GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 
after the buds have formed, otherwise you will 
have principally stalks and leaves. But once the 
buds do show, water frequently in order to enrich 
the color, and dig in fertilizer around the roots sev- 
eral times during the flowering season, to produce 
fine, big blossoms. 
Tie each plant to a 5-ft. stake, to protect from 
the wind, but in driving be careful not to pierce— 
and ruin—your tuber. Nip off all the buds that are 
imperfect or weak, and cut your flowers with their 
attendant buds and foliage. They will look bet- 
ter, and no further disbudding of the plants will be 
necessary. And the more you cut, the better your 
dahlias will bloom! 
Soon after frost has killed the leaves, carefully 
dig up the tubers with a spading fork. You will 
be surprised to find often half-a-dozen where you 
set but one! Allow them to dry in the air for a 
day or two, then put away in a cool, dark cellar, 
with a bag or paper thrown over them, and leave 
for the winter. In the spring when ready to plant 
again, cut each tuber so it will have a little bit of 
the heart of the clump on its end, as it is close to 
this that the new shoots start. 
Growing dahlias from seed is a most fascinating 
pastime, for there is no telling what you may get! 
The child is rarely, if ever, like its mother,—and 
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