower^ and a variety of 

 colors be combined in the group, they make a very impos- 

 ing appearance. 



Taking up and Preserving the Moots. — When the first 

 frost strikes the Dahlias so as to blacken the plant, a few 

 inches of soil should be added to the crown of the plant, 

 to prevent the tubers from being injured by freezing, which 

 might hai^pen unexpectedly some cold night. Taking 

 some i^leasant day, the last of October or the first of No- 

 vember, the tops of the plants should be cut down near 

 the ground, and the stakes pulled uj) ; then very carefully 

 lift the roots from the earth. This is best done by two 

 persons, with spades, operating on each side of the roots, 

 as when taken from the ground they are very brittle and 

 easily broken off. Let them then be carefully dej^osited 

 on the surface, where they should remain during the day, 

 exposed to the sun and air. Before night sets in, they 

 should be removed to a dry, airy cellar, and deposited on 

 shelves raised a few feet from the bottom ; here they will 

 remain with perfect safety, provided they can have a little 

 air occasionally, in pleasant weather. They should, how- 

 ever, be placed singly on the shelves ; as, when packed 

 close, or one upon another, they are liable to mould and 

 decay. The most danger is to be apprehended from ex- 

 cessive dampness ; but sometimes roots, kej^t in a cellar 

 where there is a furnace, may be injured by the dryness, 

 and the roots become shrivelled and almost worthless, 

 especially the very small ones. The rats or mice will do 

 no injury to the roots, as they will not touch them. 



Liliputian or JBouquet Dahlias. — This novel variety of 

 the Dahlia has been introduced within a few years, and, 

 in my opinion, is a great improvement upon the over-grown 

 coarse flowers of the old varieties. Formerly, large-sized 

 flowers were considered as one of the qualifications for a 



