THE DAHLIA 



to the point of extinction, and to which was 

 added the ordeal of the change from in- to out- 

 door conditions. " Our seasons are too short for 

 it," was the universal verdict. " At the south 

 it may do well, but there's no use in trying to do 

 anything with it at the north unless one has 

 a greenhouse, and understands the peculiarities 

 of the plant better than the rank and file of 

 flower-loving people can expect to." So it came 

 about that its cultivation was given up by small 

 gardeners, and it was seen only on the grounds 

 of the wealthier people, who could afford the 

 services of the professional gardener. 



We have learned, of late years, that our treat- 

 ment of the plant was almost the opposite of 

 what was required. 



Some eight or ten years ago, I ordered a col- 

 lection of choice varieties of the Dahlia. I 

 ordered them early in the season, expecting to 

 start them into growth in pots as usual. For 

 some reason they did not come until the last day 

 of May. It was then too late to start them in 

 the usual way, and I planted them in the garden, 

 expecting they would amount to nothing. 



The result was, to me, a most surprising one. 



The place in which I planted them was one 

 whose soil was very rich and mellow. It was 



158 



