MabCB 11, 1915. 



The Florists* Review 



21 



Field of Peony-flowered Dahlias Grown Under tbe Massing System. 



beeome soldiers by conscription, an'l 

 there were many volunteers. Two of 

 these were killed in the early days of 

 A\"gust, and one was wounded near 

 Liege. The son of J. Forck, the gen- 

 eral foreman, was badly wounded on 

 the Yser, and his son-in-law has been 

 interned in Holland since the fall of 

 Antwerp. The whole staff, all agod 

 men, are still on duty, working hard to 

 save the plants. Mr. Van Bockstaele, 

 the director, and J. Forck, the foreman, 

 are in Iheir places, having to meet the 

 most difficult problems. Francois 

 Marchand, the old and faithful servant 

 of the firm, after sixty-two years of 

 valuable service, will stay near his 

 darling bertolonias and sonerilas, of 

 many varieties of which he was the 

 originator, until, perhaps, German 

 bombs kill him in his propagating 

 house. Leave them? No, never, he 

 said. As he had lived among them, so 

 would he die with them, he assured 

 me. Cyrille Philips. 



ALEXANDER ON THE DAHLIA. 



A Specialist's Culture. 



Dahlias will grow and do equally well 

 in any kind of soil. I have sand, gravel, 

 heavy and light loam, lowland and 

 hills, and find little difference, so far 

 as the number of flowers is concerned; 

 the only difference being that in sand 

 and gravel they form a short, sturdy, 

 compact plant, and in heavy loam and 

 Rowland they grow tall and rank, bloom- 

 ing about a week later than those 

 planted at the same time in sandy soil. 



The soil should be thoroughly culti- 

 vated, plowed or spaded eight to ten 

 inches deep, well pulverized and thor'- 

 oughly worked over. To secure excep- 

 tional results, have your soil plowed or 

 spaded in the fall, or as early as prac- 

 ticable in the spring; then just before 

 planting have the soil thoroughly 

 plowed or spaded again. 



Fertilization. 



Fertilization is one of the most im- 

 portant factors, to be successful with 

 dahlias. Every other fall I give my 

 land a top-dressing of stable manure, 

 plowing it under, and alternate with 

 lime, using this as a top-dressing. 



The manure restores the properties 

 necessary, makes the soil light and mel- 



low and keeps it from being heavy, and 

 caking, while lime has the same ten- 

 dency and keeps the soil sweet. When 

 planting in the spring I use commercial 

 fertilizers exclusively, a complete potato 

 fertilizer and ground bone meal, in equal 

 proportions. Every fourth or fifth year 

 I make a fall planting of winter rye, 

 then turn under in the spring, planting 

 the roots with commercial fertilizers. 



An application of manure, either in 

 liquid or ordinary form, several times 

 throughout the growing season proves 

 beneficial. 



Planting and Cultivating. 



The time for planting dahlias varies 

 according to the locality, whether your 

 spot is sheltered or open, early or late- 

 ness of the season, and 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. Plant roots six inches deep, 

 flat down, having sprout or e5'e facing 



upward, cover with soil an inch or so, 

 apply dressing, and cover in level. 



Give thorough cultivation, deep at 

 first, and continue once a week until 

 the plants commence to flower. After 

 they commence to bloom do not culti- 

 vate, as then is the time the new roots 

 are forming, and you are apt to cut off 

 the new tubers, weakening the growth 

 of the plant. Do not fail to stir tho 

 soil after every rain, keeping the soil 

 from forming a crust on the surface or 

 baking, and conserving the moisture in 

 the soil, thus avoiding the necessity of 

 watering. 



As the shoot or plant commences to 

 show itself above ground, care should 

 be taken for the prevention of cut- 

 worms and other pests that destroy the 

 young shoots. 



After the plants attain eighteen 

 inches in height an occasional spraying 

 will kill and keep away the aphis or 

 green fly, which often infests dahlias. 



Both wood ashes and lime are good 

 at all times, and in addition to being 

 good fertilizers, are effective as pre- 

 ventives of insect pests. j 



For Exhibition Blooms. 



To produce the finest flowers for ex- 

 hibition purposes: Plant three to five 

 feet apart, using a liberal amount of 

 manure or fertilizer; cultivate fre- 

 quently; apply at each or every other 

 hoeing, fertilizer or manure, broad-cast 

 or in liquid form, and disbud. Nitrate 

 of soda proves exceedingly effective for 

 forcing; apply in liquid or crystal form, 

 when plants are in bud; make applica 

 tions often, but do not use too much at 

 a time. Nitrate of soda is powerful, 

 and if too much is used it will burn up 

 your plants, or force them to such an 

 overgrowth that the roots will decay 

 during the winter. Apply nitrate of 

 soda in crystal form on top of the 

 ground, or in liquid form, using one 

 tablespoonful of nitrate of soda crys- 

 tals to a gallon of water, using sprayer 

 or watering can. 



When the flower buds appear, only 

 one bud should be allowed to come to 

 maturity. The flowers, for quality, must 

 not be allowed to receive the drenching 

 rains or scalding sun, when nearing full 

 bloom. 



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



