HALF-HARDY BULBS 75 



those who grow the flower to a limited extent. It is a 

 plant which must have generous treatment, and to give 

 this it is essential that the ground should be deeply 

 prepared by digging, and thoroughly manured with 

 well-decayed manure. The plants may be put out as 

 soon as danger from severe frost is past, and they should 

 be allowed plenty of room. For exhibition purposes 

 from five to six feet apart will be found a suitable 

 distance. The plants should be staked immediately, and 

 covered at nights when there is a prospect of a cold 

 night occurring. Pots filled with moss or hay may be 

 placed on the top of the stakes and examined regularly 

 for earwigs. When the plants begin to make growth, 

 the soil ought to be well mulched with half-rotted 

 manure. Watering should never be neglected, and as 

 the plants grow they must be properly tied to the 

 stakes. Thinning and disbudding are necessary to 

 secure the largest possible blooms for exhibition flowers. 

 These may also require to be shaded and protected from 

 bad weather. When the plants are destroyed by frost 

 in autumn, they may be cut down to within six inches of 

 the surface of the soil, and, after leaving them in the 

 ground for a few days, lifted and stored out of the reach 

 of frost. Dahlias are propagated by seeds, division of 

 the tubers, and by cuttings, the two last being the only 

 way of propagating named varieties. Seeds are sown in 

 pans or pots in March under glass. When the young 

 plants can be handled, prick them out into small pots 

 and grow under glass until large enough to plant out in 

 the beds. Old tubers may be divided if a portion of the 

 crown with an eye or bud is attached to each piece. 

 These must be put into small pots and grown on for a 

 short time. Cuttings are easily struck from February to 

 August. In spring the old tubers are placed in heat 

 with the crowns above the soil, and the shoots taken off 

 when about three inches long, and struck in heat in 



