DAHLIA SLIPS. 253 



that there may be beauty for another year. After 

 the stems are well decayed, they may be cleared 

 away; but the roots are not to be taken up. Having 

 removed the stalks by cutting two or three inches 

 above the ground, let the earth be gathered from 

 both sides over the roots, into the form of a potato 

 drill, and beaten smooth, so as to turn the rain and 

 save from frost. Towards the end of November the 

 roots may be taken up plump and ripe from their 

 dry bed, and shaken clear of mould, like potatoes 

 gathered with lean skins a good sign of safe 

 keeping. The roots are too succulent to keep well 

 by lying on the floor, as any bruise thus sustained 

 is the commencement of decay; but those that are 

 large and strong agree with suspension from the 

 cieling of a room inaccessible to frost. But stored 

 in boxes, with alternate layers of dry sand, barley 

 chaff, sawdust, or the shellings of oats from the 

 mill, they will be as fresh on returning to the soil 

 in spring as when taken up in winter. The last 

 named substance, being kiln-dried, has in a high 

 degree the aptitude of being absorbent and antisep- 

 tic, not liable, on drawing moisture from the tubers, 

 to take on and propagate decay. The boxes, with 

 their valuable deposit, if the cook be not stormy, 

 cannot be better placed than in the kitchen. The 

 garret will do, but not the stable loft for the hay 

 is suffocating not the damp floor of barn or cellar. 

 As some of the finest varieties are not prolific of 

 young tubers, to secure their propagation slender 

 shoots from the stems may be taken off early in the 



