Propagation of the Dahlia 31 



These should be removed with a sharp knife and 

 thrown away, as, although they look fine cuttings, they 

 rarely strike, and never make good plants. 



When the growth is thus far advanced, soil and 

 pots should be prepared for rooting the cuttings in. 

 Almost any sweet soil will do provided there is no 

 manure in it ; but I prefer to use a stiffish maiden 

 loam, with a layer of sharp sand on the top. 



When the next lot of shoots are about three inches 

 long, they may be taken from the plants. If a few 

 plants of each variety only are required, the operator can 

 take the cuttings off with a heel or little piece of the 

 old root attached ; but if a larger quantity be wanted, 

 care should be taken not to cut within an inch of the 

 base, thus leaving the cluster of eyes round about it 

 intact. These eyes will in a few days push up shoots 

 ready to be taken off again as cuttings. By some 

 people, gardeners as well as amateurs, an extraordinary 

 value is put upon the heel, and they maintain that it 

 is impossible to root cuttings that are taken off without 

 it. This is a piece of old-fashioned nonsense, and 

 any sceptical person can easily be convinced that it is 

 so by paying a visit in March to any leading Dahlia 

 nursery. Thousands I might safely say millions of 

 clean cuttings are rooted every season. I have no 

 difficulty in rooting 90 per cent of such. Again, the 

 very stoutest cuttings are often selected under the 

 impression that they make the best plants. This is 

 folly. The best cuttings are those about the thickness 

 of a slate-pencil. The thick ones will usually be 

 found hollow and rarely strike. I often put in the 

 very thinnest cuttings of scarce varieties, and with 

 care they make fine plants. 



D 



