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October 8, 1912, 



The Fbrists' Review 



83 



larger eastern growers is grown from 

 cuttings. It is a good way to increase 

 your stock of any variety of which you 

 are short, but the plants will require a 

 great deal of watering in a dry season. 



The dormant roots should be started 

 about the first part of February and 

 cuttings may be made as soon as the 

 third set of leaves has formed. The 

 cuttings should be placed in sand, 

 where they will root in two to three 

 weeks. They should have a bottom heat 

 of about 60 degrees and the tempera- 

 ture of the house should be 5 to 10 de- 

 grees higher. The cuttings will root 

 more quickly if the heat is greater, but 

 the plants will not be as strong. Keep 

 the sand moist. If cut just below the 

 leaves, cutting will nearify always pro- 

 duce good tubers with plenty of eyes. 

 If cut midway between joints, you may 

 have a good plant growth above ground, 

 but only a few stingy roots, which will 

 not keep over winter. 



Plants grown from cuttings usually 

 produce better flowers, but not so many 

 as those grown from divided roots. 



Dahlias are also propagated by graft- 

 ing and from seed. Seedlings do not 

 come true and grafting is of no value 

 to the florist. 



Soil and Culture. 



Dahlias will thrive in almost any or- 

 dinary soil. They do better, however, 

 in a sandy loam, grow more dwarf, 

 flower longer and produce better stems. 

 Contrary to general belief, a highly ma- 

 nured soil is not good for dahlias, as it 

 stimulates an excessive growth of fo- 

 liage at the expense of the flowers. If 

 the soil is not rich enough, an applica- 

 tion of a solution of one part nitrate 



of soda to twelve parts of water may 

 be made at the time the first flowers ap- 

 pear. If used too freely, the nitrate 

 is liable to bleach the pinks and reds. 

 Wood ashes and bone meal are good. 



In the latitude of Des Moines dahlias 

 should be planted from May 15 to 

 June 15. They should be planted in 

 rows about three to four feet apart, 

 and about three feet apart in the rows. 

 The ground should be plowed to a deptH 

 of eight or ten inches. Lay the tubers 

 on their sides and cover about six 

 inches. After the plant has made three 

 to four sets of leaves, pinch off the 

 top, which will cause a more bushy 

 growth and do away with the necessity 

 of staking. Keep the ground loose. 

 Cultivate deeply until the buds appear; 

 then draw the soil up around the plant 

 to form a dust mulch and lay by. If 

 you can do so, water freely during dry, 

 hot weather, soaking thoroughly. 



Probably the greatest pests the 

 dahlia has to contend with are the white 

 fly and the borer worm. The white fly 

 is especially troublesome during dry 

 spells. An occasional spraying with a 

 nicotine extract will do away with this 

 trouble. For the borer worm we have 

 no. remedy after it has taken up quar- 

 ters in the stalk, except to cut it out 

 and kill it. If you have been spraying 

 with a nicotine solution it is not prob- 

 able you will have much trouble with 

 them. 



Do not be afraid to cut bloom with 

 long stems, though you may have to 

 cut away a great many buds. The 

 blooms will keep best if cut in the 

 evening, also if much of the foliage 

 be removed from the stems. 



Digging and Storing. 



After the frost has killed the tops^ 

 cut the stalks off a few inches above 

 the ground. Dig the clumps, remove 

 the soil from the roots and let them 

 lie in the sun for an hour or so, just 

 long enough to dry the surface; then 

 store away. If your roots have been 

 grown from cuttings they can usually 

 be plowed up without injury. We 

 have found it best, where we have large 

 clumps, to have two men work opposite 

 each other, digging with spading forks, 

 as the tubers are not so liable to be 

 broken off. 



We have heard much complaint about 

 dahlia clumps not keeping well over 

 winter, and we have lost a great many 

 ourselves. The most satisfactory meth- 

 od we have tried is to pack in barrels 

 or boxes, placing the clumps upside 

 down, 80 the somewhat acrid juice in 

 the stalk may not run down and cause 

 them to rot; then cover with moss to 

 keep from drying out. The clumps 

 should not be packed until they are 

 dry. If there is damp soil clinging to 

 them, or if the surface of tubers is wet, 

 they are liable to rot. The barrels 

 should be stored in a dry, cool cellar, 

 free from frost. 



Highland, HI. — The greenhouses of 

 Maurice F. Widmer now comprise 12,000 

 square feet of glass, situated on a 

 4-acre tract of ground. He also con- 

 ducts a retail store at 410 Illinois ave- 

 nue. East St. Louis. The store is in 

 direct charge of Paul Slack. Mr. 

 Widmer 's business was founded in 

 1868, by his father, Joseph Widmer, who 

 has retired from active work. 



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