Cutting, Packing, Shipping 151 



Ball or show dahlias of great size have not the 

 keeping qualities that the decoratives have. To 

 open to their fullest capacity, they must remain 

 on the plants much longer than the others; 

 therefore the back petals begin to dry at the 

 edges almost before their opening is complete. 



Nearly all dahlias, under average weather 

 conditions, take about a week to open to their 

 fullest glory. Some will fully open in a day or 

 two, but the bloom grows in size after that, 

 needing two, three, and sometimes four more 

 days. The singles and the collarettes take less 

 time for this and, as I have already stated, the 

 ball-shaped take more. One must judge the 

 best time to cut some of the varieties, as certain 

 reds will burn in the hot sun, and many laven- 

 ders bleach at the centre. It is better to cut 

 these a bit early, opening them in the house, 

 although they will never grow to as great a size 

 this way. Blooms from dahlia plants which 

 have been struggling to open in dry weather 

 and have had much water given them last only 

 a short time. They seem to be tired out. On 

 the other hand, blooms which have opened in 

 cool and cloudy weather have the finest colour 

 and last longer than under any other condition. 

 Blooms which have been tossed and whipped 

 by the wind will hardly last a day after cutting. 



