

^ "S^ < r.;. 







DAHLIAS MEET 



DIVERSE NEEDS 



Not nearly the use is made of dahlias that their possibilities for florists 

 merit. The diversities of the various types meet differing needs and tastes. 

 They hloom when other flowers are not abundant. On this page is described 

 how florists can profitably handle them. 





HE DAHLIA has not boon 

 considered with much se- 

 riousness from a florist's 

 standpoint up to the pres- 

 ent timcj but it is now be- 

 ginning to come into its 

 own. For about six weeks, 

 say from September 1 to 

 October 15, the dahlia, if 

 properly handled, should 

 be most profitable as a florists' flower, 

 as the wide range of colors allows it to 

 be used for almost any occasion, and 

 the different types allow a wide di- 

 versity of uses and tastes. 



Some of the collarette dahlias make 

 up exceedingly well into shower bou- 

 quets for weddings. Attraction, of an 

 exquisite lavender shade, makes up won- 

 derfully well with oak leaves and other 

 foliage for funeral sprays. The white 

 "carnation" dahlia, 

 Corona, is also use- 

 ful for this purpose. 

 In view of the 

 fact that many flow- 

 ers can be cut from 

 one medium-priced 

 plant, there is plenty 

 of leeway for profit. 



Planting. 



Generally it is a 

 mistake to plant 

 dahlia roots ex- 

 tremely early in the 

 spring, unless you 

 are determined that 

 you want early flow- 

 ers, for if the roots 

 are planted in April 

 or the first part of 

 May, they will come 

 into flower in July 

 or August, during 

 the hot weather, and 

 while there may be 

 a few good flowers, 

 the plants will soon 

 bloom themselves 

 out, and by fall, or 

 when the cool 

 weather comes, the 

 flowers produced are 

 insignificant. So it 

 is much better, as a 

 rule, to plant dahlias 

 around June 1. Then 

 they will flower to 

 perfection between 

 September 1 and Oc- 

 tober 15, just the 

 proper time to make 

 the best use of 

 dahlias. 



All that is needed 



By I. S. HENDRICKSON. 



for producing a proper plant is one 

 ' ' tuber, " or " potato, ' ' with one ' ' eye, ' ' 

 or "sprout," and this will give much 

 better results than a clump with sev- 

 eral "sprouts" or "potatoes." This 

 should be laid in a trench or hole, 

 lengthwise and not standing up, and 

 covered about four to six inches deep, 

 according to the nature of the soil. 



Culture. 



Bone meal and sheep manure arc ex- 

 cellent fertilizers, but must be incor- 

 porated well with the soil. Keep the 

 ground stirred about a plant. When it 

 is about six to eight inches high, nip out 

 the center shoot, so that your plant will 

 grow stocky and throw out more 

 branches. If you have only a few plants, 



Isaac S. Hendrickson. 



you will find it will pay to stake them. 

 Dahlias, to do well, need a great deal 

 of water. During the dry spell plenty 

 of water should be given while they are 

 making buds. The increase in the size 

 of the flowers will well repay the trou- 

 ble this occasions. 



To obtain the largest flowers, remove 

 all but one bud on each shoot. If you 

 prefer quantity to size, you can remove 

 half of the buds, or none at all, just as 

 you prefer. 



When a large number of dahlia roots 

 are to be planted, the furrows should be 

 made four feet apart. Then plant the 

 roots about eighteen inches apart in the 

 rows. If they are planted close to- 

 gether in a row, staking is not needed, 

 as one plant helps support another. 



Cut flowers may be kept in good con- 

 dition a long time if a little care is given 

 them at the time of 

 cutting. The flow- 

 ers should be cut 

 early in the morning 

 or late in the after- 

 noon or evening. It 

 is preferable to cut 

 at a joint, as the 

 hard part of the 

 stem seems to hold 

 the sap in the stalk. 



Hardening. 



Soon after cut- 

 ting, put the ends 

 of the stems in some 

 vessel containing 

 about one inch of 

 boiling water. Al- 

 low the flowers to 

 extend over the side 

 of the vessel so that 

 the steam will not 

 fiflfect them. Let 

 them remain in this 

 water until it cools 

 off; then transfer 

 your flowers to re- 

 < optacles of cold 

 water. You will find 

 tliat, as a result of 

 this treatment, your 

 flowers will last two 

 or three times as 

 long as they would 

 without it. This hot 

 water treatment will 

 even revive flowers 

 tliat have become 

 (|uite badly wilted. 



If dahlias are cut 

 for shipment, it is 

 best to cut them 

 early in the morning 

 or late in the after- 



