THE DAHLIA. 



This disbudding will be the 

 more interesting, as it carries with it 

 the knowledge that the finest flowers 

 are assured. We know how many 

 dislike to remove the buds and 

 young shoots, but you must remem- 

 ber you cannot get those large flow- 

 ers otherwise. Again this insures a 

 continuous supply until frost. If 

 you think this too much trouble, 

 consider that all carnations, chrys- 

 anthemums, etc., are disbudded with 

 greater attendance of time and labor, 

 Yes you can get fine, large 

 flowers without disbudding under 

 favorable circumstances and condi- 

 tions, but they will grow smaller, as 

 the quantity increases until they are 

 very small, or under hot dry weather 

 you will get finally a few one-sided 

 flowers and immense bushes. This 

 disbudding is so simple if started at 

 the beginning and the results so 

 greatly beyond the proportion of 

 time involved that it will become 

 universal. 



Hoiv about a succession of 

 floivers? is the question asked in- 

 variably by the novice. Look at the 

 illustration of a blooming branch of 

 Dorothy Peacock, on page 34. This 

 shows the natural growth, and con- 

 sider how many buds and blooms 

 would soon be on a plant if allowed 

 to grow and bloom naturally. If 

 the first two pairs of shoots had 

 been removed as instructed and 

 shown in illustrations on pages 30 

 and 31, the third pair at the bottom 

 would have developed, instead of remaining practically dormant. You would have the large long 

 stem bloom with two more coming on. This is no theory, but a thoroughly practical method car- 

 ried out successfully for years in growing on a large scale the finest commercial flowers, not to 

 speak of the hundreds of exhibition collections. 



Of course with a shorter jointed grower, there are more eyes or young shoots to remove. 

 You have no idea how disbudding will help you to success. Imagine growing chrysanthemums 

 or carnations without disbudding! 



Any one can grow Dahlias of exhibition quality if they will digest these remarks, study 

 plant requirements and then act accordingly. Disbudding does away with those immense plants 

 that evaporate the moisture from the soil so rapidly that during hot dry weather the buds blast 

 in spite of all the water you gi^'e them. 



THIS IS THE JOHN WANAMAKER PLANT AFTER 

 THE FIRST DISBUDDED FLOWER HAD BEEN 

 CUT AND THE NEXT TWO PAIRS OF SHOOTS 

 OR BRANCHES HAD COME INTO FLOWER 

 AND THE OTHER BRANCHES DIS- 

 BUDDED. THE PHOTOS SPEAK 

 FOR THEMSELVES 



