158 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



From this time they will be best in an unheated frame, 

 but protection should be kept handy in case of frost. 

 Cuttings which are struck and treated in this way will 

 give sturdy plants by the end of May. 



Raising from Seed. There is no difficulty in raising 

 Dahlias from seed, but flowers of the same quality as 

 the named varieties of the principal florists must not be 

 expected. The seeds should be sown in a pan of light, 

 sandy soil in February or March, and put in a warm 

 frame or greenhouse. The seedlings should be pricked 

 out in boxes when they become crowded, or put singly 

 in small pots. They should be hardened in an unheated 

 frame and planted out in June. If the soil is good they 

 will flower the same year. Sometimes a really good 

 variety comes in a batch of seedlings, and it is propagated 

 by cuttings of the tops in order to keep it true, and to 

 make sure that it is not lost through the decay of the 

 tuber in winter. Florists get their novelties by making 

 selections from seedlings. An amateur who has what 

 he considers to be a promising seedling can always get 

 an idea of its value by showing it to an expert. 



Propagation by Division. Growers of Dahlias who 

 have not much convenience for raising young plants 

 from seed or cuttings may divide the cluster of tubers 

 which make the root-stock or " stool " at the point of 

 attachment t<3 the stem in spring, a$d put them a few 

 inches apart in a box of soil containing a good deal of 

 sand and leaf mould, in April, with a square of glass 

 fixed just above them. If the soil is kept moist, and 

 protection is put over them in cold weather, they will 

 grow. Early in June they may be taken up and planted 

 where they are to flower. If the tubers are sound, and 

 not very much shrivelled, they make good plants when 

 treated in this way. 



