that is highly injurious. Where the soil is sandy 

 and has good drainage, it is not necessary to take 

 them up until spring for replanting, but where the 

 soil' is heavy and has poor drainage 1 , it is imperative 

 that they be taken up or the winter rains will cause 

 them to decay. If those that are left in the ground 

 should start to grow during the winter months, then 

 it will be necessary to take them up. 



Diuiding the Tubers for Replanting 



I would first call attention to the illustration of 

 the dahlia tubers on page 19. One has what looks 

 like a knot on the end of it with a small projection 

 on it. This is the part that was cut from the base 

 of the old stalk and the little projection is the bud 

 pushing out. The other tuber has no such knob on 

 the end, but was broken loose from the clump, and 

 having no eyes or buds in the tuber makes it worth- 

 less. It will start a few roots but no other growth. 

 If it had a piece of the base of the stalk to it and 

 should happen to get the neck broken, so that the 

 sap can not flow from the tuber to the bud, it will 

 not grow. 



Before dividing your dahlia clumps, it is best to 

 wait until the buds begin to push out so that you 

 can see where to cut through. There may be two 

 tubers that have grown close together and the bud 

 shows up between them. In that case cut out the 

 two tubers together, leaving them attached. It is 

 not necessary to divide down to only one tuber. 

 Two tubers attached, with one or two good buds 

 makes no difference. When ready to make the di- 

 visions for those clumps that retained the soil take 



18 



