238 HOME FLORICULTURE 



and plants you have seen "taking their chances" in 

 a dry season. Under this treatment it will begin to 

 bloom in July, and you will get large crops of fine 

 flowers in August and September. You get the start 

 of the frost. 



The Dahlia is divided into five classes. The 

 "Show" Dahlia is the one most generally cultivated. 

 The "Bedding" Dahlia is a dwarf variety, growing 

 only about two feet high, but having flowers quite as 

 large as those of the tall-growing kinds. The "Bou- 

 quet" Dahlia has small flowers, as perfect in form as 

 the large ones. The Single Dahlia (Fig 60), which 

 is very popular at present, being easier to succeed 

 with than the double kinds, is very rich in color, 

 much more graceful in appearance than the double 

 sorts, which have a good deal of primness about them, 

 and is very useful for cutting for vases and corsage 

 bouquets. The fifth class is a comparatively new one, 

 and has been evolved from the "Cactus" variety which 

 enjoyed great popularity a few years ago. It is known 

 as the Decorative Dahlia. Its flowers are of good size, 

 borne well above the foliage, on long stems. On this 

 account it is excellent for cut flower use. Most varie- 

 ties are double or semi-double, but they are never prim 

 and formal in the arrangement of their petals, like the 

 old "Show Dahlia." Because of their more graceful 

 appearance they are rapidly becoming general favor- 

 ites. Another point in their favor is they come into 

 bloom earlier than the older varieties and are therefore 

 better adapted to garden use. For cutting, they are 

 extremely popular, because of their rich coloring, 

 graceful habit and lasting qualities. Where large 

 flowers are desirable, they are unexcelled in the decora- 

 tion of rooms, as their strong colors bring them out 

 prominently against whatever is used as a background. 



