94 Encyclopaedia of Gardening 



lovely little shrub, growing about 2 ft. high, neat in habit, and bear- 

 ing abundance of purplish flowers. It is a native of Ireland, and 

 thrives in peat or loam. There are several varieties, of which the 

 most desirable is the white, alba. Propagation is by cuttings and 

 layers. 



Dactylis (dac-tylis, from daktulis, finger-breadth. Ord. Grami- 

 neae). D. glomerata is the familiar Cocksfoot Grass, much used in 

 pastures. There is a variegated form which is used in flower 

 gardening. It thrives in ordinary soil, and is propagated by divi* 

 sion. Not quite hardy. 



Daddy-longlegs. The Crane fly, Tipula oleracea, is dangerous to 

 gardeners as the parent of the leather-jacket grub, which is very 

 troublesome in new gardens; it is larger than the wireworm, and 

 darker in colour. Regular cultivation, and trapping with Potato 

 slices impaled on sticks near cherished plants, reduce their numbers. 

 Vaporite or Apterite may be dug in in spring. Starlings clear off 

 large numbers of the flies when they come out of the turf at the end 

 of summer. 



Daffodil. See Bulbs. 



Dahlia (popularly da-hlia, correctly dah-lia, named after Dahl, a 



A DAHLIA RAISED FROM 

 A CUTTING. 



PROPAGATING DAHLIAS BV DIVISION OF THE 



ROOTSTOCK. 

 i. Tubers. 2. Points of detachment. 



Swede. Ord. Compositae). A native of Mexico, the Dahlia is not 

 hardy in northern climes, and may be killed in winter if left out of 

 doors unprotected, although in friable, well-drained soils it may 

 survive, especially if some litter is thrown over the rootstock after 

 the tops have been killed by frost. The species are not cultivated, 

 as they are so much inferior to the garden varieties which have been 

 raised from variabilis, coccinea, Merckii, and Juarezii as to be un- 

 worthy of places. The horticultural forms are so numerous, and so 

 varied in type, that it has been found necessary to classify them; 

 thus we have: (i) Show, (2) Fancy, (3) Cactus, (4) Decorative, 

 (5) Pompon or Bouquet, (6) Single, (7) Paeony- flowered, and 

 (8) Pompon-Cactus. Classes i, 2, and 5 have double, symmetrical 

 flowers, the petals folding over each other evenly from bottom to 

 top, where no green must show; Nos. i and 2 only differ in colour; 

 Shows have two colours at the most, Fancies three; Pompons are 

 one-coloured flowers about a quarter the size of the Show and 



