92 The Amateur's Book of the Dahlia 



is all very well if roots are wanted. It is also 

 excellent for growing large flowers on short 

 stems. For a generation or more our dahlia 

 shows have become a veritable nightmare by 

 virtue of such blooms, cut with stems but a few 

 inches long and placed in tumblers or even small 

 milk bottles. Rows on rows of the poor mar- 

 tyred blossoms are placed on tables, arranged 

 irrespective of colour and form, and turning 

 what should be a fairyland into an eyesore. 



Dahlias are the most beautiful of all flowers 

 and should be treated with respect. If they are 

 wanted as a garden flower let them grow as Na- 

 ture wants them to grow tall and stately. If 

 they are wanted as cut flowers to grace my lady's 

 boudoir, can any one wish to see the great digni- 

 fied blooms humbled to stand in a short-stemmed 

 vase? At an exhibition one cannot wish for a 

 more glorious sight than a vase of any modern 

 variety of dahlias holding their heads aloft on 

 three- and four-foot stems. So let them grow 

 tall and stake them, thereby making your gar- 

 den a pleasure and your house a joy. 



There are two varieties of dahlias which may 

 be improved by pinching back. These are the 

 Pompon and Mignon types and are useful for 

 planting at the front of the dahlia beds. The 

 latter are covered with blooms at all times; and, 



