

14 



The Florists' Review 



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NOTES ON Mr M 

 DAHLIA CULTURE 



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DAHLIAS IN TUB SFBINaTIME. 



Diyidlng the Clumps. 



For years I have devoted my whole 

 time and energies to growing and im- 

 proving dahlias. Twenty-one years 

 ago I commenced growing them as an 

 amateur, beginning with sixty varie- 

 ties. Two years later I took up the 

 dahlia business as a professional. Last 

 spring I planted over 4,000,000 dahlia 

 plants, nearly thirty-five acres. Dahlias 

 are my hobby and my business com- 

 bined. 



To succeed with dahlias it is essen- 

 tial to have good roots to plant; there- 

 fore the separating of the clumps in 

 the spring is an important matter, 

 upon which future success depends. If 

 the clumps ai;e improperly separated, 

 leaving the tubers without a crown 

 from which to sprout, they will not 

 grow. 



Separate the clump, using a sharp 

 knife and cutting each root separately, 

 first dividing the clump in halves, then 

 cutting to one root or tuber. In di- 

 viding, great care should be taken to 

 leave a portion of the crown or orig- 

 inal stalk on each root; it is on this 

 crown that the sprout starts, and if 

 the root has no crown, it is worthless. 

 During the months of March and April 

 the clumps send forth sprouts, gener- 

 ally one for each root on the clump. 

 These aid in dividing properly. 



Wben and Where to Plant. 



The time of planting dahlias varies 

 according to the locality, depending on 

 whether the ground is sheltered or 

 open; also on the earliness or lateness 

 of the season, and on the time when 

 the general crop of flowers is desired. 

 Dahlias can be planted any time after 

 danger of frost is over, and under or- 

 dinary conditions will bloom in from 

 six to eight weeks after they have been 

 planted. It is always best to wait un- 

 til the ground becomes thoroughly 

 warmed. 



The dahlia is not as particular as 

 most of our flowers, and will succeed 

 under a great many adverse conditions. 

 There are, however, certain locations 

 where dahlias seem to outdo them- 

 selves. An open, sunny location seems 

 to favor them at all times. They do 

 well on high or low land, on hillsides 

 or perfectly level land, giving good re- 

 sults in each location. 



I find dahlias are particularly 

 adapted for seashore use, where they 

 are favorably affected by the moisture, 

 and especially by the heavy dews which 

 collect during the nights. I also find 

 that many varieties do well under par- 

 tial shade, producing fully as good 

 flowers as they do in the hot sun, es- 

 pecially for exhibition purposes. 



Dahlias will grow equally well in- 

 any kind of soil. The principal re- 

 quirement is cultivation. I have sand, 

 gravel, heavy and light loam, low land 

 and hills, and I find little difference 



as far as the number of flowers is 

 concerned. The only difference is that 

 in sand and gravel they form short, 

 sturdy, compact plants, while in heavy 

 loam and low Iftnd they grow tall and 

 rank, blooming about a week later 

 than those planted at the same time 

 in a sandy soil. 



Culture and Feeding. 



The soil should be thoroughly culti- 

 vated. It should be plowed or spaded 

 eight to ten inches deep, well pulver- 

 ized and thoroughly worked over, thus 

 affording an opportunity for rapid ex- 

 pansion, and making an easy path for 

 the tiny rootlets. 



The fertilization of the soil is im- 

 portant. You can use horse, cow, 

 sheep or hen manure, or chemicals. 

 You can use any commercial fertilizer 

 rich in nitrogen, potash, ammonia and 

 phosphoric acid. Fish and potash, 

 acid phosphate in the form of bone 

 flour, or sulphate of potash, are also 

 effective. 



Every other fall I give my land a 

 top-dressing of stable manure, plowing 

 it under, and alternate with lime, us- 

 ing this as a top-dressing. The manure 

 restores the necessary properties and 

 makes the soil light and mellow, while 

 lime has the same tendency and also 

 keeps the soil sweet. When planting 

 in the spring I use commercial fertil- 

 izers exclusively, using a complete po- 

 tato fertilizer and ground bone meal, 

 in equal proportions. Every fourth or 

 fifth year I make a fall planting of 

 winter rye; I turn this under in the 

 spring, planting the bulbs with com- 

 mercial fertilizers. 



An application of manure, either in 

 liquid or ordinary form, several times 



throughout the growing season proves 

 beneficial, furnishing new material for 

 the growing plants and insuring the 

 best results. 



PolAts About Planting. 



Plant the roots in hills or drills, lay- 

 ing them flat, six inches deep. Do not 

 stand the tuber on end. If you stand 

 the tuber on end, having the sprout 

 near the top of the ground, all the new 

 tubers which form will grow near the 

 top of the ground. Consequently, 

 when you have a dry spell the plants 

 will become stunted; whereas, if the 

 tubers are planted flat and six inches 

 deep, the roots receive sufficient mois- 

 ture to keep them growing even in the 

 driest season. In planting with manure, 

 cover the manure an inch or so be- 

 fore planting the roots. The fertil- 

 izer should be thoroughly worked into 

 the soil. Either fertilizer or manure 

 will burn the sprout, if not covered 

 with soil. 



By planting the root first, then cov- 

 ering it to the depth of an inch or 

 so with soil, and lastly applying the 

 fertilizer or manure, the plant receives 

 the entire benefit of the dressing. The 

 dressing is above the tuber and every 

 rain carries the food down to the roots; 

 whereas, if the dressing is below the 

 tuber, each rain takes the dressing 

 farther away from the plant. 



Remember, then, to plant the tuber 

 six inches deep, laying it flat, with the 

 sprout or eye facing upward; cover 

 with an inch or so of soil, apply the 

 dressing, and cover in level. 



Cultivation is the principal require- 

 ment of the dahlia. Keep the soil well 

 cultivated and free from weeds; never 

 allow the soil to crust. Cultivate deep- 

 ly at first, and continue once a week 

 until the plants commence to flower. 

 After they commence to bloom, do not 

 cultivate, as then ^s the time the new 

 roots are forming and you are liable 

 to cut off the new tubers, weakening 

 the growth of the plant. Do not fail 

 to stir the soil after every rain, keep- 

 ing the soil from forming a crust on 

 the surface and conserving the mois- 

 ture in the soil, thus avoiding the ne- 

 cessity of watering. 



J. K. Alexander. 



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 9g SUGGESTIONS 



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Bedding Oeraniums. 



This is the latest period for potting 

 bedding geraniums in 4-inch pots. Use 

 a fairly stiff loam, to which add a lit- 

 tle old manure and fine bone. Do not 

 use any sand or leaf-mold, and be sure 

 to pot the plants firmly. Lioosely pot- 

 ted stock in light soil will soon show 

 a sickly, starved appearance. You can 

 help the starved plants by feeding 

 them with weak liquid manure, or giv- 

 ing each pot a sprinkling of fine bone 

 or Clay's fertilizer. Are your plants 

 getting crowded in the benches! If 

 so, you can easily relieve them by us- 

 ing coldframes. Place a little warm 

 horse manure in the frames and partly 



plunge the pots. They will grow bet- 

 ter and stockier there than in the 

 greenhouses; so will ageratums, fuchsias 

 and many other bedding plants. For 

 coleus, alternantheras, achyranthes, 

 etc., a stronger hotbed is the ideal place 

 and growth is much faster there than 

 in a greenhouse. It is possible to damp 

 down the plants and bottle a brisk heat 

 each afternoon, which cannot well be 

 done in greenhouses where a variety 

 of stock is grown. 



Poinsettias. 



It is time to overhaul, pot or box the 

 old poinsettia stools. Prune the plants 

 back a little and start them in a warm, 

 moist house. Water them lightly, but 



