66 



THE FLORISTS* MANUAL. 



Single Dahlia. 



approaches they should be in a cold- 

 frame, where they can be hardened 

 off. The planting time will depend on 

 when you are sure of no more frosts. 

 The dahlia is a cold blooded plant 

 yet it can't endure the slightest frost. 

 The first frost of fall kills our dahlias, 

 so a late frost in spring would put you 

 back with the plants for weeks or kill 

 them. 



If it is a bed you are going to plant 

 then the whole ground should be deep- 

 ly dug, and a fourth of its bulk of ma- 

 nure added. The single varieties can 

 be planted 2 ft. apart, the Pompons 

 2 ft. 6 in., and the Show and Fancy 

 kinds to do them real well should have 

 4 ft. All should have stakes to sup- 

 port them and in a dry time an abund- 

 ance of water at least twice a week 

 not a sprinkling, but a soaking. Grow- 

 ers of good dahlias pinch out the earli- 

 est flowers and all lateral growths till 

 the plant is 3 or 4 ft. high. 



The single varieties are easily raised 

 from seed sown in February or March. 

 When well up pot into 2-inch pots and 

 shift on, giving all the light and air 

 you can as planting time approaches. 



Being assistant to a good Scotch 

 dahlia grower (the late Wm. Vair) in 

 Toronto some 30 years ago, I have not 

 forgotten his method and from plants 

 propagated in March he showed and 

 won a prize the following July 1st for 

 the "best 12 flowers of Show dahlias." 

 By the end of May the young plants 

 were 15 to 18 inches high in 4-inch 

 pots. For every plant on a long border 

 (5 feet between plants) he dug a hole 

 18 inches in diameter and 15 inches 

 deep, working in a third of manure. 

 The surplus soil was spread on the 

 border. Near the center of the hole 

 he drove down a stout stake which 



was left 4 ft. above the ground and 

 close to that the plant was set. The 

 surface of the soil was left in such 

 shape that when watered the water 

 would run to the plant, not away from 

 it. I think it was the 20th of May 

 they were planted. Frequently they 



were watered and you could almost 

 see them grow. July the 1st is ex- 

 tremely early to cut dahlias but there 

 was a flower or two on several of the 

 plants and after that they were a gor- 

 geous sight. 



It is my good fortune to see and fre- 

 quently to judge the wonderful dahlias 

 shown at Toronto's great fair in Sep- 

 tember; no better can be seen any- 

 where and for years the superb flowers 

 of Grainger Bros., Toronto, have been 

 exhibited faultless in shape and color. 



It would be useless to give a list of 

 varieties. The catalogues of our lead- 

 ing florists and nurserymen describe 

 them all and the varieties are in- 

 numerable. The Show varieties have 

 the magnificent self colors of crimson, 

 red, yellow and white and inter- 

 mediate shades. The Fancy flowers 

 are most beautifully blotched, spotted 

 and striped. The pretty little Pompons 

 are all colors; some of the pink shades 

 among them are fine for florists use 

 and the singles are of every color. For 

 cut flowers the Pompon class are the 

 most useful. 



Anything but a very stiff clay will 

 do for soil. The best I ever saw were 

 grown in a sandy loam with a third of 

 good manure added. Deep soil, plenty 

 of manure and abundance of water are 

 the three essentials. 



When the tops are destroyed by 

 frost cut down to within six inches of 

 the soil, shake or pick off all soil when 

 lifting the roots and store in a cool, 

 dry cellar or under a bench. Where 



Vase of Double Dahlias. 



