184 BRECK’S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. 
Dahlias look best when planted in groups, as they hide 
each other’s ugliness, and if they flower, and a variety of 
colors be combined in the group, they make a very impos- 
ing appearance. 
Taking up and Preserving the Roots.—When the first 
frost strikes the Dahlias so as to blacken the plant, a few 
inches of soil should be added to the crown of the plant, 
to prevent the tubers from being injured by freezing, which 
might happen unexpectedly some cold night. Taking 
some pleasant day, the last of October or the first of No- 
vember, the tops of the plants should be cut down near 
the ground, and the stakes pulled up; then very carefully 
lift the roots from the earth. This is best done by two 
persons, with spades, operating on each side of the roots, 
as when taken from ‘the ground they are very brittle and 
easily broken off. Let them then be carefully deposited 
on the surface, where they should remain during the day, 
exposed to the sun and air. Before night sets in, they 
should be removed to a dry, airy cellar, and deposited on 
shelves raised a few feet from the bottom; here they will 
remain with perfect safety, provided they can have a little 
air occasionally, in pleasant weather. They should, how- 
ever, be placed singly on the shelves; as, when packed 
close, or one upon another, they are liable to mould and 
decay. The most danger is to be apprehended from ex- 
cessive dampness; but sometimes roots, kept in a cellar 
where there is a furnace, ntay be injured by the dryness, 
and the roots become shrivelled and almost worthless, 
especially the very small ones. The rats or mice will do 
no injury to the roots, as they will not touch them. 
Liliputian or Bouquet Dahlias.—This novel variety of 
the Dahlia has been introduced within a few years, and, 
in my opinion, is a great improvement upon the over-grown 
coarse flowers of the old varieties. Formerly, large-sized 
flowers were considered as one of the qualifications for a 
