112 GARDEN GUIDE 



dry a little in the sun. Gut off the stems so that a stub of three inches 

 is left. Then place them in a cellar where temperature will surely re- 

 main above freezing, about forty to forty-five degrees F. They may 

 best be placed with the stems down on shelves and covered with soil 

 or sand. When storing large tubers it may not be necessary to cover 

 them; merely place them in a heap on shelf or floor, keeping the stems 

 to outside. Do not let them get dried out; if they shrivel, sprinkle a 

 httle water over them. If kept too moist they will soon mildew. 



The Raising of Dahlias from Seed 



This is fascinating work, particularly the single forms. Of these, 

 if the seed is sown in a frame or greenhouse in March, the plants will 

 come into bloom in July ; they will also flower if the seed is sown where 

 it is to remain, the same as most of the annuals. The seed of the double 

 Dahlias should be sown in February or March, and the plants grown on 

 the same as if from cuttings. With good care they will come into 

 flower early in September, when the pleasure commences. The cer- 

 tainty of getting something good and the possibility of getting a flower 

 worthy a name, possibly better than any of the existing forms or va- 

 rieties, makes this branch of floriculture of extreme interest. 



The young seedhngs should be set close together, not more than 

 two feet apart; when they come into flower weed out such as are not 

 desirable to keep. Another reason for close planting is that except 

 for the single varieties, the plants do not attain in their first season as 

 large growth as if from tubers. 



Chrysanthemums and Daisies 



The word Chrysanthemum has been derived from the Greek 

 chrysos, gold, and anihemon, flower. 



It is very interesting to see just how many plants are reaUy 

 Chrysanthemums. The wild Ox-Eye Daisy, the Shasta Daisy, the 

 Pyrethrum (from which insect powder is made), the Feverfew of our 

 grandmother's garden, the Marguerite, or Paris Daisy of the florist, 

 as well as the monster decorative blooms of the expert culturist in- 

 doors, are all Chrysanthemums. 



Some of the Chrysanthemums, or 'Mums, as the gardener affec- 

 tionately calls them, are annuals. In the case of most of the annual 

 species the blooms resemble huge Daisies. They are white or some 

 shade of yellow, and often, as in the case of Chrysanthemum carina- 

 tum, they have a maroon or red ring of color at the center. The an- 

 nual types can be sown in April, in the open ground, where they 

 should be thinned to eight inches, or, if large plants are wanted, pinch 



