20 



The Florists^ Review 



Ai'iuL ::i, i9'-ii 



Field o{ Peony-Flowered Dahlias Grown Under the Massing System. 



uiirsswdi k .■iii'i 1111 ■i.'iiiuiM 111' iii-|H'ii'iiiij; ir tlif Miil ijiiist !•(■ I'liilliiT ciiriclifil 



nil MiihI tul>ovs. .Iiiriii- till' |.i-(iccss of planting,', i-:ipiiri()iis 



l»;ililias "(■iic'rail\ will tliii\r in an.\' IkiIcs must lie ilii^. so tliat a siilmtaiitial 



^,,j| i|i;it pidiiiu-i's ;,Miiicl I'lini. Tlu' \ir^\ layci' ot' soil may he ]ilac(Ml lict wcou tlic 



-nil is a lijilit loam, with i;ooii (liaiMani-; iCrtili/.cr and the root. If citlu'r str(Jiin 



the worst soil is an I'xt rcmflx' sti(T>-la\. maiiiin' or commnn-ia I fcrt ili/.or i-omcs 

 A li-ilit, samlv -nil will -n \ r tlm |hii 

 |.oso'~\\cll if j)ii'iity of inaiiun- aiol moi 



tnrc 1- availalilf. Dahlias nerd an 

 aliiiiiihiiii'r of Moiiri-liniriit . It LS .i"-' 

 possiMr. not prnliaMc, tliat I lo- soil may 

 |„. too rirh. .■spci-iallv if it is li.'avv ami 

 -liff: thru tin- plant- will hr morn pro 

 ,lucti\n of >talk- ami folia-. • than of 

 llowcrs. lint tlic (hinjior iisiiallx i- .'ii 

 tirclv i>f tlic oppositn sort tlm liaiiucr 

 of liaxint; thn soil toi. po,.r. If tin' 

 U'roiilid i- too hnavy and .davi-\. it may 

 ?„■ miproM'd \i\ llir addition of I'oal 

 ashi's or sand. Kitlmr of t li.'-o matrrial-, 



as w.dl as th.' ii Ird maniir.-, ma.\ !"■ 



incorporated with tlm -oil while .lijiliinu 

 or (dowinn it denpl\ ill ipi.'paiatioii for 

 plant iiie. 



When to Plant. 



Tl,n date oi' planliiin Is a matlei ni 

 -ome disjaite and umiitaiiit \ . As al 

 reaclv -tated. tiir ipie-tioii liin^ie- not 

 niih' on the ditVereme- .■[ .liinate oi 

 |;,titinle. lint al-o on llo- rhararter oi 

 tlin loeal market and nn manv other .-ir 

 riimstamn-. The plant inu ma> he dom 

 a- soon a- ilani;er I'loin fio-t is pa-t, "i 

 i,ia\ he defeired until the middle ol 

 June, or in r.a i e in-1,an.-e- .'Ven until 

 .lulv 1. In ease the plantinu i- done .'arlv. 

 ^..|\ in April or th<' tir-t part ot M:.v, it 

 is'doiild\ desiiahle to ha\e .an ahnmiani 

 wat.'r siippiv .and cioiviiieiit means o; 

 iiiinalioii. or ;iii e,arl\ -iimmer droiioh' 

 i„,-,r,-ilt the Idoomiii- period -hort.li.ard 

 nil and hli-ht the plant- .-iml render them 

 uorthie-s for the re-t of lli.^ -e.asoii. 

 'I'h.at i< perhap- t he pri im i pal n-k m 

 riirred in eail\ plantinu. 



How to Plant. 



■n,n di-I.anen hntuenll ihn |d.-lllt- OI 



ini^^ ni;i\ v.aiv fmm two to four feel 

 n.aidi wav. allowing .ahoiit t \\ o lent tor 



-he sinnin \;irintins, Iwn .Hid olll- hall 

 font for thn p..m| s, tlilnn fnet for the 



,.,„,,v sort- and from thmn to lour t.'et 

 for tliose of th.' most luNuriant ;;rowtli. 

 If planted ill a single row. lie.ljie fasliioii. 

 even the most vijjoroiis kinds need lud 

 1„ m..r.. than t%v.. and one half feet aj-art 

 ill till- row. 



ill direct contact with the s|iidnt, hum 

 iiiu ma\' result. 



I'lant the roots si.\ iiudies deep, not 

 scttinji tlicni on end in nn iiprieht posi 

 tioii, liut layiii<; tliem ll.at on their sides, 

 with an eye or hud turned u|iwar(l. 

 Many if llm more p.ainstakinjj {^rowers 

 do not till the hole coin])letely at the 

 lime of plaiitin<f, hut cover the root to a 

 depth of only two or three inches at 

 first, afterward dr;iwin}i in the soil ahoiit 

 the youii^ shoot as if (iiishes upward and 

 linall\' leaviiij; :t slight depression to 

 -er\e as a 11 aid in watering. 



Setting the Stakes. 



.\ow riMiies the ipieslion: To stake or 

 not to stake.' Tliere is no ipiest ion ahout 

 flii> m.atti'r, Imwever, in the minds of 

 inan\ grower-. The\ h,-i\e always used 



-take-, nNcnpt foV the dnddc'dlv dwjirf 



varieties, and probahly will continue to 

 do so. Moreover, staking? is perhaps the 

 simplest and most praetioahlc method 

 for neiirlv all beginners. It is advisable 

 to set the stakes at the time of planting, 

 driviiij; them in Just before the roots are 

 placed in the f,n"ound and thus avoiding 

 the ])ossiiiilitv of such damage to the 

 roots as inigh't result from future stak- 

 ing. The plants should be secured to the 

 stakes as soon as the need of supiiort is 

 indicated, perhaps when the plants have 

 iittained the ludght id' two feet or slight- 

 ly more. 



If e.\tr;i large, long-st enuned tlovvcrs 

 are wanted, disbudding is jiracticed. The 

 liest (lowers usually are produced at the 

 end of the main stem and of the prin 

 cipal liranches, and these llowers will be 

 improved if the buds and branches in 

 the axils of the three or four pairs of 

 lea\es immediately b(dow are removed 

 al t .as soon as th(\v .appear. 



The Branching Method. 



.\ II increasingly large number of ginw 

 ni>, howe\.r. follow an entiiidy dilTerent 

 method, the -o called branching niethoii, 

 wliiidi dispeii-es with the use of stakes. 



it', s I after idauting. two or more 



shoots appear ami do not seem to be 

 nien.aced l>y ciitwornis, only the strong- 

 est shoot is retaineil and the center of 

 it is pimdied out or cut ofT .as soon as two 

 or three pairs of leaves have formed. 

 Thus the idaiit is induc(>d to branch close 

 to the grouml, or even below the level 

 of till' giauiiid it' the soil w,-is accumu- 

 l.aled o\i'r the root )iy degrees, as de 

 -ciilied in a ])recediiig paragrjijih. .\s a 

 result of this treat'iient, the pl.aiit h;is 

 one strong, sturdy stem and font or more 

 stiff branches, gcncrall\' stdf-suiijiort iiig. 

 The hraiudiiiig method, of course, de 

 l;i\s the first I'lit of llowers, but inifiroves 

 their (pialit\' and increase- Their 

 • plant ity. 



Feeding and Watering. 



It is a great benefit to feed the pl.aiit- 

 -eM'ial times during the growing sea- 

 son, either by ap]dyiiig liijuid manure or 

 liv raking in some commerci.al fertilizer 

 or wall decayeil manure. This extra 

 iiutiinieiit is especially helpful wlnn tlm 

 plant- are in hloom and i- realh e>seii 



Field of Show and Cactus Dahlias Grown Under the Massing System. 



